illililiiiii|ii|::;;p 


.'imimm,' 


^OAavaaniv> 


<i7liONVSm^^         v/sa^MNMWv" 


<^<?Aavaaniv>      'OAavaaniv^ 


^J713DNVS0V^^         vAa3AIN 


vNlOSANCflCT/ 

'Or— *e 


■^«ai\INft3AV^ 


^^^tllBRARYOc.       #llBRARYQc.  AMEUNIVERSy/^ 


^1    i 


^(iOJIlVDJO'i^ 


5 


^^iUDNVSOV"^ 


^lOSANCElfj-^, 


^/sa3AiNn]ttv^ 


^^IIIBRARYO/T         ^\StllBR/l 


\<i)myi^     %ojiiv. 


^lOSANCflfj^. 


.^OFTAHFO^O 


^OFfAIIFOPc. 
It 


sDnfs 

>&Aava8ll•^'^'~'      ^<?AavaaiH\^ 


.5!rtEUNIVERy//, 


^lOSANCEIfJV. 


<rjl30NVS01^        %a3AIN(l-3lV^ 


^OFCAllFOft<^       ^OFCAll 


'^<?Aavaaii-^^    '^<?A8vaa 


JJVJ' 


i-Of  CAI 


5  >— '»    I-  £? 

^OAavaan-^^^ 


AWE  UNIVERJ//, 


Jrlj     ^;r-^^    I 


.ER%       ^lOSANCElfJV-. 


■fJlJDNVSOl^       %a3Alfl(l]\\V^ 


^ 


^^^illBRARYQ^ 


^IIIBRARYQa 


■<         S 


^tfOJIWDW'^       '^AOJIlVDJO'i^ 


^.OFCAllFOff^ 


ji,OFCAllF0ff^ 


^<3Aavagii#      ^<?Aavaaiii^ 


,aweuniver% 

CO 


■^/ia3A 


^lOSANCElfJy. 


"^/iajAiNdiViv^ 


^,\NtllBRARYG< 


^^HIBRARYQc. 


^^JIIVOJO^ 


'^iOJIlVJJO'^ 


^^WE•UNIVER5•/^ 


^lOSANCEl^r^ 


\miw 


^^lllBRARYOx^       ^'^tl 


^lOSANCflfj> 


'%a3AIN(l-3WV' 


^OFCAIIFOS'^ 


.^;0FCAIIF0% 


'^OAavaaiiVv'^ 


,5MEl)NIVERi'//j 


^lOSANCElf/^ 


^Aavaaii-^^"^        <fji3DNvsoi^     "^/ia^AiNnrnv 


^.OFCAllFOftil^ 


>^OFC; 


''^<?Aavaaiii^    ^^om 


A-OFCAJ 


"^OAavaaii-^^^ 


.^ME■UNIVER% 


^  C3 


.AWEUNIVERSy^ 


^lOSANCElfj> 


.  -< 
%a3AIN(l]l\V^ 

^lOSANCElfj-^ 


^IIIBRARY(> 
§  1    ir^  S 


^UIBRARYQc. 


^yEUNIVERJ/A 


^<!/0JllV3JO'»^ 


^.OFCA1IFO%_ 


"^OJUVDJO"^ 


^OF-CA11FO% 


^(?Aavaaiii^ 


^^AavaaiH'^ 


•^TilJONVSOl^         %a3AIN(l 


.AWEUN'IVERiy/, 


"^/^aaAiNH 


^lOSANCflfx^ 


<^^l•llBRARY<3/'         -K^MIBRARYQ/r 


r-n         SS 


%a3AIN,13WV^  ^<!/OJnV0JO^      %0jnV3JQ^ 


^OFfAllFOff^      ^OFCAIIFO% 


^ 


t 

C3 


SO  ^- 


AWEUNIVERJ/a 


.^WEUNIVERJ-//, 
>- 


^lOSA,VCElfj> 


%a3AiNn-3HV^ 


Aj^lOSANCElfj> 


^\MllBRARYQ/r 


■vvStllBRAR 


^0FCAIIF0% 


'%0JI1V3- 
c^*;OFCAllF( 


4? 


^OAavaaiH^ 


\N 


.iV3i\v        >&Aav!i8iB^      ^OAavaaiv^^^        -^m. 


I* 


•a:     u? 


T'  >- 


t 


^     ^i 


vOFfAIIFnp/.. 


i     ^ 


-^Wr  l'N'l\'FI?.V/^. 


JOSASTFIfr, 


^ 


'^G<. 


:^%     ^oFc, 


'wr  i!\iVF[;v/> 


A\\Fr?;'\TPv',-. 


#    %. 


:;.,1JHV 


^ 
.^ 


:n,1]WV 


.i^Fl 


Jiijj>viur^ 


<'jai\iH,ijn>- 


% 

#       -; 

-< 

cc 

(_3 

^-' 

^ 

5                    ^ 

cc 

-J3 

-r' 

^ 

■^ 

o- 

'-'J.iujiivjjo^-'' 

Vj 

/ 

^' 

3 

-^ 

i          3 

CC 

r-n 

_< 

# 

1^ 
-0 

■^ 

^ 

.-^ 

**J 

^ 

c_r 

33 

>• 

5 

;^ 

^i^ 

%a]AIN(13WV 

/ 

.vlOVAN'CFlfr> 
l£                  'Si 

§ 

o                     ^ 

Cc 

■ — 1 

> 

^ 

J 

;A 

^' 

n^ 

>- 

CC 

iE 

< 

DC 

<: 

ca 

z>3 

-7- 

^ 

Hi 

\  , 

'^. 

"'/iaiAI.N.I  JU>- 


-Ss; 


^^WEUNIVERJ//>.       ^vlOSAUCflfr^  ^^tli: 


.MIBRARYO/r^  ^5MEUNIVER%        ,vKlOSANCElfj-;>  ^v^t 


'^irjNvsui^'^' 


-:         S 


Vj.joV^  %J1]DNVS01^^        '<^/Ja3AIN(HW'S^ 


>- 

CC 

<: 


^^WEl)NIVERi■/4        v>;lOSAK'CEl5r.>  ^iVfAllfi. 


»^il(L. 


S     AI».^V   s     g 


,^WE■UNIVER5•/A        ,vV;lOSANCElfr.^  .^,.01 


-:-  Qc 


Men  of  Progress 


BiOGRAi'iiicAL  Sketches  and  Portraits 


OF 


Leaders   in   Business   and    Professional   Life 


IN    AM)    OF    THK 


tate    of    QTcittnocticut 


COMPILED   UNDER  THE  SUPERVISION   OF 

RICHARD    HERNDON 

EDITED   BY 

RICHARD    BURTON 


BOSTON 

NEW    ENGLAND    MAGAZINE 

189S 


CorVRK.HT,     1897 

uv 
RICHARD   HERNDON 


^ 


ALFRED  MUOQE  *  SON,  PRINTERS,  BOSTON. 


stack 
Annex 


'^ac^ 


MEN    OF    PROGRESS. 


ALLEN,  Isaac  AliMakin,  Jr.,  Architect,  Hartford, 
was  born  in  Enfield  street,  Enfield,  Connecticut, 
May  [22,  1859,  son  of  Isaac  Almarin  and  Harriet 
Jane  (Carrier)  Allen.  He  is  an  only  son;  of  his 
four  sisters,  but  one  is  now  living  —  Elizabeth 
Ingraham  (.^llen)  Burns,  wife  of  Louis  Burns  of 
Pittsfield,  Massachusetts.  The  other  three  sisters 
died  while  young.  His  father  is  a  well-to-do 
farmer  of  Enfield,  and  his  grandfather,  Chauncey 
Allen,  was  an  extensive  farmer  and  dealer  in  leaf 
tobacco,  who  died  at  the  age  of  eighty-nine,  leaving 
a  large  property.  Isaac  Allen,  brother  of  Chaun- 
cey, moved  from  Enfield  to  Clarkson,  Monroe 
county,  New  York,  and  became  an  extensive  farmer 
there.  At  the  age  of  eighteen  he  was  a  Colonel  in 
the  War  of  1812.  The  genealogy  of  the  family  is 
traced  back  many  generations  in  the  Allen  gene- 
alogy, which  has  been  published.  On  his  mother's 
side  he  is  descended  from  John  Hancock,  the 
signer  of  the  Declaration  of  Independence.  Her 
father  was  Omri  Gates  Carrier,  son  of  Omri  and 
Rebekah  (Parsons)  Carrier.  Rebekah  Parsons  was 
the  daughter  of  Major  Joseph  Parsons  and  Anne 
(Hancock)  I'arsons.  Anne  Hancock,  great-great- 
grandmother  of  the  subject  of  this  sketch,  was  a 
sister  of  the  three  brothers  Hancocks,  who  came 
from  England  bringing  a  bushel  of  siher  dollars. 
With  a  half  bushel  of  these  dollars,  one  of  these 
brothers  bought  from  the  Indians  what  is  now  the 
township  of  Wethersfield,  Connecticut,  but  owing 
to  some  flaw  in  the  title,  it  was  afterwards  taken 
from  him  by  the  English.  His  greatgreat-grand- 
father.  Major  Joseph  Parsons,  was  Major  of  the 
State  Militia  and  a  pensioner  from  the  Rexolution- 
ary  War.  His  son  Luther  Parsons  was  a  Lieuten- 
ant of  the  War  of  181 2,  and  Captain  of  the  Port  of 
New  London.  His  mother's  mother,  Harriet  A. 
(Potter)  Carrier,  wife  of  Omri  Gates  Carrier,  was 


a  descendant  of  Captain  Ei)hraim  Pease,  who 
entertained  General  Washington  at  his  house  in 
PJnfield.  His  father's  mother  Mary  (Pease)  Allen 
was  also  a  descendant  of  Captain  F^ohraim  Pease. 
A  letter  from  General  Washington  referring  to  the 
hospitality  of   Captain   Pease,  is  still  preserved  by 


ISAAC    A.    ALLEN,  JR. 

the  family.  Captain  Ephraim  Pease  was  born  Feb- 
ruary 4,  1720,  and  died  June  29,  1801  ;  he  was  a  very 
wealthy  and  influential  man  in  Enfield,  Connecti- 
cut, owning  most  of  the  property  on  Enfield  street. 
He  was  one  of  a  committee  of  seven  to  consult  with 
other  towns  of  the  colony,  and  to  receive  and  for- 
ward money  and  provisions  to  those  persons  in  Bos- 


2G26<iO0 


MEN    OF   PROGRESS. 


ton  and  vicinity,  distressed  by  the  unhappy  conse- 
quences of  the  "  Boston  Port  Hill."     Isaac  Almarin 
Allen,  Jr.,  was  educated  at  the  Enfield  Street  Dis- 
trict   School,    the    Enfield    High    School   and   the 
Thompsonville     High    School    at     rhompsonville, 
Connecticut.     He  lived  at   home   on   his   father's 
farm  until  the  age  of  twenty,  when  he  went  to  New 
Haven  and  learned  the  carpenter's  trade  with  the 
contracting  firm  of  Kinney  &  Phelps.     He  was  con- 
sidered an  expert  workman,  and  had  charge  of  the 
work  on  many  large  buildings.     He  spent  his  even- 
ings  till   late   at  night  drawing  plans  of  buildings 
with  a  view  to  entering  an  architect's  office.     From 
1879  to  1886  his  business  compelled  him  to  change 
his  residence  to  different  parts  of  the  state,  and  he 
worked  successively  at  New  Haven,  Glen   Island, 
New  York,  Stony  Creek,   Ansonia,   and   again   at 
New    Haven,   where   he   worked   on   the    Armory 
Building  on  Meadow  street,  and   other   important 
buildings.     In  January  1884  he  entered  the  archi- 
tectural office  of  David  R.  Brown  of  New  Haven, 
Connecticut,   and   stayed   about  one  year.     There 
being  but  little  work  in  the  office  at  that  time,  he 
returned  to  work  at  his  trade.     In  1886  he  returned 
to  Enfield  at  his  father's  request,  and  built  several 
buildings,  also  at  times  working  on  his  father's  farm, 
where  he  erected  a  steam  grist  mill.     This  however 
proved  unprofitable  and  he  sold  out  the  mill  and  in 
March    1889   re-entered  the  architectural  office  of 
David  R.  Brown  of  New  Haven.     One  year  later  he 
secured  a  position  with  F.  S.  Newman,  architect,  at 
Springfield,   Massachusetts.     In   1891   he  was  sent 
by  Mr.  Newman  to  open  a  branch  office  in  Phila- 
delphia, which  is  now  his  former  employer's  princi- 
pal  office.     In  January  1893  he  was  sent  by  Mr. 
Newman  to  manage  a  branch  office  and   superin- 
tend the  construction  of  the  Ballerstein  Building  at 
Hartford.     This  led  in  April  1896,  to  his  purchase 
of   Mr.  Newman's  interest  in  the  Hartford  office, 
and  which  business  he  has  since  successfully  con- 
ducted.    He  has  planned  many  apartment  houses, 
business  blocks,  stores  and  residences  in  Hartford 
and  surrounding  towns,  and  is  the  successful  com- 
petitor for  Sage,  Allen  &  Company's  new  eight-story 
fire-proof   office   building.      He   is   a   member   of 
Relief    Lodge    No.   86   of   Odd    Fellows   of   New 
Haven,  and  of  the  St.  John's  Lodge  and  Masonic 
Club  of  Hartford.     He  was  married  September  9, 
1890,  to  Mary  Elizabeth  Willson  of  Thompsonville. 
They  have  two  children  :  Willson,  born  at  Enfield, 
August  17,  1 89 1,  and  Charles  Almarin  Allen,  born 
in  Hartford,  June  23,  1894. 


ARVINE,  Earlliss  Porter,  Attorney-at-Law, 
New  Haven,  was  born  in  Woonsocket,  Rhode  Island, 
April  19,  T846,  son  of  Kazlett  and  Mary  Ann  (Por- 
ter) Arvine.  His  father  was  born  in  Centerville, 
Allegheny  county,  New  York,  and  was  the  author  of 
"  Cyclopcedia  of  Anecdotes  of  Literature  and  Fine 
Arts."  His  father's  family  came  from  England  and 
settled  first  in  New  Hampshire  and  then  in  Alle- 
gheny county,  New  York.  On  the  maternal  side 
he  is  descended  from  Daniel  Porter  who  was  one 
of  the  original  settlers  in  Waterbury,  Connecticut. 
He  was  fitted  for  college  at  the  Episcopal  Acad- 
emy at  Cheshire,  Connecticut,  and  afterwards  at  the 


E.    P.   ARVINE. 

Connecticut  Literary  Institute  in  Suffield.  He  then 
entered  Yale  College  where  he  was  graduated  with 
the  class  of  1869.  He  was  then  graduated  in  course 
at  the  Yale  Law  School  and  was  admitted  to  the 
Bar  in  187 1.  He  has  practiced  law  in  New  Haven 
ever  since  that  date.  In  1872  he  was  candidate  on 
the  Republican  ticket  for  City  Clerk  of  New  Haven, 
and  in  1875  was  candidate  for  Judge  of  Probate. 
In  1892  he  was  appointed  by  Governor  Morris 
Member  of  the  Interstate  Commission  for  the  L^nifi- 
cation  of  the  Laws.  He  was  married  September  2, 
1 87 1,  to  Alice  Jane  Strong,  daughter  of  Artemus  L. 
Strong  of  South  Manchester.  They  have  three  sons  : 
Palmer,  \Villiam  B.  and  Edward  K.  Arvine. 


MF,N    OF   PROGRESS. 


BALDWIN,  William  Pitt,  M.  D.,  New  Haven, 
was  born  in  New  Haven,  May  12,  1857,  son  of 
Charles  Amos  and  Hannah  Pitt  (Smith)  Baldwin. 
His  ancestry  is  English  on  both  sides.  P'rom  his 
father  he  is  descended  from  Richard  IJaldwin  who 
settled  at  Milford,  Connecticut,  in  the  early  days  of 


Ccrtnidc  Ionise  T.ockwood  of   Riverside,  Connec- 
ticut, who  died  July  12,  i8g6. 


WILLIAM    PITT   BALDWIN 

the  country,  and  on  his  mother's  side  he  traces  his 
ancestry  to  Robert  Pitt,  the  younger  son  of  the 
Earl  of  Chatham.  He  was  educated  at  the  Dwight 
Public  School  and  the  Hillhouse  High  School,  New 
Haven.  He  was  graduated  from  Yale  University, 
Academic  Department,  in  1888  and  from  the  Yale 
Medical  School  in  1890.  In  1891  he  was  at  the 
New  York  Homceopathic  Medical  College  and 
Hospital.  After  a  term  of  service  in  Ward's  Island 
Hospital,  New  York,  in  1892  he  was  assistant  of 
Dr.  L.  P.  Jones  of  Greenwich,  Connecticut.  He 
went  abroad  and  spent  the  winter  of  1893-94  in  the 
University  of  Vienna.  Returning  to  America,  he 
settled  in  New  Haven  in  September  1894.  He  has 
been  junior  surgeon  at  Grace  Hospital,  New  Haven, 
since  1894,  and  Sanitary  Ofificer  and  Medical  Direc- 
tor of  the  Connecticut  Masonic  Home,  Wallingford, 
since  1895.  He  is  a  member  of  Wooster  Lodge, 
No.  19,  F.  &  A.  M.,  of  the  Young  Men's  Republi- 
can League  and  the  New  Haven  Republican 
League.     He  was   married   October    10,   1S95,    to 


liAi.LI'lRS'ri'MN,  Rai'iiam,  Wholesak-  and  Retail 
Milliner,  Hartford,  was  born  in  Westphalia,  Ger- 
many. .'\fter  attending  the  jiublic  schools  in  West- 
phalia, he  came  to  this  country  at  the  age  of  fifteen. 
In  1865  he  commenced  his  business  career  as  a 
dealer  in  millinery  goods  and  established  himself 
in  the  location  where  the  C'heney  Building  now 
stands.  .At  the  time  of  tlie  Bee  Hive  fire  he  found 
(juarters  farther  down  on  Main  street,  where  he 
remained  two  years.  He  then  moved  into  the 
Hudson  Building  and  from  there  to  412-426  Main 
street.  In  1S94  he  moved  to  his  present  store, 
372-378  Main  street,  where  he  occupies  the  first 
and  second  floors  with  the  basement.  This  is  the 
largest  and  finest   store  of   the    kind   in  the    state. 


'*^^:?^.i?, 


R.    BALLERSTEIN. 

The  firm  of  R.  Ballerstein  &  Company  consists  of 
Raphael  Ballerstein  and  Charles  Dillon.  The  firm 
employs  two  hundred  clerks  and  sales-ladies,  and 
has  a  branch  office  in  Paris  for  the  purchase  of  its 
stock  which  is  directly  imported.  Mr.  Ballerstein 
is  prominent  in  charitable  and  social  organizations 
and  is  an  active  worker  in  several  .societies  of  the 


MEN    OF    PROGRESS. 


city.  He  is  a  Pirector  in  the  First  National  Bank 
anil  a  trustee  of  the  National  Life  Insurance  Com- 
pany.    He  is  a  member  of  the  Masonic  order. 


BAILEY,  Rev.  Gurdon  Franklin,  Pastor  of  the 
Congregational  Church  of  Westbrook,  was  born  in 
(Iroton,  Connecticut,  May  4,  1864,  son  of  Elijah 
Williams  and  Melinda  (Latham)  Bailey.  His  an- 
cestors came  from  Yorkshire,  England,  and  were 
among  the  early  settlers  of  New  London.  About 
1640  they  moved  to  Groton.  His  grandfather  Gur- 
don Bailey,  with  his  seven  brothers  and  two  sisters, 
moved  to  the  Western  Reserve  about  1815.  The 
boys  settled  near  each  other  and  became  prosperous 
farmers.  His  grandmother  Bailey's  father  was 
brother  of  the  wife  of  Colonel  Ledyard,  who  com- 
manded Fort   Griswold  and   fell   in   the    battle  of 


GURDON    F.  BAILEY, 

September  6,  1781.  The  present  pastor's  grand- 
father was  Gurdon  Bailey,  son  of  Jonathan  Bailey, 
the  latter  son  of  John  Bailey.  His  maternal  grand- 
father was  George  Latham,  son  of  George  Latham, 
the  latter  son  of  Jasper  Latham,  the  latter  also  son 
of  Jasper  Latham.  The  parents  of  the  subject  of 
this  sketch  moved  during  his  infancy  to  the  Western 
Reserve.  He  lived  upon  the  farm  until  his  seven- 
teenth year,  attending  meanwhile  the  district  school. 


In  188 1  the  family  moved  to  his  native  town.  He 
attended  the  Groton  High  School  and  afterwards 
the  Norwich  Free  Acadamy  where  he  was  graduated 
in  1887.  He  then  entered  Yale  graduating  with  the 
class  of  1 89 1.  His  father  had  died  in  1885  throw- 
ing him  entirely  upon  his  own  resources.  He  was 
thus  obliged  to  work  his  way  through  college  which 
he  did  with  great  credit,  with  the  aid  of  scholar- 
ships and  continuous  hard  personal  exertion.  He 
entered  Yale  Theological  Seminary  in  September 
i8gi  and  there  continued  for  two  years.  In  the 
spring  of  1893  a  call  came  to  labor  with  the  church 
at  West  Avon.  This  he  accepted  for  the  year  with 
the  understanding  that  he  might  finish  his  course  at 
the  Seminary.  The  work  however  became  so  inter- 
esting and  assumed  such  proportions  that  he  did 
not  return  to  the  Seminary  but  continued  with  the 
West  Avon  Church  for  two  and  one  half  years. 
During  that  time  the  church  building  was  repaired 
without  and  within,  and  thirty-nine  added  to  the 
membership  of  the  church.  In  the  fall  of  1895  an 
unexpected  call  came  from  the  church  at  Westbrook, 
his  present  pastorate.  This  church  situated  at  a 
popular  summer  resort  had  one  of  the  finest  edifices 
to  be  found  in  the  smaller  towns  of  the  state.  Dur- 
ing the  present  pastorate  of  two  years  twenty-two 
have  been  added  to  the  membership  roll.  Mr. 
Bailey  is  President  of  the  Westbrook  Choral  Union 
and  Secretary  of  the  Board  of  Directors  of  the 
Westbrook  Public  Library.  In  1884  and  1886  he 
was  Secretary  of  the  Groton  Bank  Temperance 
Union  and  in  1894  was  member  of  the  Avon  School 
Board.  He  was  married  June  29,  1891,  to  Mary 
Swan  Chapman,  eldest  child  of  Dudley  Pendleton 
and  Lucy  Ann  Chapman.  They  have  two  children  : 
Harold  Chapman  Bailey,  born  December  24,  1893, 
and  Marion  Latham  Bailey,  born  September  7, 
1896. 


BASSETT,  Samuel,  Postmaster,  and  Past  Grand 
Master  of  the  Grand  Lodge,  F.  &  A.  M.,  of  Con- 
necticut, was  born  in  New  York  city,  September  25, 
1841,  son  of  William  A.  and  Glovina  (Ryder) 
Bassett.  He  was  educated  in  private  schools  and 
was  graduated  from  the  Classical  and  Commercial 
Institute,  Portchester,  New  York,  October  i,  i860. 
He  was  paymaster  for  P.  &  F.  Corbin  of  New 
Britain  for  sixteen  years  beginning  April  8,  1872. 
He  was  First  Selectman  of  the  Town  of  New  Britain 
for  six  years  and  was  appointed  by  President 
Cleveland  Postmaster  of  New  Britain,  July  i,  1893. 


MEN    OF    I'ROC'.RKSS. 


During  the  Civil  War  he  served  as  First  Lieutenant 
of  the  One  Hundred  and  Thirty-fifth  New  Nork 
X'ohniteer  Infantry,  and  as  Captain  of  tlie  Sixtli 
New  Yorlv  Heavy  Artillery.  He  is  Past  tlrand 
Master  of  the  Granil  Lodge  of  F.  &  A.  M.  of  Con- 


18.(8  entered  the  ]ire])aratory  course  of  Oberlin 
C'ollege.  Depending  very  largely  upon  what  he 
could  earn  liy  manual  lahor  to  pay  liis  expenses  at 
school  (as  did  many  others  in  tliat  institution  at 
that  time),  his  health  ga\e  way  from  overwork,  and 
he  left  the  school  at  the  end  of  his  preparatory 
studies.  It  was  several  years  before  his  health  was 
sufficiently  restored  to  do  much  work.  It  was  at 
this  time  of  enforced  idleness  that  he  began  the 
study  of  botany  on  tlie  home  farm  in  Rockport,  and 
a  copy  of  Wood's  botany  was  his  constant  com- 
panion. He  also  made  himself  familiar  with  the 
numerous  species  of  land  and  fresh  water  shells, 
then  very  abundant,  but  that  have  since  disap- 
peared, and  with  the  various  fossils  to  be  found  in 
the  limestone  boulders  in  that  region.  He  spent 
the  summer  of  1849  in  Florida,  where  he  was  born, 
and  here  he  gave  his  passion  for  the  study  of  nature 
full  sway,  making  collections  of  plants  and  minerals 
which    are   still    in  existence.     Tn    the   autumn    he 


,lt 


SAM  L   BASSETT. 

necticut.  Past  Grand  High  Priest  of  the  Grand 
Chapter  R.  K.  M.  of  Connecticut,  and  Past  Most 
Puissant  Grand  Master  of  Grand  Council  R.  & 
S.  M.  of  Connecticut.  He  was  married  September 
2,  1862,  to  Jennie  Smith,  of  Peekskill,  New  York. 
Their  only  child,  William  A.  Bassett,  died  .August  3, 
1866. 

BASSETT,  Homer  Fr.anklin,  Librarian  and 
Scientist,  Waterbury,  was  born  in  Florida,  Massa- 
chusetts, September  2,  1826,  eldest  son  of  Ezra  and 
Keziah  (Witt)  Pntssett.  In  1836  the  family  removed 
to  the  \Vest  and  settled  on  a  farm  in  Rockport  —  a 
few  miles  from  Cleveland,  Ohio.  In  addition  to 
the  rather  limited  opportunities  for  acquiring  an 
education  furnished  by  the  district  schools  in  that 
section  in  those  days,  young  Bassett  was  allowed  to 
attend  school  for  a  few  terms  at  the  Berea  Seminary 
(Berea,  Ohio),  then  taught  by  that  most  successful 
teacher,  Alfred  Holbrook.  A  few  years  later  he 
attended  the  John  Baldwin  Seminary  —  afterwards 
the  Baldwin  University  in  Berea,  and  in  November 


H,   F.    BASSEIT. 

visited  relatives  in  Connecticut,  and  was  persuaded 
to  teach  a  small  district  school  in  the  north  part  of 
Wolcott  in  the  winter  of  1849-50.  He  taught  the 
same  school  the  following  winter,  and  the  next 
spring  took  the  school  in  the  west  part  of  the  town 
till  September  1853.  F'inding  his  health  improved 
and  looking  upon  teaching  as  a  poorly  paid  voca- 


8 


MEN   OF   PROGRESS. 


tion  he  essayed  farming  in  Rockport.     This  was  a 
failure,  and    he  took  up    teaching  again,  at  first  a 
year  in  Hcrea  then  in  Wolcott  and  Waterville,  and 
finally  a  i)rivate  school  (or  eight  years  in  Waterbury. 
Since  September  1872  he  has  been  librarian  of  the 
Silas   IJronson    Library.     In    all    he  spent  sixteen 
years  as  a  teacher.     From  the  time  when,  ill  and 
almost  hopeless,  he  left  Oberlin  and  gave  up  the 
idea  of  a  collegiate  education,  even  till  the  present 
he  has  been  a  close  student  of  nature.     With  the 
boiany  of   Northern  Ohio,  of  Massachusetts,  Con- 
necticut and  Eastern  Kansas,  he  is  well  acquainted, 
and    the   results  of   his    entomological   studies  are 
known   wherever   that    science   is   studied.     Since 
1862  he  has  devoted  most  of  his  leisure  to  a  study 
of  the  Order  of  Hymenopterous  insects  —  particu- 
larly the  Cynipidse.     To  this  interesting  family  his 
discoveries  have  added  more  than  a  hundred  and 
twenty-five  new  species,  and  it  was  his  good  for- 
tune to  solve  the  mystery  of   the    reproduction  of 
these  minute   insects   by  the   discovery  of   dimor- 
phism —  a  key  to  the  history  of  some  other  forms  of 
life  as  is  now  well  known.     His  writings  are  princi- 
pally ui)on    entomological   subjects,  and    are    pub- 
lished in  various  scientific  journals.     He  was  Town 
Treasurer  for  one  year,  but  aside  from  that  has  held 
no  public  office    that   was  not  directly  connected 
with  educational  matters.     For  the  last  twenty-five 
years  he  has  been  a  member  either  of  the  Board  of 
Education  or  of  the  Town  Board  of  School  Visitors, 
and  sometimes  of  both  at  the  same  time,  and  has 
nearly  all  the  time  been  one  of  the  Acting  School 
Visitors.     On  May  21,  1848,  Mr.  Bassett   married 
Sarah  A.  Tomlinson,  who  died  on  August  4  of  the 
same  year.     On  April  8,  1855,  he  married  Lovina 
Alcott,  eldest  daughter  of  George  G.  Alcott  of  Wol- 
cott, who  was  a  brother  of  the  famous  Dr.  William 
A.  Alcott.     She  died  August  11,  1880,  leaving  two 
children:    .Antoinette    Alcott  born   May   23,  1857, 
and  Frank  Alcott,  who  was  born  April  19,  1867,  and 
died    December    5,  1891.     On   July    17,  1884,  he 
married  Margaret  D.  Judd,  by  whom  he  has  one 
daughter :  Helen  Margaret,  who  was  born  Novem- 
ber 27,  1890. 


Bere  who  appears  among  the  records  of  Kent 
county,  England,  i486.  The  first  ancestor  in 
America  was  Anthony  Beers  who  with  his  wife  Eliz- 
abeth came  to  Watertown,  Connecticut,  in  1646. 
[ohn  Beers  his  son  moved  from  Watertown  to  Strat- 
ford, Connecticut,  in  1678.  Joseph,  son  of  John, 
married  Sarah  Clark,  March  6,  1720.  Their  young- 
est son  Matthew,  born  December  19,  1736,  was  the 
grandfather  of  Victory  C.  Beers,  and  was  married  to 
Sarah  Curtis  of  Stratford.  The  Curtis  and  Beers 
families  have  thus  intermarried  for  two  generations. 
The  subject  of  this  sketch  received  a  common 
school  and  academic   education.     His  training  for 


BEERS,  Victory  Clark,  Ex-State  Senator  and 
Town  Treasurer,  Cornwall,  was  born  in  Corn- 
wall, September  25,  1832,  son  of  Curtis  and 
Alice  (Curtis)  Beers.  The  family  name,  which  was 
spelled  Bears  and  Bere,  is  traced  back  to  Anthony 


ViCrORY   C.    BEERS. 

active  life  was  that  of  a  farmer's  son.  In  politics  he 
has  always  been  a  Democrat.  He  was  a  member 
of  the  Democratic  State  Central  Committee  from 
1866  to  187 1  and  was  Senator  from  the  Seventeenth 
District  in  1870-71,  serving  as  Chairman  of  the 
Military  Committee.  He  was  Chairman  of  the 
Board  of  Selectmen  from  1875  to  1878,  and  a  mem- 
ber of  the  General  Assembly  in  1884-85,  when  he 
again  served  on  the  Military  Committee.  He  was 
Town  Treasurer  from  1880  to  1895.  Mr.  Beers  was 
married  June  2,  1862,  to  Sarah  C.  Harrison.  They 
have  two  sons:  George  H.,  born  July  15,  1866,  and 
Ralph  S.  Beers,  born  August  12,  1878 


MEN    OF    I'ROr.RESS. 


BILLINGS,  Charles  Ethan,  President  of  the 
Billings  i<:  Spencer  Company,  Hartford,  was  born  in 
Weathersfield,  Vermont,  December  5,  1835,  son  of 
Ethan  Ferdinand  and  Clarissa  (Marsh)  Billings. 
His  father  was  the  village  blacksmith  at  Windsor, 
Vermont,  so  that  the  present  manufacturer  comes 
honestly  by  his  inventive  faculty.  His  grandfather 
was  Rultis  Billings  and  his  great-grandfather  Joseph 
Billings  who  settled  in  Windsor  in  1793.  He  was 
educated  at  the  comuion  schools  of  Windsor,  and 
at  the  age  of  seventeen  was  apjjrenticed  to  the  Rob- 
bins  &  Lawrence  ComiKiny  of  Windsor,  where  he 
learned  the  machinist's  trade  after  the  usual  appren- 
ticeship of  three  years.  In  1856  he  entered  the 
enii)loy  of  the  Colt's  Patent  Fire  Arms  Company  of 
Hartford  and  there  remained  until  1861.  The  idea 
of  drop  forgings  was  jirobably  introduced  into  the 
United  States  by  that  many  sided  man,  Samuel 
Colt.  To  a  slight  extent  they  were  afterwards  used 
in  the  armories  at  Springfield,  Massachusetts,  but 
the  process  of  manufacture  was  crude,  the  work 
imperfect  in  its  nature,  and  the  practical  results 
confined  to  narrow  limits.  It  was  left  to  Charles  E. 
Billings  to  raise  an  unimportant  adjunct  of  the 
machine  shop  from  a  lowly  position  to  its  present 
dignity  and  consequence  in  the  world  of  mechanics. 
From  Mr.  Billings'  position  as  toolmaker  and  die 
sinker  in  the  Colt's  Works  he  first  gained  an  insight 
into  that  line  of  business  with  which  his  future  life 
was  to  be  identified.  He  was  confident  that  cer- 
tain parts  of  the  work  could  be  accomplished  in  a 
far  easier  way  than  by  the  old  methods,  and  he 
bent  his  mind  to  the  solution  of  the  problem.  The 
second  year  of  the  war  he  was  called  to  the  gun 
factories  of  E.  Remington  &  Sons  at  Ilion,  New 
York.  Here  in  the  face  of  opposition  and  much 
doubt  he  built  up  a  plant  for  drop  forgings  which 
increased  by  forty-fold  the  efficiency  of  labor,  in 
the  production  of  various  parts  of  their  pistols. 
The  effect  was  quite  a  revelation  to  the  company 
and  clearly  showed  the  possibilities  of  the  new  idea. 
Returning  to  Hartford  in  1S65  he  acted  for  three 
years  as  Superintendent  of  the  Weed  Sewing 
Machine  Company.  After  a  few  months  spent  at 
Amherst,  Massachusetts,  he  settled  permanently  in 
Hartford,  and  in  1869,  in  connection  with  C.  M. 
Spencer,  organized  the  Billings  &  Spencer  Com- 
pany, of  which  he  has  been  President  and  General 
Manager  ever  since.  The  manufacture  of  drop 
forgings  and  drop  forging  machinery  is  tlie  princi- 
pal business  of  the  company,  and  the  manufacture 
has  attained  a  remarkable  degree  of  success  through 


Mr.  Hillings'  genius  and  persistence.  He  is  also 
the  inventor  and  ])atentee  of  numerous  useful 
articles,  manufactured  by  his  company,  among 
which  may  be  noted  a  screw  plate,  a  double-acting 
ratchet  drill,  adjustable  beam  caliper,  breech- 
loading  firearms,  pocket  knife,  drill,  chuck  and 
adjustable  pocket  wrench.  He  is  President  of  the 
National  Machine  Com]\-iny  of  Hartford,  and  the 
C.  E.  Billings  Manufacturing  Company  of  Rocky 
Hill,  Connecticut.  He  is  also  \'ice-president  of 
the  American  Specialty  Company  of  Hartford,  trus- 
tee of  the  Hartford  Trust  Company  and  the  State 
Savings  P>ank,  and  Director  (;f  the    Hartford    iioard 


C.   E.   BILLINGS. 

of  Trade.  He  has  served  for  one  year  as  Republi- 
can Councilman,  and  four  years  as  Alderman  of 
Hartford,  and  has  been  five  years  a  member  of  the 
Board  of  Fire  Commissioners,  nnd  is  at  present 
President  of  the  Board.  He  has  been  a  private  in 
the  First  Regiment  of  Connecticut  National  Guards. 
He  is  an  enthusiastic  Mason  and  has  taken  all  of 
the  thirty-three  degrees,  is  a  Past  Grand  Com- 
mander Knights  Templar  of  Connecticut,  also  a 
member  of  the  Royal  Order  of  Scotland,  and  a 
member  and  past  President  of  the  American 
Society  of  Mechanical  Engineers.  He  is  a  mem- 
ber of  the  Hartford  C'lub,  the  Home  Market  Club 
of    Boston,    and    the    .'\merican    Protective   Tariff 


lO 


MEN   OF   PROGRESS. 


League  of  New  York.  He  has  been  twice  married. 
His  first  wife  was  Frances  M.  Hey  wood,  by  whom 
he  had  two  children:  Frederic  C.  and  Harry  l-:. 
Killings,  both  associated  with  their  father  in  busi- 
ness. His  second  wife  was  Eva  C.  Holt,  by  whom 
he  has  had  two  children :  Lucius  H.  and  iMary  R. 
Iiillings. 


BISHOP,  Henry  Maktin,  Druggist,  New  Haven, 
was  born  in  Woodbury,  Connecticut,  May  27, 
1836,    son    of    Harley   and    Mary    Ann    (Moody) 


HENRY    M.   BISHOP. 

Bishop.  His  grandparents  on  the  paternal  side 
were  Calvin  and  Rebecca  (Stillson)  Bishop,  and 
on  the  maternal  side  James  and  Lucy  (Tomlinson) 
Moody.  He  was  educated  first  at  the  district 
schools,  then  at  Fort  Edward  Institute  for  one  and 
a  half  terms,  and  for  one  term  at  the  Albany 
Academy,  his  family  having  removed  to  New  York 
state  in  1847.  For  three  years  from  1853  he  was 
clerk  and  salesman  in  a  country  store.  He  returned 
to  Connecticut  in  1859  ^'id  entered  a  drug  store 
at  Woodbury,  where  he  remained  one  year.  He 
then  moved  to  New  Haven  and  on  August  i,  i860, 
started  in  the  drug  business  for  himself,  in  which 
business  he  has   continued  for  thirty-seven  years. 


He  has  been  continuously  in  the  business  the 
longest  of  any  druggist  in  New  Haven.  He  was 
appointed  to  the  State  Board  of  Pharmacy  June  i, 
1893,  and  is  now  serving  his  second  term  of  three 
years.  He  has  been  Secretary  of  the  Board  since 
his  first  appointment.  He  is  a  Democrat  in  poli- 
tics, belonging  to  the  Gold  Wing  of  the  party,  and 
has  been  an  influential  factor  in  city  politics, 
although  always  declining  to  be  a  candidate  for 
office.  He  is  an  Odd  Fellow  and  Past  Grand  of 
City  Lodge.  He  is  a  Mason,  a  Past  High  Priest  of 
Franklin  Chapter  No.  2  and  representative  of  the 
chapter  in  the  building  of  a  new  Temple.  He  is 
also  a  member  of  the  Order  of  United  American 
Mechanics,  a  member  of  the  Knights  of  the  Golden 
Eagle,  and  Past  Chief  of  that  order.  He  has  been 
a  member  of  the  St.  John's  Protestant  Episcopal 
Church,  New  Haven,  for  thirty-six  years,  for  twenty 
years  a  vestryman  and  for  ten  years  clerk  of  the 
parish.  He  was  married  May  11,  1864,  to  Mary 
Elisabeth  Blackman  of  Woodbury.  Their  children 
have  been  :  Mary  Harriet,  now  teacher  in  the  New 
Y'ork  State  Normal  College,  Albany  ;  George  Her- 
bert, associated  with  his  father  in  the  drug  busi- 
ness ;  Edith  Elisabeth  ;  Frederick  Henry,  who  died 
in  childhood  ;  and  Charles  Albert  Bishop. 


BISHOP,  James,  Judge  of  the  City  Court,  New 
Haven,  was  born  in  Westville,  Connecticut,  January 
5,  1851,  son  of  William  and  Charlotte  (Love) 
Bishop.  He  was  educated  in  the  public  schools 
and  Commercial  College  of  New  Haven.  After 
leaving  the  College  he  was  for  six  years  clerk  in  the 
employ  of  H.  N.  Whittelsey  &  Co.,  wholesale  and 
retail  crockery  and  glass  dealers.  New  Haven.  He 
left  their  service  in  September  1872,  to  enter  the 
Law  Department  of  Yale  University,  where  he  was 
graduated  in  1874.  He  was  admitted  to  the  Bar 
on  July  I,  of  the  same  year,  and  began  the  practice 
of  law  in  New  Haven.  At  the  age  of  twenty-two 
he  was  elected  member  of  the  Thirteenth  Ward 
Republican  Committee  of  Westville  and  in  1880 
was  Chairman  of  the  same.  He  was  Clerk  of  the 
Westville  School  Society  from  1875  'o  iS&i  when 
he  came  to  New  Haven.  On  coming  to  New 
Haven  he  became  actively  engaged  in  political 
work  and  in  1887-88  was  representative  of  the 
Young  Men's  Republican  Club  of  New  Haven  in 
the  State  League  of  Republican  Clubs.  In  the 
presidential  election  of  1888  he  was  a  member  of 


MEN    OF   PROGRESS. 


1 1 


the  Republican  Stale  Central  Committee,  anil 
i88g  to  189J  was  Chairman  of  the  New  Haven 
Town  Committee.  He  was  clerk  of  the  City  Court 
of  New  Haven  for  ten  years  beginning  June  1, 
1883,  and  was  a  member  of  the  Board  of  Public 
Works  from  I'ebruary  i,  1894,  to  February  i,  1897, 
declining  a  re-nomination  at  the  election  of  1896. 
He  was  elected  Judge  of  the  City  Court  of  New 
Haven  by  the  Legislature  of  1897.  He  is  a  ])romi- 
nent  Odd  F"ellow,  a  member  of  the  (^uinnipiac 
Lodge  No.  I,  and  in  1889  was  Crand  ]\Laster  of  the 
Grand  Lodge  of  Connecticut.  He  was  representa- 
tive   from    Connecticut   at    the    Sovereign    Grand 


JAMES   BISHOP. 

Lodge  at  Topeka,  Kansas,  in  1S90,  and  at  St. 
Louis  in  1891.  He  was  a  member  of  the  Board  of 
Trustees  which  had  charge  of  the  erection  of  the 
Odd  Fellows  Building  in  New  Haven,  and  he  was 
one  of  the  active  promoters  of  the  Odd  Fellows 
Home  of  Connecticut  and  from  its  foundation  has 
been  its  Secretary.  He  is  also  a  member  of  the 
Olive  Branch  Lodge  of  Masons  of  Westville  and  of 
the  Israel  Putnam  Lodge  of  Ancient  Order  LInited 
Workmen.  He  was  married  November  20,  1879, 
to  Carrie  C.  Andrews  of  Wallingford.  They  have 
three  daughters :  F'annie  Charlotte,  Cornelia  Caro- 
line and  Louise  Eldridge  Bishop. 


BISHOP,  Nathan  Lkk,  twenty  years  Superin- 
tendent of  Public  Schools  of  the  Central  District, 
Norwich,  was  born  Marcli  6,  1841,  in  Lisbon  now 
Sprague,  Connecticut,  son  of  Nathan  Perkins  and 
Nancy  (Lee)  Bislio]).  On  both  sides  he  traces  his 
ancestry  back  to  Revolutionary  stock.  His  grand- 
liarcnts  on  the  paternal  side  were  Bar/.illai  and  Lucy 
Huntington  Bishop,  and  through  tliem  the  line  is 
descended  from  Joshua  Bishop  and  Wealthy  Adams 
Bishop,  his  wife.  Joshua  Bishop  was  the  son  of 
Reuben  Bishop  who  was  killed  in  his  early  manhood 
while  serving  in  Canada  as  an  officer  in  the  Frencli 
and  Lidian  War.  Joshua  Bishop  at  the  age  of  six- 
teen was  drafted  for  service  in  the  Revolutionary 
War,  but  his  mother,  who  was  a  widow  and  in  need 
of  his  assistance,  secured  a  substitute  by  giving  a  yoke 
of  o.xen.  His  mother  was  the  daughter  of  ^Villiam 
and  Nancy  Bingham  Lee.  William  Lee  was  the  son 
of  Rev.  Andrew  Lee,  D.  D.,  and  his  wife  Eunice 
Hall  Lee.  Andrew  Lee,  the  son  of  John  Lee,  came 
from  Saybrook,  Connecticut,  to  Lisbon,  Connecticut. 
He  served  as  Chaplain  during  the  Revolutionary 
War  and  was  with  the  troops  that  crossed  the  Dela- 
ware river  the  night  of  the  battle  of  Trenton.  The 
subject  of  this  sketch,  Nathan  Lee  Bishop,  received 
his  early  education  at  the  district  schools.  This 
was  supplemented  by  a  year  each  at  the  Plainfield 
Academy,  the  Connecticut  Normal  School,  New 
]?ritain,  and  Williston  Seminary,  Northampton,  Mas- 
sachusetts. For  a  time  he  worked  on  the  farm  with 
his  father,  then  taught  two  years  in  the  common 
schools.  In  August  1862,  he  enlisted  as  a  private 
in  the  Twenty-first  Regiment  Connecticut  Volun- 
teers. He  was  appointed  First  Lieutenant  in  the 
First  Regiment  United  States  Colored  Troojjs,  after 
an  examination  before  General  Casey's  Board  at 
Washington  in  November  1863,  served  as  com- 
mander of  a  company  for  several  months  and  was 
Adjutant  of  the  regiment  for  more  than  a  year.  He 
refused  the  offer  of  a  promotion  to  the  captaincy. 
He  was  mustered  out  of  service  in  November 
1865.  In  the  winter  of  1865-66  he  taught  school  in 
Ohio  and  in  the  following  summer  re-entered  Willis- 
ton  Seminary.  But  his  health  failed  and  he  was 
obliged  to  devote  the  following  summer  to  farming. 
In  the  winter  of  1867-68  he  was  principal  of  the 
graded  school  at  Baltic,  Connecticut,  and  in  the  fol- 
lowing April  he  took  a  subordinate  jjosition  in  the 
Greeneville  Public  .School  at  Norwich,  of  which 
school  he  became  jirincipal  in  the  fall  of  1869.  He 
held  this  position  until  January  i,  1877,  when  he 
accepted  the  position  he  still   holds.  Superintendent 


12 


MEN   OF    PROGRESS. 


of  the  Public  Schools  of  Central  District,  Norwich. 
His  service  in  the  Norwich  public  schools  thus 
covers  a  period  of  more  than  twenty-nine  years 
and  is  the  strongest  possible  testimonial  of  the  suc- 
cess and  appreciation  which  his  services  have  gained. 


NATHAN    LEE    BISHOP. 

He  was  for  six  years  a  member  of  the  Board  of 
School  Visitors  of  the  town  and  for  thirteen  years  a 
member  of  a  literary  society  known  as  The  Round 
Table,  serving  as  its  President  for  the  past  nine 
years.  He  has  been  President  of  the  Norwich 
Young  Men's  Christian  Association  since  1890.  In 
1892  he  was  President  of  the  National  Croquet 
Association,  and  is  now  its  Secretary  and  Treasurer. 
In  1888  he  was  first  prize-winner  in  the  organiza- 
tion. He  is  a  deacon  in  the  Broadway  Congre- 
gational Church,  a  teacher  in  its  Bible  Class  and 
Assistant  Superintendent  in  its  Sunday  School. 
He  has  previously  served  as  Superintendent.  He 
is  a  Republican  and  like  his  father  was  in  his  boy- 
hood an  ardent  member  of  the  Free  Soil  Party. 
He  was  married  November  15,  1869,  to  Julia  Eliza- 
beth Armstrong  of  Mansfield  Center,  Connecti- 
cut. Two  daughters  have  been  born  to  them  : 
Fannie  Arnold  Bishop,  born  October  20,  1873,  and 
Katherine  Trowbridge  Bishop,  born  February  "7 
1877. 


BODENWEIN,  Theodore,  Proprietor  of  the 
New  London  Day,  was  born  in  Dusseldorf,  Prussia, 
lanuary  25,  1864.  His  father  was  a  shopkeeper  and 
maker  of  shoes  who  came  to  America  in  1868.  One 
year  later  he  was  followed  by  his  wife  and  five-year- 
old  son  Theodore.  The  son  was  sent  to  common 
and  private  schools  until  he  was  thirteen  years  old. 
He  seemed  to  have  an  early  bent  towards  printing 
and  kindred  pursuits,  and  at  the  age  of  sixteen  he 
entered  the  office  of  The  Day,  as  apprentice.  He 
there  passed  through  the  different  branches  of  the 
business,  and  from  observation  and  work  at  the  case 
in  various  establishments,  obtained  a  practical 
knowledge  of  the  newspaper  business.  By  constant 
application  he  became  a  ready  and  forcible  writer. 
In  1885  he  was  one  of  the  founders  of  the  New 
London  Telegraph,  with  which  paper  he  remained 
in  various  capacities  for  five  years.  In  September 
1 89 1  he  purchased  the  New  London  Day,  which  had 
been  founded  in  1881   by  John  ■■\.  Tibbets,  a  well- 


THEO.   BODENWEIN. 

known  politician.  The  Day  had  become  moribund 
and  was  heavily  encumbered  with  debt.  The  new 
proprietor  galvanized  it  into  a  new  being  and  caused 
it  to  grow  in  circulation  and  business  far  beyond 
any  point  of  success  which  it  has  been  deemed  pos- 
sible for  a  New  London  paper  to  reach.  The  Day 
is  now  developed   into  a  great  business  property. 


MEN    OF    FROCIRESS. 


13 


has  been  equi]>])ed  with  modern  presses  and  type- 
setting machines,  employs  a  lari,'e  staff  of  editors 
and  reporters,  and  is  continually  looking  for  an 
extension  of  its  field.  Mr.  liodonwein  has  never 
held  political  office,  but  takes  a  keen  interest  in  all 
matters  political  and  local,  and  is  a  Republican  in 
politics.  He  lives  in  a  handsome  new  residence 
on  Montaiik  Avenue,  one  of  the  most  sightly  loca- 
tions in  the  city.  He  is  a  member  of  several  clubs 
and  societies.  He  was  married  February  21,  1S89, 
to  Miss  Jennie  Muir,  and  has  two  children  :  (lordon, 
a  bright  youngster  of  five,  and  a  little  daughter  of 
two  years  named  Elizabeth  15odenwein. 


necticut,  from  whom  also  were  descended  three  of 
Connecticut's  governors,  and  from  Delight  Green, 
first  cousin  to  General  Nathaniel  Green  of  Revolu- 
tionary fame.  From  Governor  Matthew  Griswold 
and  his  wife  Ursula  Wolcott,  sister  of  Oliver  Wol- 
cott,  signer  of  the  Declaration  of  Independence, 
many  famous  men  have  been  descended,  including 
sixteen  go\ernors  and  forty-three  judges,  among 
them  the  late  Chief  Justice  Waite.  His  great-great- 
grandfather was  Samuel  Hill  who  fell  at  the  massacre 
of  Fort  Griswold  during  the  Revolutionary  War. 
Mr.  BoUes  passed  his  boyhood  in  New  London, 
where  he  was  graduated  from  the  Rulkeley  School. 


BOLLES,  Joshua  Augustus,  Editor  of  the  New 
Milford  Gazette,  was  born  in  Waterford,  Connecti- 
cut, May  26,  1856,  son  of  Joshua  and  Theresa  A.  J. 
(Wheeler)  Bolles.  The  Bolles  family  traces  its 
ancestry  back  to  the  twelfth  century  in  England 
when  a  member  of  the  family  was  knighted  for 
bravery.  The  name  occurs  in  English  history 
through  several  centuries,  the  successive  holders  of 
the  title  being  owners  of  Thorp  Hall,  in  the  parish 
of  Scampton,  Lincolnshire.  The  first  of  the  name 
in  this  country  was  Joseph  Bolles,  who  settled  at 
Welles,  Maine,  prior  to  1640.  His  son  Thomas 
Bolles  at  the  invitation  of  Governor  John  Winthrop 
was  induced  to  come  to  New  London  where  he 
purchased  a  part  of  Bolles  Hill  from  Owaneco,  son 
of  LTncas,  Sachem  of  the  Mohegan  Indians.  A  part 
of  the  family  was  murdered  by  the  Indians;  John 
Bolles,  the  surviving  son,  became  a  distinguislied 
champion  of  religious  liberty.  Among  his  descend- 
ants were  Frederick  D.  Bolles,  founder  of  the  Hart- 
ford Times,  Judge  David  Bolles,  and  John  R. 
Bolles  who  with  William  Bolles,  the  author  of  Bolles' 
Dictionary,  and  Joshua  Bolles,  the  father  of  the  sub- 
ject of  this  sketch,  formed  the  famous  publishing 
firm  of  New  London.  Tlie  firm  published  Bolles' 
Dictionary,  Bolles'  Spelling  Book,  Walker's  Diction- 
ary, Scott's  Bible,  Kirkham's  Grammar  and  the 
English  Reader,  and  their  book  store  was  the  resort 
of  many  distinguished  literary  men.  Through  his 
father's  mother  Editor  Bolles  is  descended  from 
John  Rogers,  the  famous  defender  of  religious  lib- 
erty of  two  centuries  ago,  and  from  Henry  Wolcott 
of  Windsor,  the  ancestor  of  three  Connecticut  gov- 
ernors and  of  Oliver  Wolcott,  one  of  the  signers  of 
the  Declaration  of  Independence,  and  from  Mat- 
thew Griswold,  one  of  the  first  settlers  of  Lyme,  Con- 


J.   A.   BOLLES. 

He  next  entered  Amherst  College  but  was  obliged 
to  give  up  the  course  on  account  of  a  severe  sick- 
ness. At  the  age  of  twenty  he  began  his  newspaper 
career  in  the  office  of  the  New  York  Mail,  then 
edited  by  Mayor  Bundy.  William  Henry  F'orman, 
the  literary  editor,  and  Colonel  Clifford  Thompson, 
the  well-known  journalist,  were  of  material  assist- 
ance to  him  at  this  time.  After  this  experience, 
Mr.  Bolles  learned  to  set  type  in  the  office  of  the 
New  London  Telegram,  after  which  he  went  to 
Great  Barrington,  Massachusetts,  where  he  worked 
for  the  Berkshire  Courier,  the  Paper  World  and 
other  publications  of  Clark  W.  Bryan.  He  next 
came    to    New    Milford,    where    in    company    with 


14 


MEN   OF   PROGRESS. 


F.  H.  Giddings,  now  Professor  of  Sociology  in  Co- 
lumbia College,  he  purchased  and  edited  the  New 
Milford  Gazette.  Mr.  Giddings  retired  after  one 
year,  since  which  time  Mr.  Belles  has  been  sole  owner 
of  the  Gazette,  one  of  the  best  country  newspapers  in 
the  State.  In  1891  Mr.  Bolles  erected  a  three-story 
block,  the  second  story  of  which  is  occupied  by  his 
newspaper  and  job-printing  business.  He  is  well- 
known  as  a  story  writer,  having  been  a  contributor 
to  the  Boston  Budget,  Belford's  Magazine,  Boston 
Globe,  the  Yankee  Blade,  Frank  Leslie's  Monthly 
and  the  Syndicate  Service  of  Kellogg's  Newspaper 
Company.  He  is  a  member  of  the  Connecticut 
Editorial  Association  and  his  essays  read  before  that 
body,  "  Country  Journalism  as  an  Art  "  and  "  The 
Country  Editor  of  To-day,"  have  attracted  much 
attention.  In  politics  he  is  an  Independent.  He 
was  married  September  15,  1887,  to  Ella  S.,  daughter 
of  Robert  Irwin  of  New  Milford.  They  have  one 
daughter  :  Gertrude  E.  Bolles,  born  December  19, 
1888. 


BROWN,  Revkrknd  Herbert  Stanley,  Pastor 
of  the  Westfield  Congregational  Church  of  Daniel- 
son,  was  born  in  Poundridge,  Westchester  county, 
New  York,  August  2,  1859,  son  of  Hiram  S.  and 
Sarah  J.  (Fancher)  Brown.  His  ancestors  on  both 
sides  were  farmers.  His  paternal  ancestor  seven 
generations  back  came  from  England.  His  early 
education  was  obtained  in  the  public  schools  of 
Vista  and  Lewiston,  New  York,  and  at  South  Nor- 
walk,  Connecticut.  He  was  aided  in  his  prepara- 
tion for  college  by  Reverend  Homer  N.  Dunning  of 
South  Norwalk  and  by  John  S  Seymour  of  Norwalk. 
He  was  graduated  from  Vale  in  1881.  After  grad- 
uation he  taught  school  for  two  years  as  Principal  of 
the  Academy  at  Easton,  Connecticut.  He  then 
entered  the  Yale  Theological  Seminary  where  he 
was  graduated  in  due  course  in  1886.  In  Novem- 
ber of  the  previous  year  he  had  accepted  a  call  to 
the  pastorate  of  the  Congregational  Church  in 
Mystic,  Connecticut,  and  was  duly  ordained  June 
23,  1886.  In  August  1890  he  became  pastor  of  the 
newly  organized  East  Avenue  Congregational  Church 
of  Lockport,  New  York,  and  there  served  until  Sep- 
tember 1895.  The  church  grew  from  sixty-seven 
to  one  hundred  and  seventy-six  members.  In  the 
meanwhile  a  lot  had  been  purchased,  a  chapel 
erected,  and  plans  obtained  for  a  church  edifice. 
In  November  1895  ^e  became  pastor  of  the  West- 
field  Congregational  Church  of  Danielson,  where  he 


still  remains.  His  ministry  has  been  rewarded  with 
usefulness  and  the  maintenance  of  friendly  relations 
between  churches  of  different  denominations.  His 
work  has  been  of  value  to  the  civic  interests  of  his 
parish,  and  he  has  been  a  contributor  to  the  local 
papers.  In  politics  he  is  a  Republican,  but  not  a 
partisan,  and  always  the  uncompromising  foe  of  the 
liquor  traffic.  He  is  a  life  member  of  the  Congre- 
gational Home  Missionary  Society  and  a  life  mem- 
ber of  the  American  Board  of  Foreign  Missions. 
He  was  married  June  9,  1886,  to  Emma  Cornelia 


HERBERT  STANLEY    BROWN. 

Hall  of  New  Haven.  They  have  two  children : 
Theodore  Henry  Brown,  born  October  5,  18S8,  and 
Stanley  Ernest  Brown,  born  March  20,  1890. 


BROWN,  Robert  Kingsbury,  Real  Estate  Owner 
and  Capitalist,  Waterbury,  was  born  in  Waterbury, 
December  6,  1833,  son  of  William  and  Sarah  Susan- 
nah ^  Kingsbury)  Brown.  His  ancestors  have  been 
prominent  in  the  history  of  Waterbury.  He  was 
educated  in  the  private  schools  of  his  native  place. 
In  his  early  life  he  assisted  in  the  care  of  Brown  & 
Brothers  brass  mill,  but  afterwards  turned  his  atten- 
tion entirely  to  his  real  estate  interests.  He  is, 
however,  a  Director  in  several  business  corpora- 


MEN    OF    PROGRESS. 


15 


tions.  For  many  years  he  has  been  the  largest 
individual  tax-payer  in  Waterbnry.  In  politics  he 
is  a  Democrat.  White  a  young  man  he  served  on 
the  Board  of  Selectmen,  and  was  a  member  of  the 
("itv  Council.     Mr.  lirown  was  married    [anuarv  22, 


R.    K.    BROWN. 


1856,  to  Elizabeth  Nichols  Middlebrook,  eldest 
daughter  of  Stiles  Munson  and  Elizabeth  Nash 
Middlebrook,  of  Bridgeport. 


BURRALL,  Edward  Mii.ton,  Manufacturer, 
Waterbury,  was  born  at  Plymouth,  Litchfield  county, 
Connecticut,  May  24,  1848,  son  of  John  Milton 
and  Mary  Louisa  (Coley)  Burrall.  He  is  a  grand- 
son of  Charles  Rurrall  and  I^ucy  Beach  Burrall,  a 
great-grandson  of  Charles  Burrall,  Jr.,  and  Anna 
Beebe,  and  a  great-great-grandson  of  Colonel 
Charles  Burrall  of  Revolutionary  fame.  The  latter 
lived  in  Massachusetts  and  Connecticut  and  died 
at  Canaan,  Connecticut,  October  7,  1803.  He  was 
made  Captain  in  1769,  Major  1770,  and  commis- 
sioned Colonel  by  Governor  Jonathan  Trumbull 
January  19,  1776,  on  which  date  he  received  a  like 
commission  as  colonel  for  the  raising  of  a  battalion 
of  five  hundred  men  by  order  of  Congress  signed 


by  John  Hancock.  He  was  in  command  of  Con- 
necticut Troops  in  the  battle  of  Ticonderoga,  New 
York,  and  was  Colonel  of  the  Fourteenth  Regiment 
C'onnecticut  Militia  of  1  )anbury,  which  regiment 
served  with  General  Gates  in  New  York  in  1777, 
and  at  Bennington,  \'ermont.  The  subject  of  this 
sketch,  iulward  Milton  Burrall,  received  his  educa- 
tion at  the  [lublic  and  High  schools  of  Waterbury. 
At  the  age  of  eighteen  he  left  school  and  started  as 
a  clerk  in  a  drygoods  store  in  Waterbury,  where  he 
remained  until  1871;.  He  then  became  a  member 
of  the  furniture  firm  of  J.  M.  Burrall  &  Son,  and 
there  continued  until  1887.  He  then  became  con- 
nected with  the  American  Ring  Company,  and  was 
elected  President  of  the  company  in  1888,  which 
office  he  still  fills.  He  has  been  a  Director  of  the 
Plume  Atwood  Manufacturing  Company  since  1887 
and  of  the  American  Pin  Company  since  1886. 
He  is  a  Vice-President   and    trustee  of    the  Dime 


E.    M.    BURRALL. 

Savings  Bank  of  Waterbury.  He  is  a  member  of 
the  Waterbury  Club  and  of  the  Hardware  Club  of 
New  York.  He  was  married  May  17,  1877,  to 
Mary  Eunice  Booth,  daughter  of  John  C.  Booth  of 
Waterbury.  They  have  two  children  :  John  Booth 
Burrall,  born  October  14,  1879,  '^'^d  Eunice  Booth 
Burrall,  born  September  14,  1883. 


i6 


MEN   OF    PROGRESS. 


BUTLKR,  ShTH  HiNCKi-EV,  President  of  the  First 
National  Hank,  Middletown,  was  born  in  Chatham, 
Connecticut,  March  5,  18^9,  son  of  Stephen  and 
Nancy  (Higgins)  Butler.  Mis  father  was  a  descend- 
ant of  the  original  Butler  who  came  to  this  country 
two  hundreil  years  ago,  and  his  mother  was  the 
daughter  of  Seth  Higgins,  a  worthy  settler  of  Chat- 
ham. Young  Butler  received  no  other  education 
than  that  afforded  by  the  country  district  schools 
which  he  left  at  the  age  of  fifteen  in  order  to  go  to 
work.  He  was  employed  as  clerk  from  the  age  of 
sixteen  to  twenty-one  in  Goodspeed's  famous  Gen- 
eral Merchandise  store  at  East  Haddam,  Connecti- 


SETH    H.  BUTLER. 

cut.  On  March  to,  1850,  he  engaged  as  bookkeeper 
and  assistant  in  Gillett's  Insurance  office  at  Spring- 
field, Massachusetts,  and  in  the  fall  of  the  following 
year  he  went  to  Philadelphia  in  the  same  capacity 
for  Alfred  S.  Gillett,  now  President  of  the  Girard 
Fire  Insurance  Company  of  Philadelphia.  There 
he  continued  until  1864,  with  the  exception  of  two 
years  spent  in  New  York  in  connection  with  the 
same  business.  In  1864  he  located  at  Middletown 
and  organized  a  local  company  known  as  the  Peo- 
ple's Fire  Insurance  Company.  He  was  Manager 
of  the  business  from   1865  to  1890,  acting  as  Secre- 


tary and   Treasurer  of    the  Company  for  eighteen 
years,  and    then  for  eight   years  as  President   and 
Treasurer.     The    Company  decided    to  go  out   of 
business,  which  was  accomplished  in   1891  without 
litigation,  and  after   paying  every  obligation.     The 
shareholders   had   received   twenty  per  cent,  divi- 
dends every   year  for  twenty-five   years  and  were 
returned    three    dollars    for    every    one    invested. 
Thus  was  completed   forty-one  years  of   successful 
insurance  business,  and  Mr.  Butler  had  anticipated  a 
well-earned  repose.     But  further  honor  and  business 
success  awaited  him.     For  many  years  he  had  been 
a  Director  and  Vice-president  of  the  First  National 
Bank  of  Middletown,  Connecticut,  and  in  1893  he 
was  called  to  the  Presidency  which  position  he  con- 
tinues to  hold.     In   January   1897   the   old    Pump 
Manufacturing  firm  of  W.  &  B.  Douglas  was  found 
in  peril.     Mr.  Butler  was  elected  to  the  Treasury- 
ship.     With  an  empty  treasury  and  many  debts  he 
set  about  the  task  of   restoring  its  credit  and  liqui- 
dating its  debts.     In  a  short  time  one  hundred  thou- 
sand dollars  of  the  bonds  of  the  company  were  taken 
up  by  his  friends,  an  additional  cash  capital  of  forty 
thousand    dollars    paid    in,    and   with    their    credit 
restored  a  famous  enterprise  thus  insured  its  continu- 
ance in  Middletown.     In  this  instance  and  in  many 
others  in  which  Mr.  Butler  has  given  his  financial 
assistance  and  wise  counsel  his  fellow  citizens  and  the 
First  National  Bank  have  reason  to  thank  him.     Yet 
he  is  emphatically  a  self-made  man,  and  all  that  he 
has  gained  has  been  through  honest   intelligent  ef- 
forts, an  unfailing   courtesy  and  a  sound  business 
ability  and    good   judgment.     In   politics    he    is  a 
Republican  but    has  never    sought  office  and    has 
always   been   content  to  serve  in  the    ranks.     He 
belongs  to  no  societies  nor  clubs  but  joined  the  South 
Congregational  Church  in  1865,  and  for  twenty-five 
years  has  been  clerk  of  the  Church  and  one  of  its 
Society's  Committee.     He  was  married  October  6, 
185 1,  to  Emily  Maria  Cooper  of  Springfield,  Massa- 
chusetts, a  niece  of  David  Bush  of  that  city,  and  who 
died  October    25,   1894.     The    union  was   blessed 
with  the  birth  of  three  sons,  all  holding  positions  of 
trust  and  influence  :  Abbott  Goodspeed  Butler,  of 
the  firm  of  Butler  &  Hatch,  Insurance,  New  Brit- 
ain, Connecticut ;  Earle  Cooper  Butler,  for  the  last 
fourteen  years  Teller  of   the  First   National  Bank ; 
and  Dale  Dudley  Buder,  Insurance  Agent  at  Mid- 
dletown, and  at  present  one  of  Middletown's  Repre- 
sentatives in  the  Legislature. 


.mI':n  ok  i'Rt)i;RKSS. 


'7 


CALEF,  Arihl'r  Benjamin,  Senior  Member  of 
the  Middletown  Bar,  was  born  in  Sanbornton,  New 
Hampshire,  June  30,  iiS25,  son  of  Jeremiah  ami 
Sarah  (Eastman)  Calef.  He  is  a  descentiant  of 
Robert  Calef,  who  came  to  Boston  some  time  pre- 
vious to  16S8,  and  later  became  conspicuous 
through  controversy  with  (\5tton  and  Increase 
Mather,  in  which  he  emphatically  denounced  their 
witchcraft  theories.  Through  his  father  Judge 
Calef  is  connected  with  General  \\'arren  who  was 
killed  at  Bunker  Hill,  and  tlirough  his  mother  with 
Daniel  Webster,  and  Ebene/.er  Eastman  a  Revolu- 
tionary officer.  ITntil  1S40  he  worked  on  his 
father's  farm,  and  attended  the  district  schools  in 
their  sessions.  The  fall  of  1840  he  attended  Wood- 
man Sanbornton  Academy,  the  fall  of  1841  and 
spring  of  1S43  Gilmanton  Academy,  and  from  1843 
to  1S46  he  taught  district  schools  in  Sanbornton  in 
winter,  attended  Woodman  Academy  in  autumn, 
and  worked  on  the  farm  the  rest  of  the  season.  He 
prepared  for  college  at  the  New  Hampshire  Confer- 
ence Seminary,  then  located  at  Northfield,  New 
Hampshire,  but  now  in  Tilton,  and  entered  Wes- 
leyan  University  in  the  fall  of  1847.  During  his 
college  course  he  taught  district  schools  three  win- 
ters, was  preceptor  of  Woodman  Sanbornton  Acad- 
demy  in  the  fall  of  1848,  and  also  taught  private 
scholars.  He  graduated  from  Wesleyan  in  August 
185 1,  and  in  September  1851  entered  on  the  study 
of  law  in  the  office  of  Judge  Charles  Whittlesey 
in  Middletown,  and  also  accepted  classes  in  the 
High  School.  He  was  admitted  to  the  Bar  in 
October  1852.  During  the  autumn  of  1852  he 
was  employed  as  a  regular  teacher  in  the  High 
School,  but  resigned  in  December  and  opened  a 
law  office  in  Middletown.  He  served  as  Clerk  of 
the  Courts  for  Middlesex  county  from  February 
1853  until  June  1861,  in  the  meantime  building  up 
a  considerable  practice  in  the  law.  He  was  elected 
to  the  Common  Council  in  1854  and  again  in  1855  ; 
was  elected  Treasurer  of  the  State  when  only 
twenty-nine  years  old,  in  1855,  and  City  Attorney 
in  1858.  With  him  originated  the  system  of 
bi-partisan  Registrars  of  elections,  and  in  i860  he 
drafted  and  got  through  the  Legislature  the  present 
system  of  registration  of  voters.  He  was  a  delegate 
to  the  National  Republican  Conventions  of  i860  and 
1864;  was  Postmaster  of  Middletown  from  1861  to 
1869;  Alderman  in  1875,  and  Judge  of  the  City 
Court  from  1884  to  April  1895,  when  he  retired 
through  age  limitation.  Judge  Calef  is  thus,  not 
only  the    Senior  Member  of   the  Middletown   Bar, 


but  the  oldest  living  survivor  who  has  held  the 
office  of  Postmaster  of  Middletown,  or  Clerk  of  the 
Superior  ('ourl.  lie  is  also  the  oldest  surviving 
State  Treasurer  of  Connecticut,  and  has  an  added 
distinction  in  that  he  is  the  youngest  man  ever 
elected  to  that  office.  He  founded  the  Calef  Ora- 
torical prize  in  ^V■esleyan  in  1S62  ;  was  President 
of  the  Alumni  .Association  of  Wesleyan  I'niversity 
from  1862  to  1866  ;  Trustee  of  that  instilulion  from 
1862  to  1880;  lecturer  on  Constitutional  l.aw  in 
Wesleyan  in  187S,  and  was  President  of  the  Incor- 
porated .Association  of  Chi  ChaiHcr  of  Psi  Upsilon 
for   ten    vears    following    its    foundation    in    1S67. 


A.    B.    CALEF. 

Judge  Calef  lias  had  a  large  practice  in  the  Slate 
and  United  States  Couits.  In  187 1  he  took  into 
partnership  Hon.  D.  Ward  Northro[),  and  this  part- 
nership continued  until  1885,  when  Mr.  Northrop 
was  appointed  Postmaster.  Aside  from  his  law 
business  he  has  been  for  some  years  past  President 
of  the  Middletown  Gas  Eight  Company,  and  a 
Director  in  several  financial  institutions.  As  a 
Mason,  Judge  ("alef  is  well  and  familiarly  known, 
having  served  as  Grand  Junior  Warden  of  the  Grand 
Lodge  of  Ancient  Free  and  Accepted  Masons  of 
Connecticut.  In  all  matters  pertaining  to  the 
interests  of  the  city,  and  in  business  affairs  he  has 
been  prominent,  enjoying,  meanwhile,  a  large  and 


iS 


MEN   OF   PROGRESS. 


lucrative  practice.  Judge  Calef  married  Miss 
Hanna  F.  Woodman  on  March  21,  1853.  Their 
four  sons  include  Dr.  J.  F.  Calef  of  Middletown, 
and  Arthur  B.  Calef,  Jr.,  one  of  the  leading  lawyers 
of  Middletown. 


CAMP,  DAviri  Nelson,  Educator,  New  Britain, 
was  bom  in  Durham,  Connecticut,  October  3,  1820, 
son  of  Elah  and  Orit  (Lee)  Camp.  He  is  the 
seventh  in  line  from  Nicholas  Camp  of  Naseby, 
England,  whose  son  Samuel  was  one   of  the  early 


DAVID   N.  CAMP. 

settlers  at  Milford,  Connecticut.  From  the  latter 
the  line  descends  to  his  son  Nathan,  of  Milford  and 
Durham,  to  Elah,  son  of  Nathan  of  Durham,  to 
Nathan  Ozias,  son  of  Elah,  of  Durham,  and  the 
grandfather  of  the  subject  of  this  sketch.  His 
mother  was  a  direct  descendant  of  Theophilus 
Eaton,  the  first  Governor  of  the  New  Haven  Colony. 
His  early  education  was  obtained  in  public  and 
private  schools.  He  prepared  for  college,  but  a 
long  sickness  prevented  his  taking  the  course.  He 
studied  however  with  private  tutors,  and  received 
the  degree  of  A.  M.  from  Vale  in  1853.  He  is 
widely  known  as  an  educator  and  lecturer,  but  was 
obliged  to  give  up  teaching  on  account  of  ill  health. 


Since  1880  he  has  been  in  active  business  as  bank 
director  and    president  of  manufacturing  corpora- 
tions.    His  first  occupation  as   teacher  was  in  the 
public  schools    of    Guilford,   Branford   and    Upper 
Middletown.     In  1848-50  he  taught  in  the  academy 
at    Meriden.     On   the   opening   of   the    Connecti- 
cut State  Normal  School  in    1850,116  became  Pro- 
fessor of  Mathematics,  Natural  and  Moral  Philosophy 
and   Geography.     In   1S55    he    became  Associate- 
Principal  of  the  school  with   the   Professorship  of 
English   Language  and    Literature,  and  of    Mental 
Philosophy  and  of  Theory  and  Practice  of  Teaching. 
In  January  1857  he  was  appointed  Principal  of  the 
School  and  State  Superintendent  of  Schools  of  Con- 
necticut.     He  held  these   two  offices    until   1865, 
when  on  account  of  failing  health  he  resigned  and 
at  once  went  to  Europe.     He  spent   the  summer 
and  autumn  in  travel  and  in  visiting  the  educational 
institutions  of  Great  Britain.     While  in  Europe  he 
was    appointed    Professor   in    St.    John's    College, 
Annapolis,  Maryland,  when  Henry  Barnard,  LL.  D., 
was  President.     He  returned  from  Europe  in  time 
to  assist  in  the  reopening  of  the  college  after  the 
Civil  War,  and  there    remained  during   1866   and 
1867.       On    the    establishment    of    the     National 
Bureau  of  Education  and  appointment  of  Dr.  Barn- 
ard as  Commissioner,  he  resigned  from  the  college 
and  was   employed  by    Dr.   Barnard    in   obtaining 
information  for  the   Bureau.     On  the  death  of  his 
father  in  1 868  he  returned  to  Connecticut  in  order 
to  settle  the  estate.     During  a  part  of  the  time,  from 
1870  to  1880,  as  his  health  permitted,  he  taught  in 
a   seminary   in    New   Britain.     Mr.  Camp  has  not 
taught  since  1880,  when  he  gave  up  teaching.     He 
has  been  a  Director  in  the  New  Britain  National 
Bank  since  1874,  and  its  Vice-President  since  1883  ; 
has  been  President  of  the  Skinner  Chuck  Manufac- 
turing  Company  since    1887,    and   of    the    Atkins 
Printing   Company   since    1875,    and    has    been    a 
Director   of   the    Co-operative    Savings    Society  of 
Connecticut  since    1893.     He   was  Councilman  of 
the  city  of  New  Britain  in  1871,  Alderman  in  1872- 
76  and  Mayor  in  1877-79,  and  was  a  member  of  the 
General   Assembly   of   Connecticut   in    1879,    and 
Chairman  of  its  Committee  on  Education.     He  has 
served   as    Director   in   the   Missionary   Society  of 
Connecticut  in    1875-97,   and  as  Auditor   of    the 
same  society  in  1882-97.     He  has  also  been  Auditor 
of  the  National  Council  of  Congregational  Churches 
from    1883    to    1897 ;    was  one   of    the    organizers 
of   the   National   Council  of   Education,    and   still 
retains  his  membership.     He   is  also  a  member  of 


MFA'    OF    PROCrRESS. 


19 


the  Connecticut  Historical  Society  and  of  many 
other  scientific  and  educational  societies.  He  lias 
lectured  more  than  four  luindrcd  tinu's  on  educa- 
tional tojiics.  He  was  married  June  25,  1X44,  to 
Sarah  Adaline  Howd.  'Iheir  children  have  been  : 
Fllen  R.  and  F.nnna  Jane  Camp. 


CH.M'M.AN,  Mako  Sru  i.dinx;,  Superintendent 
of  tlie  United  States  Stamped  Knvelope  Works, 
Hartford,  and  Ex-State  Senator,  was  horn  in  I';ast 
Haddam,  Connecticut,  February  13,   1839,  ■''""   o' 


M.    S.   CHAPMAN. 

Nathaniel  Chapman,  and  a  descendant  of  Robert 
Chapman  who  settled  in  Saybrook,  Connecticut,  in 
1636.  His  education  was  obtained  in  the  common 
schools  of  East  Haddam  and  in  a  two-years  course  at 
a  private  school  in  the  same  place.  At  the  age  of 
eighteen  he  entered  business  as  clerk  in  a  store  at 
Manchester  Creen,  Connecticut,  where  he  remained 
for  three  years.  He  enlisted  in  1S62  as  private  in 
Company  C,  Twelfth  Connecticut,  and  served  for 
one  year  and  si.x  months.  After  his  return  from 
the  war  in  1865  he  became  connected  with  the 
J'limpton  Manufacturing  Company  which  connec- 
tion has  continued  until  the  present  time.  He 
became  stockholder  in  the  company  in   1892,  and 


when  the  I'limpton  Company  received  the  govern- 
ment contrai:t  in  1874,  ^[r.  Chapman  became 
Supci  iiucndent  of  the  United  States  Stamped 
Envelope  Works  in  Hartford,  in  which  position  he 
has  shown  great  e.xecutive  ability  and  decision  of 
character.  He  was  tlie  principal  projector  of  the 
Hartford,  Manchester  &  Rockville  Tramway  and 
])ersonally  built  and  financed  the  whole  road  before 
it  was  turned  over  to  the  company  in  1895.  He  is 
a  Republican  in  politics  and  represented  the  town 
of  Manchester  in  the  Legislature  of  1882,  and  was 
Senator  from  the  Second  Senatorial  District  in 
1884-85.  While  a  member  of  the  House  he  was 
Chairman  of  the  Committee  on  Cities  and  Bor- 
oughs, and  in  the  Senate  was  Chairman  of  the 
Committee  on  Railroads.  He  has  been  a  member 
of  the  Town  Committee  for  thirty  years  and  its 
Chairman  for  twelve  years.  He  has  been  Chairman 
of  the  Road  and  Bridge  Commission  for  ten  years. 
He  is  a  member  of  tlie  Masonic  and  Odd  Fellow 
Lodges  of  Manchester  and  has  been  Commander 
for  ten  years  of  the  Crand  Army  of  the  Republic, 
Drake  Post,  at  Manchester.  He  is  a  liberal  sup- 
porter of  the  Congregational  Church.  He  w-as 
married  in  1861  to  Lucy  W.  Woodbridge  of  Man- 
chester, wlio  died  in  1869.  Their  child,  Jennie 
Percival  Chai)man,  was  born  in  1863.  He  was 
again  married  in  1871  to  Ellen  W.  Robbins  of  Man- 
chester. They  have  two  children  :  Ellen  G.,  born 
in  1877,  and  Mary  O.  Chapman,  born  in  iSSo. 


CLEAV ELAND,  Livingston  Warner,  Judge  of 
I  he  Probate  Court  for  the  District  of  New  Haven, 
was  born  in  South  Egremont,  Massachusetts,  Janu- 
ary 31,  i860,  son  of  Rev.  James  Bradford  Cleave- 
land  and  Elizabeth  H.  (Jocelyn)  Cleaveland.  His 
father,  whose  death  occurred  May  21,  1889,  was  a 
well  known  Connecticut  Congregational  clergyman. 
His  mother  is  a  poetess,  her  poem  "  No  Sects  in 
Heaven  "  having  been  widely  read  in  this  country 
and  in  England.  His  maternal  grandfather, 
Nathaniel  Jocelyn,  was  a  noted  portrait  painter,  an 
engraver  and  founder  of  the  National  Bank  Note 
Engraving  Company.  Referring  to  Mr.  Jocelyn's 
death,  w-hich  occurred  at  his  home  in  New  Haven 
in  1881,  the  New  York  Journal  of  Commerce  said  : 
"  Fifty  years  ago  the  name  of  'Jocelyn  '  was  better 
known  on  the  face  of  a  bank  note  than  the  name  of 
the  bank  itself.  His  portrnits  were  among  the 
cleverest  works  of  the  kind   produc  ed   in   the  coun- 


20 


MEN   OF    PROGRESS. 


try.  He  was  the  founder  of  the  most  celebrated  of 
the  bank  note  companies,  and  was  a  leader  of  the 
highest  style  of  art  for  more  than  two  generations." 
In  1844  Mr.  Jocelyn  won  the  gold  palette  as  a  prize 
for  the  best  picture  by  a  Connecticut  artist.  He 
was  a  cordial  sympathizer  with  the  slave,  and  his 
house  was  one  of  the  "  Stations  "  of  the  "  under- 
ground railway."  The  earliest  known  Cleaveland  to 
migrate  to  this  country  was  Moses  Cleaveland,  who 
came  to  Woburn,  Massachusetts,  from  England,  in 
the  seventeenth  century,  from  whom  Judge  Cleave- 
land is  directly  descended.  He  is  also  a  descend- 
ant of  at  least    five    Mayflower   pilgrims,    being   a 


LIVINGSTON    W.  CLEAVELAND. 

lineal  descendant  on  his  father's  side  of  Governor 
Bradford,  and  on  his  mother's  side  of  John  How- 
land  and  Elizabeth  Tilley  and  her  parents,  all  of 
whom  were  passengers  on  the  Mayflower.  On  the 
paternal  side  he  is  related  by  common  ancestry  to 
three  presidents:  John  Adams,  John  Quincy 
Adams  and  Grover  Clevel  md,  and  to  one  Connec- 
ticut Governor,  Governor  Chauncey  F.  Cleaveland. 
On  the  maternal  side  he  is  related  by  common 
ancestry  to  the  illustrious  Trumbull  family  which 
gave  Connecticut  three  governors,  among  them  the 
celebrated  war  governor,  Washington's  "  Brother 
Jonathan."  Judge  Cleaveland  was  graduated  with 
the  degree  of  LL.  B.  from  the  Law  Department  of 


Vale  College  in  1881,  and  in  1888  received  the 
degree  of  M.  L.  from  Yale  University.  He  was 
admitted  to  the  Bar  in  New  Haven  in  1881,  and 
was  engaged  in  the  general  practice  of  law  until  his 
election  to  the  bench.  He  is,  and  for  a  number  of 
years  has  been,  the  only  Commissioner  of  Deeds 
for  all  the  states  and  territories  and  the  principal 
Canadian  Provinces  in  New  England,  outside  of 
Boston.  In  politics  he  is  a  Republican.  He 
served  as  a  member  of  the  Common  Council  in 
1891  and  again  in  1892.  In  1891  he  was  elected 
by  the  Board  of  Councilmen  as  a  member  of  the 
Board  of  Finance  for  the  city.  In  1894  he  was 
nominated  by  the  Republican  Probate  Convention 
as  Judge  of  Probate  for  the  District  of  New  Haven, 
a  district  comprising  the  city  and  six  adjoining 
towns,  the  most  important  probate  district  in  the 
state.  In  this  Democratic  stronghold  he  was 
elected  by  over  one  thousand  majority.  His  popu- 
lar competitor  had  held  the  ofifice  for  eight  years, 
carrying  the  previous  election  by  about  five  thou- 
sand majority.  The  Hon.  Francis  Wayland,  who 
occupied  the  same  position  for  two  years,  just  after 
the  close  of  the  war,  was  the  only  Republican  who 
had  previously  held  the  office.  Judge  Cleaveland  is 
still  Judge  of  Probate,  having  been  re-elected  in  the 
election  of  1896  by  a  majority  of  between  three  and 
four  thousand.  He  is  a  member  of  the  Massachu- 
setts Society  of  Mayflower  descendants,  was  one  of 
the  Supreme  Committee  on  Laws  of  the  Improved 
Order  Heptasophs  in  1894-96,  and  has  been  for 
many  years  a  member  of  the  New  Haven  Young 
Men's  Republican  Club.  He  has  been  for  about 
ten  years  one  of  the  directors  of  the  local  Young 
Men's  Christian  Association,  is  also  a  member  of 
the  Executive  Committee  of  the  State  Association, 
and  has  been  Superintendent  of  English  Hal!  Sun- 
day School  since  18S9.     He  is  unmarried. 


COBURN,  Reverend  George  Litchfield,  Meth- 
odist Minister  and  Superintendent  of  the  Connec- 
ticut School  for  Boys,  Meriden,  was  born  in  Lowell, 
Massachusetts,  October  15,  1833,  son  of  William 
and  Julia  Ann  (Albee)  Coburn,  and  comes  from  a 
long  line  of  honorable  ancestry  which  has  been 
traced  back  to  the  eleventh  century.  He  traces 
his  lineage  through  English  and  Scotch  history 
through  a  long  list  of  statesmen,  jurists,  military 
and  naval  men  of  high  rank.  The  name  appears  in 
English  history  as  Cockburn,  pronounced   Coburn, 


MEN    OV    PROGRESS. 


2  I 


the  American  branch  of  the  family  spelling  the 
name  in  the  latter  style.  .Admiral  Cieorge  Cock- 
burn  commanded  the  f^nglish  shij)  of  War  which 
carried  Napoleon  to  St.  Helena  in  1S15.  In  the 
feudal  days  the  houses  of  Lord  Cockburn  and 
Lord  Bruce  were  allied  by  marriage  and  the  great 
estates  contained  the  formidable  castles  of  these  two 
powerful  lords.  It  is  related  that  Lord  Bruce  once 
dispatched  a  messenger  in  great  haste  to  Lord 
Cockburn  to  summon  his  assistance.  An  enemy 
had  laid  siege  to  his  castle  and  threatened  to 
destroy  him.  Lord  Cockburn  immediately  went  to 
the  relief  of  Lord  Bruce  with  five  hundred  armed 


GEO.   L.   COBURN. 

men  from  his  own  castle,  showing  something  of  the 
regal  power  those  lords  of  old  possessed.  The 
subject  of  this  sketch  was  educated  in  the  common 
and  High  Schools  of  Southbridge,  Massachusetts. 
He  also  studied  with  private  tutors  and  at  the 
Seminary  at  Smithfield,  Rhode  Island.  In  early 
life  he  learned  the  printing  trade  and  graduated 
from  the  well  known  establishment  of  Case,  Lock- 
wood  &  Brainerd  Company,  formerly  Case,  Tiffany 
&  Co.  of  Hartford,  where  he  was  employed  for 
nearly  twelve  years.  He  was  afterwards  senior 
member  of  the  printing  firm  of  Coburn  &  Clark, 
Hartford,  and  later  in  business  alone  under  the  firm 
style  of  George  L.  Coburn.     He  became  a  minister 


of  the  Methodist  Episcopal  Church  and  entered 
the  pastorate  in  1875.  He  thus  continued  for 
sixteen  and  a  half  years,  serving  very  acceptably 
several  churches  in  Connecticut  and  New  York. 
In  the  spring  of  1892  he  was  called  to  take  charge 
of  the  jjrinting  and  editing  of  the  Dawn,  tlie  official 
])aper  of  the  Connecticut  School  for  Hoys  at 
Moridcn,  wliere  he  remained  for  four  years.  On 
.March  3,  1896,  he  was  called  to  the  position  of 
Acting  Superintendent  of  the  School,  and  on  May 
20,  following,  he  was  appointed  Superintendent  of 
the  institution,  one  of  the  most  important  in  tiic 
state.  He  is  an  Independent  in  politics  and  has 
uniformly  declined  to  hold  office.  He  is  a  Royal 
Arch  Mason  and  devotedly  attached  to  the  princi- 
ples of  the  order,  but  always  watchful  lest  he 
appear  over-assuming ;  never  doing  alms  to  have  it 
published,  but  acting  on  the  Scripture  teaching,  is 
ever  careful  that  his  deeds  of  mercy  are  not  seen 
of  men.  He  was  married  October  16,  1856,  to 
Eliza  Jane  Waterhouse.  Their  children  have  been  : 
Mary  Elizabeth,  George  Louis,  Mary  E.  (now  Mrs. 
William  H.  Wilde  of  Hartford),  and  two  children 
who  died  in  infancy:  George  Louis  ist,  and  Charles 
Coburn. 


COLE,  Ira,  Manufacturer,  Norwalk,  was  born  in 
Wilton,  Connecticut,  May  4,  1836,  son  of  Sherman 
and  Susan  (Hurlbutt)  Cole.  His  father,  a  native 
of  Wilton,  was  for  twenty-five  years  associated  with 
his  nephews  William  and  George  S.  Nichols  in  the 
manufacture  of  carriages  and  carriage  hubs.  In 
1854  he  sold  out  the  business  and  moved  to  Nor- 
walk where  he  resided  until  his  death  in  1879. 
While  in  Wilton  he  was  Selectman  for  a  long  term 
of  years,  and  Representative  of  the  town  in  the 
Legislature,  having  been  elected  by  the  unanimous 
vote  of  both  parties.  He  was  the  son  of  Thomas 
Cole,  a  Revolutionary  soldier,  who  was  with  the 
American  Army  when  they  occupied  Manhattan 
Island.  The  grandfather  of  Ira  Cole,  was  married 
to  Mary,  daughter  of  Alexander  Ressequie,  a  direct 
descendant  of  Pierre  Bontecou,  one  of  the  original 
Huguenots  who  came  to  this  country  in  1689.  The 
mother  of  the  subject  of  this  sketch  is  still  living,  at 
the  advanced  age  of  eighty-four  years.  Her  ances- 
tors were  among  the  early  settlers  of  the  country. 
Young  Cole  commenced  his  education  in  the  public 
school  and  was  graduated  from  the  private  academy 
of  George  M.  (iodfrey  in  1852  at  the  age  of  sixteen. 
In  the  fall  of  the  same  year  he  went  to  New  York 


MRN    OK    PROGRESS. 


city  anil  was  employeil  as  bookkeeper  in  the  clothing 
house  of  Hrooks  Brothers.  His  father  had  a  large 
family  and  was  not  rich  in  this  world's  goods.  The 
young  clerk  was  thrown  entirely  on  his  own  re- 
sources, but  with  a  strong  constitution,  and  the 
counsel  of  Christian  jiarents,  he  was  enabled  to 
withstand  the  temptations  of  city  life,  and  although 
receiving  a  salary  of  but  five  dollars  a  week  (three 
of  which  was  paid  for  board),  there  was  never  a 
time  he  did  not  have  money  in  his  pocket.  In 
starting  in  life  he  niade  it  a  rule  never  to  make  a 
purchase  until  he  had  money  to  pay  for  it.  He 
had  a  great  desire   to  have  books  he  could  call  his 


a  jiartncr  in  the  business  which  was  continued 
as  a  copartnership  for  ten  years  under  the  names 
of  Hutchinson,  Pierce  &  Company  and  Hutchin- 
son, Cole  &  Company,  with  factories  at  Norwalk 
and  Bridgeport,  and  salesroom  at  836  Broadway, 
New  York  city.  In  1893  the  business  was  reorgan- 
ized as  a  joint  stock  company  under  the  title  of 
Hutchinson,  Pierce  &  Company.  Mr.  Pierce  is 
President  of  the  Company  and  Manager  of  the 
New  York  office  ;  Mr.  Cole  is  Vice-President  and  in 
charge  of  the  Norwalk  and  Bridgeport  factories. 
The  firm  manufactures  the  well-known  Star  Shirts, 
boys'  and  ladies'  waists  and  underwear,  which  have 
an  extensive  sale  throughout  the  country.  Mr. 
Cole  has  never  held  political  office,  preferring  to 
devote  his  time  to  his  large  business  interests.  He 
has  always  been  a  Republican,  and  voted  for  Gen- 
eral Grant  on  the  day  of  his  marriage  November  3, 
1868.  He  is  a  Director  in  the  Fairfield  County 
National  Bank,  the  Norwalk  Savings  Society,  a 
Charter  Member  of  the  Norwalk  Club,  and  a  mem- 
ber of  the  Knob  Outing  Club  and  the  Pine  Ledge 
Club  ;  belongs  to  the  St.  John's  Lodge  of  Masons 
and  Our  Brothers  Lodge  of  Odd  Fellows  ;  is  a  mem- 
ber of  the  First  Congregational  Church  of  Norwalk, 
and  has  served  for  several  years  on  its  Society's 
Committee.  His  wife  Rebecca  Isaacs  Hill  is  the 
daughter  of  Asa  Hill,  D.  D.  S.,  a  prominent  dentist, 
inventor  and  editor  of  a  dental  magazine,  and  grand- 
daughter of  Charles  Isaacs,  formerly  President  of 
the  Fairfield  County  National  Bank.  Three  daugh- 
ters are  the  fruit  of  this  marriage  :  Edalena  Hill, 
Annie  Louise  and  Alice  Isaacs  Cole. 


IRA  COLE. 

own  and  from  his  small  salary  bought  each  month 
Harper's  Monthly  Magazine  which  he  carefully  pre- 
served and  had  neatly  bound.  These  volumes  are 
a  valuable  part  of  his  library  today.  At  the  age  of 
twenty-five  he  was  the  owner  of  several  fine  pictures 
and  quite  a  respectable  library.  He  remained  in 
New  York  but  one  year,  removing  to  Norwalk  to 
accept  a  position  as  bookkeeper  in  the  Shirt  Manu- 
factory of  T.  A.  Morrison  &  Hoyt,  the  founders  of 
the  business  in  which  he  is  now  engaged.  Mr.  Mor- 
rison died  many  years  ago  and  Mr.  Henry  I.  Hoyt 
retired  from  business  but  is  still  living  in  Norwalk. 
From  bookkeeper  Mr.  Cole  was  advanced  to  the 
position  of  Superintendent,  and  in  1883  he  became 


COLES,  George  Augustus,  Merchant,  Middle- 
town,  was  born  in  Middletown  October  20,  1836, 
son  of  Augustus  and  Nancy  (Hubbard)  Coles.  On 
his  father's  side  he  is  descended  from  William  Coles 
who  died  at  Dorchester,  Massachusetts,  October  26, 
1810.  William  Coles,  his  son,  married  Lois  Miller, 
daughter  of  William  and  Chloe  Miller  of  Middle- 
field,  Connecticut,  and  Augustus  Coles,  the  father  of 
the  subject  of  this  sketch,  was  born  in  Middlefield, 
July  16,  1810.  His  mother  was  the  daughter  of 
Captain  Enoch  Hubbard,  who  was  engaged  in  the 
West  India  trade  and  who  was  lost  at  sea  off  the 
coast  of  the  Islands  in  August  1825.  He  was  edu- 
cated in  the  public  schools  and  at  the  Chase  Acad- 
emy, Middletown,  where  he  was  graduated  in  1856. 
He  first  entered  business  as  a  clerk  and  bookkeeper 


MEN    OK    PROGRESS. 


23 


in  a  grocery  store,  first  at  Springfield,  Massachusetts, 
and  then  in  Middlctown.  In  1859  he  became  Sec- 
retary anil  'I'reasurer  of  the  Balilwin  Tool  Company 
whiih  position  he  rclimiiiishcil  in  1S62  to  become 
Secretary  of  the  Union  Mills.  He  thus  continued 
until  1S7S  when  in  connection  with  his  brother-in- 
law  Charles  S.  Atkins  he  formed  a  partnership  under 
the  firm  name  of  Coles  iS:  Atkins.  Mr.  Atkins  after- 
wards sold  out  his  interest  and  was  succeeded  by 
Frank  B.  \\'eeks,  the  firm  becoming  Coles  iv:  Weeks. 
In  March  1.S95  the  Weeks  interest  was  purchased 
bv  Mr.  Coles,  antl  taking  his  son  Charles  H.  Coles 
into  partnership  with    him,  the  firm  took  its  present 


the  Middletown  'lotal  .Abstinence  Society  and  of  the 
Citizens'  League,  lie  was  married  October  11, 
i860,  to  ,'\ugusta  Atkins.  'I'hey  have  one  son: 
Charles  1 1.  Coles. 


GEO     A,    COLES. 

Style,  Coles  &  Company.  The  firm  is  widely  known 
as  dealers  in  flour  and  grain.  The  manufacture  of 
flour  was  carried  on  by  Mr.  Coles  and  his  associates 
from  1862  to  1875,  when  the  "new  process" 
changed  the  conditions  in  New  England  so  com- 
pletely that  the  grinding  of  wheat  was  abandoned. 
The  mill  is  now  used  for  grinding  corn  and  oats  and 
is  supplied  with  ship  elevator  and  rail  connections. 
Mr.  Coles  has  been  President  of  the  Middletown 
Savings  Bank  since  1887,  and  is  a  Director  in  the 
W.  &  B.  Douglas  Company.  He  was  elected  Presi- 
dent of  the  Middletown  Board  of  Education  in  1875 
and  was  a  member  qi  the  Common  Council  in  that 
year  and  in  1872.     He  is  the  present  President  of 


CORBIN,  I.KWis  .^NCEi,,  Manufacturer,  Rock- 
ville,  was  born  in  Dudley,  Massachusetts,  Septem- 
ber iS,  1822,  son  of  Lewis  and  Mary  (Sayles) 
Corbin.  His  grandfather  was  Joshua  Corbin,  born 
July  16,  1757.  His  great-grandfather  Elisha  Cor- 
bin, l)orn  June  30,  1713,  was  of  English  descent  and 
the  son  of  James  Corbin,  the  latter  the  son  of 
Clement  Corbin,  the  earliest  known  ancestor.  The 
subject  of  this  sketch  received  only  such  education 
as  was  afforded  by  the  common  school.  In  1840, 
at  the  age  of  eighteen,  he  was  thrown  upon  his  own 
resources  through  the  death  of  his  father.  For  two 
years  he  worked  upon  farms  here  and  there  as  he 
could  find  opportunity.  In  the  fall  of  1842  he  went 
into  New  York  state  in  pursuit  of  work,  applying  in 
Albany,  Troy,  Watertown  and  Glen  Falls  without 
success.  Finally  he  reached  Warrenburgh  when  he 
hired  out  by  the  month  to  take  care  of  stock  and 
horses,  working  each  day  from  4  a.  m.  to  g  p.  m. 
There  he  remained  until  the  spring  of  1843,  when 
he  returned  to  Dudley  and  hired  himself  out  for 
eight  months  to  work  for  his  uncle  at  stone  cutting. 
For  three  years  he  worked  on  mills  that  were  build- 
ing in  Webster,  Southbridge,  Charlton  and  O.xford, 
Massachusetts,  and  Thompson,  Connecticut.  He 
then  worked  for  Ebenezer  Rich  for  the  Rock  Manu- 
facturing Company.  He  first  came  to  Rockville 
October  19,  1846,  moving  to  the  town  in  the  spring 
of  1847.  At  this  time  he  had  charge  of  the  build- 
ing of  the  American  Mills,  and  in  the  following  year 
of  the  Hockanum  Mills,  meantime  doing  most  of 
the  stone  work  then  being  done  in  the  neighboring 
towns.  On  January  8,  185 1,  he  started  for  Cali- 
fornia where  he  was  engaged  in  mining  for  nearly 
two  years.  In  1853  he  returned  east  and  built  the 
house  in  which  he  now  li\es.  In  1854  he  rebuilt 
the  Ellington  Mills,  and  in  tlie  same  year  bought 
out  for  one  hundred  dollars  the  interest  of  Milton 
G.  Puffer,  in  the  envelope  machinery,  at  the  same 
time  J.  N.  Stickney's  interest  was  purchased  in  con- 
nection with  Cyrus  G.  AVhite,  and  the  firm  of  White 
&  Corl)in  was  formed  for  the  manufacture  of  envel- 
opes. So  as  far  as  is  known  this  was  the  first  com- 
pany of  the  kind  in  this  country.  The  business 
rapidly  increased ;  the  water  power  was  bought  of 


24 


MEN    OF    PROGRESS. 


All)ert  Dart,  and  in  1S56  tlie  mill  now  owned  by 
J.  J.  Regan  was  built.  In  connection  with  the 
cnxelope  business  milling,  a  large  flour  and  grain 
business  was  carried  on.  The  New  England  Mill 
was  purchased  at  auction,  and  in  iSSi  the  Florence 
Mill,  the  largest  brick  building  in  Rockville,  was 
purchased  by  the  firm.  This  mill  was  further 
enlarged  by  a  four-story  one  hundred  by  fifty  feet 
addition,  the  whole  forming  the  largest  manufactur- 
ing establishment  in  the  county.  Mr.  Corbin  has 
now  retired  from  active  business,  devoting  much  of 
his  time  to  his  large  real  estate  interests,  which 
include  investments  not  only  in  Connecticut,  but  in 


L.  A.  CORBIN 

Florida,  Colorado,  Indiana  and  Illinois.  His  pros- 
perity has  been  well  earned,  and  he  has  probably 
done  more  to  build  uj)  the  business  interests  of 
Rockville  than  any  other  resident  of  the  town.  He 
has  been  President  of  the  Board  of  Trustees  of  the 
Methodist  Church  for  over  thirty  years,  and  has 
given  thousands  of  dollars  for  the  cause  of  the 
church.  He  was  first  Selectman  of  the  town  of 
Vernon  in  1867,  and  has  also  served  as  Assessor, 
but  in  general  he  has  endeavored  to  avoid  political 
honors.  In  politics  he  is  a  Republican.  In  addi- 
tion to  his  duties  as  President  of  White  &  Corbin 
Company,  he  is  Director  in  the  Rockville  Branch 
Railroad,  and    is  also  a  Director   in  several  other 


business  enterprises.  He  was  married  September 
18,  1S45,  to  Mary  H.  Upham.  Three  children 
have  been  born  to  them  :  Louisa  M.,  wife  of  Sidney 
A.  Grant,  of  Springfield,  Massachusetts ;  Imogene, 
wife  of  Jonathan  Morey,  of  Rockville;  and  Mary 
A.,  wife  of  Walter  E.  Payne,  of  Rockville. 


COUDERT,  Frank  Edmonds,  M.  D.,  Middle- 
town,  was  born  in  South  Orange,  New  Jersey,  July  4, 
T862,  son  of  Louis  Leonce  and  Nora  (Edmonds) 
Coudert.  His  grandfather  Coudert  was  second  in 
command  of  the  First  Guard  of  Honor  of  Napoleon 
I.  and  served  through  the  German  and  Italian  wars. 
Twice  sentenced  to  be  shot,  he  finally  escaped  to 
this  country  where  he  lived  for  over  fifty  years, 
dying  a  true  Frenchman  at  the  age  of  eighty-seven. 
Up  to  the  day  of  his  death  French  was  the  only 
language  spoken  in  his  house.  On  the  maternal 
side  his  grandfather  was  Judge  Edmonds  of  New 
York.  He  was  educated  at  Stevens  High  School, 
Hoboken,  New  Jersey,  and  at  St.  John's  College, 
F"ordhani,  New  York.  He  then  spent  three  years 
in  Germany  taking  the  degree  of  Ph.  D.  in  1887  at 
Heidelberg  University.  While  at  the  University  he 
joined  one  of  the  fighting  clubs  and  had  some 
experience  with  the  sword.  Returning  to  America 
he  entered  the  New  York  University  Medical 
School  where  he  was  graduated  with  the  degree  of 
M.  D.  In  the  spring  of  1890  he  shipped  as  sur- 
geon on  the  United  States  and  Brazil  Mail  Steam- 
ship, Finance,  plying  between  Rio  Janeiro  and 
New  York.  Here  he  had  many  trying  experiences. 
His  life  was  twice  attempted  by  native  emigrants 
on  the  ship,  and  on  another  voyage  he  suffered 
from  a  dangerous  attack  of  yellow  fever.  In  Janu- 
ary 189 1  he  took  examination  for  the  position  of 
Resident  House  Physician  at  the  Norwegian  Hospi- 
tal, Brooklyn.  After  serving  his  time  at  the  Hospital 
he  went  to  Augusta,  Georgia,  where  the  position  of 
Lecturer  on  Diseases  of  the  Skin  was  offered  him. 
But  just  as  he  was  about  to  enter  upon  the  duties  of 
his  position  he  was  taken  with  typhoid  fever. 
This  sickness  lasted  fourteen  weeks.  As  soon  as 
he  was  able  he  returned  North  and  settled  at 
108  West  Thirty-fourth  Street,  New  York  city.  A 
few  months  after  his  arrival  he  became  a  member 
of  the  staff  of  the  "  Evening  World  Sick  Baby 
Fund."  In  March  1892  he  was  appointed  assistant 
in  skin  diseases  to  Professor  E.  B.  Bronson  of  the 
New  York  Polyclinic  in  East  Thirty-fourth  Street, 


MEN    OI"    PROGRESS. 


25 


and  he  was  also  assistant  in  the  New  \'ork  Hospi- 
tal, out-door  department.  Just  as  he  was  getting 
well  started  in  his  profession  his  health  broke 
down  and  he  was  compelled  to  gi\e  u|)  city  life. 
He  moved  to  W:)lliiigf^>rtl,  Connecticut,  and  tlicre 


FKANK   E.   COUDERT. 

remained  three  years.  He  moved  to  Middletown 
in  1895  and  there  took  the  practice  of  Dr.  D.  A. 
Cleveland  and  Dr.  Frank  B.  Look.  He  is  now  the 
Town  Health  Officer  and  Visiting  Physician  to  the 
Orphans'  Home.  He  speaks  fluently  French,  Ger- 
man and  Spanish  and  with  the  exception  of  the 
extreme  Eastern  countries  has  travelled  all  over 
the  world.  He  is  a  member  of  St.  John's  Lodge 
of  Masons  No.  2,  and  Washington  Chapter  No.  6. 
While  a  student  at  the  New  York  University 
Medical  School  he  served  three  years  in  the 
National  Guard  of  New  York.  He  was  married 
October  10,  1S94,  to  Clarisa  Ingersol  Perkins,  of 
Wallingford. 


DE  FOREST,  Thomas  Bartram,  President  of 
the  Bridgeport  National  Bank,  and  Insurance  .Agent, 
was  born  in  Bridgeport  April  22,  1831,  son  of  Isaac 
and  Sarah  .Ann  (Bartram)  De  Forest.     His  paternal 


grandfather  was  William  De  l''orest,  and  his  mater- 
nal grandfather  was  'I'homas  Bartram,  for  whom  he 
was  named.  His  education  was  confined  to  such 
training  as  the  public  schools  of  his  native  town 
afforded.  On  leaving  school  he  went  to  sea  for 
three  years.  On  his  return  lie  went  to  Charleston, 
South  Carolina,  as  a  clerk  for  the  firm  of  Pierson  & 
Jennings,  wholesale  clothing.  From  Charleston  he 
returned  to  New  York.  Thence  he  went  to  Chi- 
cago, and  from  Chicago  he  moved  to  Minnesota. 
Finally  in  1858  at  the  age  of  twenty-seven  having 
tried  his  fortunes  on  land  and  sea,  in  the  South  and 
in  the  West,  he  returned  to  his  native  town  and 
entered  the  insurance  business  which  he  still  carries 
on.  He  is  also  President  of  the  Bridgeport  National 
Bank,  Vice-President  of  the  Bridgeport  Savings 
I^ank,  Vice-President  of  the  Consolidated  Rolling 
Stock  Company,  and  Treasurer  of  the  Bridgeport 
Hydraulic  Company.     He  has  served  as  Alderman, 


% 

.^' 

-•■ 

1 

'^^H 

? 

T.   B.   DEFOREST, 

member  of  the  Common  Council,  and  the  Board  of 
Public  Works.  He  belongs  to  the  Seaside  and 
Brooklawn  clubs.  He  was  married  October  20, 
1857,  to  Martha  13.  Crocker.  Their  children  are: 
Marion,  Thomas  and  William  De  Forest;  Jidia,  wife 
of  D.  B.  Pierce,  Junior  ;  and  Sarah,  wife  of  Justus  B. 
Entz. 


26 


Mi;\    OF    PROGRESS. 


DKWELL,  James  Dudley,  Lieutenant  dovernor 
of  Connecticut,  and  member  of  the  firm  of  J.  D. 
Dewell  &  Co.,  wholesale  grocers.  New  Haven,  was 
born  in  Norfolk,  Connecticut,  September  3,  1837, 
son  of  John  and  Mary  (Humphrey)  Dewell.  His 
father  was  of  Scotch  descent,  a  native  of  Dutchess 
county,  New  York,  and  a  prominent  merchant  and 
manufacturer  of  Norfolk.  His  mother  was  the  sev- 
enth in  line  from  Michael  Hum])hrey,  who  settled  in 
Windsor,  in  1640.  His  early  education  was  obtained 
at  the  common  schools.  After  a  preliminary  busi- 
ness training  on  a  peddler's  wagon  and  in  a  coun- 
try store,  he  became  salesman  for  the  firm  of  Bush- 


JAMES    D.   DEWELL. 


opment  of  New  Haven  by  means  of  its  Chamber  of 
Commerce  Mr.  Dewell  has  devoted  much  time  and 
for  many  years  has  served  as  its  President.  He  is 
largely  responsible  for  the  organization  of  the  State 
Board  of  Trade.  He  was  elected  its  President  in 
1891,  and  by  unanimous  consent  is  still  filling  that 
position.  He  has  devoted  a  great  deal  of  time  to 
increasing  the  influence  of  that  organization,  and 
under  his  guidance  it  has  accomplished  a  great  deal 
of  good  work.  It  was  Mr.  Dewell  who  was  at  the 
head  of  the  movement  in  favor  of  good  roads  in 
Connecticut.  The  Young  Men's  Institute  of  New 
Haven  has  always  held  a  tender  spot  in  Mr.  Dewell's 
heart,  and  for  twenty  years  he  has  been  a  Director 
and  contributor  to  its  needs.  He  is  a  member  and 
takes  particular  interest  in  the  New  Haven  Colony 
Historical  Society.  He  has  been  for  twenty-seven 
years  a  Director  of  the  Evergreen  Cemetery  Associa- 
tion, and  for  many  years  a  Director  m  the  New  Haven 
Hospital.  He  was  First  Lieutenant  of  the  New 
Haven  Grays  from  1865  to  1867,  and  in  1868  was 
Worshipful  Master  of  Hiram  Lodge  No.  i  Free  and 
Accepted  Masons.  He  was  among  the  charter 
members  of  the  Republican  League,  and  as  its  Pres- 
ident from  1892  to  1895  was  exceedingly  popular 
with  all  the  members.  He  has  always  been  a  Repub- 
lican, and  voted  for  Buckingham  for  Governor  in 
1859  3nd  Lincoln  for  President.  Lentil  his  election 
as  Lieutenant  Governor  in  November  1896  he  had 
never  held  a  political  office,  although  always  taking 
a  great  interest  in  legislative  matters  both  national 
and  state.  He  was  married  July  2,  i860,  to  Mary 
Elizabeth  Keyes  of  Norfolk.  Six  children  have 
blessed  the  union,  of  whom  five  are  living :  Jessie 
Keyes,  Charles  Keyes,  James  Dudley,  Robert  Peck  ; 
Edward  Humphrey,  who  died  in  1878,  aged  one 
year,  and  Franklin  Whittemore  Dewell. 


nell  &  Company,  wholesale  grocers.  Two  years 
afterwards  he  was  admitted  to  the  firm,  and  in  1864 
the  firm  name  was  changed  to  Bushnell  &  Dewell, 
and  in  1877  it  was  altered  to  J.  D.  Dewell  &  Com- 
pany, in  which  form  it  has  become  prominent  in 
the  mercantile  world.  He  is  Vice-President  of  the 
Security  Insurance  Company,  a  Director  of  the  New 
Haven  Water  Company  and  of  the  City  Bank  of 
New  Haven,  and  Trustee  of  the  National  Savings 
Bank.  Mr.  Dewell  is  widely  known  as  a  public- 
spirited  citizen,  and  no  sincere  effort  for  the  public 
advancement  of  New  Haven  or  the  social  im- 
provement of  its  citizens  has  failed  to  enlist  his 
warm  interest  and  generous  support.     To  the  devel- 


DIBBLE,  Samuel  Elmer,  Plumber,  and  President 
of  the  State  Association  of  Master  Plumbers,  New 
Haven,  was  born  in  Newtown,  Connecticut,  January 
16,  1842,  son  of  Frederick  B.  and  Sarah  Ann 
(Botsford)  Dibble.  His  grandfather  was  John 
Dibble,  whose  father  was  Samuel  Dibble,  the  latter 
son  of  Captain  John  Dibble  who  came  from  Eng- 
land in  1630.  His  mother's  family  were  early 
settlers  of  Newtown.  Young  Dibble  received  his 
education  at  the  public  schools  of  Newtown  and 
through  private  tuition.  Until  he  was  sixteen  he 
lived  upon  the  farm  in  Newtown.     He  then  went  to 


MEN    OF    I>R(H;RESS. 


27 


Woodbury,  Connecticut,  and  learned  the  tinning 
and  plumbing  business.  After  a  five-years  service 
he  came  to  New  Haven  with  his  uncle  I'^verett  H. 
Dibble  and  there  completed  his  trade.  Owing  to 
the  death  of  his  uncle  he  decided  to  enter  business 
for  himself,  which  he  did  on  April  14,  11S64,  tiie 
same  day  that  President  Lincoln  was  shot.  For 
thirty-three  years  he  has  thus  successfully  carried 
on  his  business  which  includes  tinning,  steam,  hot 
air  and  hot  water  heating,  and  every  branch  of 
plumbing  business,  and  is  a  strong  believer  in  sani- 
tary science.  He  has  been  President  of  the  State 
Association  of  Master  Plumbers,  is  President  of  the 
Builders  Exchange  of  New  Haven,  lias  been  four 
times  President  of  the  New  Haven  Master  Plumb- 
ers Association  and  an  officer  for  several  times  in 
the    National    Association,    Commissioner    of    the 


S.    E.   DIBBLE. 

New  Haven  Board  of  Health  for  three  years,  and 
was  reappointed  on  July  i,  1897,  for  four  years  more. 
He  is  a  Mason,  and  for  thirty  years  has  been  a  mem- 
ber of  the  Odd  Fellows.  He  was  married  September 
16,  1874,  to  Elizabeth  Davis.  Ten  children  have 
been  born  to  them :  Clarence  Elmer,  Samuel 
Edward,  Lewis  Acker,  Albert  Baldwin,  Donald 
Alvin,  Ethel  Gould,  Eleanor  F^lizabeth,  Marguerite, 
Ruth  and  John  Mansfield  Dibble. 


DOWNS,  NicHois  Curtis,  Judge  of  the  City 
Court  of  Stamford,  was  born  at  Newtown,  Connecti- 
cut, December  12,  1S61,  son  of  Monroe  D.  and 
Cliarlotte  Nichols  (Curtis)  Downs.  Lie  received 
his  education  at  the  common  schools  and  at  New- 


NICHOLS    C.    DOWNS. 

town  Academy.  He  was  admitted  to  the  Bar  May 
15,  1884.  He  held  the  office  of  Borough  Attorney 
for  the  Borough  of  Stamford  from  1887  to  1891, 
and  has  been  corporation  counsel  of  the  city  of 
Stamford  since  its  incorporation,  in  1893.  He  was 
Deputy  Judge  of  the  Borough  Court  of  Stamford 
from  1887  to  1893,  when  he  was  appointed  as  the 
first  judge  of  the  City  Court  of  Stamford,  to  which 
position  he  was  reappointed  in  1895,  and  again  in 
1897.  He  is  also  Vice-President  of  the  Stamford 
Board  of  Trade.  In  politics  he  has  always  been  a 
Republican.  He  was  married  September  5,  1885, 
to  Jessie  MacDonald  of  Brooklyn,  New  York. 


EMERSON,  James  Marion,  Editor  of  the  Even- 
ing Sentinel,  Ansonia,  Connecticut,  was  born  at 
Denton,  Maryland,  December  14,  1845,  son  of  John 
H.  and  Sarah  (Whitby)  Emerson.  His  parents 
were  of  Quaker  descent.  After  attending  the  usual 
village  school  he  entered  Washington  College, 
Chestertown,  Maryland,  at  the  early  age  of  fourteen, 


2S 


MKN    OF    PROGRESS. 


and  was  graiUiated  at  eighteen  years  of  age.  From 
college  he  went  immeiiiately  into  his  father's  print- 
ing office.  Three  years  later,  he  succeeded  him  as 
Kditor  and  Business  Manager  of  the  Denton  Union. 
After  four  and  a  half  years  experience  on  the  Den- 
ton Union,  he  accepted  the  City  F.ditorship  of  the 
Daily  Commercial,  published  in  Wilmington,  Dela- 
ware. In  1876  he  left  the  Daily  Commercial,  hav- 
ing bought  out  the  Sentinel,  a  weekly  publication 
issued  at  .\nsonia,  Connecticut.  In  1884  the  Sen- 
tinel under  his  management  grew  to  a  daily,  and  the 
name  was  changed  to  the  Evening  Sentinel.  Mr.  Em- 
erson is  a  member  of  the  Ansonia  Board  of  Trade, 


J.   M.  EMERSON 

and  a  member  of  its  Board  of  Directors.  In  politics 
he  has  always  been  a  staunch  Republican.  He  was 
first  married  in  May  1867  to  Lizzie  N.  Steward,  of 
Gloucester  county,  New  Jersey,  who  died  five  years 
later.  There  are  no  children  living  from  this  union. 
His  second  marriage,  December  3,  1874,  was  to 
Julia  B.  Foord,  of  Wilmington,  Delaware,  by  whom 
were  born  the  following  children  :  Howard  F  ,  John 
Ralph,  Lillian  May  and  Marion  Estelle  Emerson. 


FONES,  CiviLiON,  Dentist  and  Ex-Mayor  of 
Bridgeport,  was  born  in  Toronto,  Canada,  October 
I,  1836,  the  year  of  the  incorporation  of  the  city  of 


which  he  was  twice  elected  Mayor.     His  father,  at 
the  time  of  the  son's  birth,  was  temporarily  a  resi- 
dent of  Ontario,  superintending  work  in  the  line  of 
his  occupation  as  architect  and  builder.     On  both 
his  father's  and  mother's  side  he  is  a  descendant  of 
the  French  Huguenots.     His  paternal  great-grand- 
father was  an  exile  to  England  during  the  reign  of 
Louis  XIV,   and   afterwards  became   an  officer  in 
the  English  Navy.     On  his  retirement  he  was  given 
a  tract  of  land  embracing  fifteen  hundred  acres  in 
the  state  of  Rhode  Island,  where  the  old  town  of 
Wickford  now   stands,  and  on   which    he    located. 
His  son   Daniel,  the  grandfather,   and  Christopher 
(the  father  of  Civilion)  were  born  on  the  ancestral 
acres,  and  the  latter  married  Sarah  A.  Marigold,  of 
South    Carolinian    lineage,    also   a   descendant    of 
French    Huguenots.      The    son    Civilion   came    to 
Bridgeport  from  New  York  city  in  1858,  where  he 
has  since  resided.     He  is  a  graduate  of  the  Balti- 
more College  of    Dental  Surgeons,   and    has  been 
engaged  in  the  practice  of   his  profession,  on  the 
corner  of  Main  and  Banks  streets,  for  about  thirty- 
three  years.     The  appreciation    of  his  professional 
brethren    has   been   expressed    by  his   election    as 
President  of  the  Connecticut  Valley  Dental  Associa- 
tion,   and   also   as    President   of    the    Connecticut 
State  Dental   Society.     In    1893  he  was  appointed 
by  Governor  Morris  one   of  the  five   State   Dental 
Commissioners  and  upon    the    organization  of  the 
Commission  was  elected  President  of  its  members, 
which  office  he  still  holds.     Governor   Coffin  also 
reappointed    him   in    1895.     He    has  been    identi- 
fied with  the  Republican  party  since  its  organiza- 
tion, but  never  held  political  office  until  the  year 
18S4,  when  he  was  elected  to  represent  his  ward  as 
Councilman.     The  following  year   he   was  elected 
Alderman,  and  at  the  April   election  in    1886  was 
elected  Mayor  of  the  City,  overcoming  an  opposi- 
tion party  majority  of  about  one  thousand,  and  was 
re-elected   in  the  spring  of   1887   by  an  increased 
majority,  receiving  an  unusual  political  support  from 
both  parties.     During  both  terms  of  his  office  every 
effort  was  made  for  the  improvement  of  the  city. 
In  his  message  of  1886  he  made  mention  of  the 
necessity  of  taking  urgent  means  to  procure  a  new 
Post  Office  building,    and    the    Common    Council 
passed  a  resolution  for  him  to  take  such   steps  as 
were  necessary  to  have  a  bill  passed  granting  the 
erection  of  said  building.     Whereupon  in  company 
with  several  prominent  citizens  he  visited  Washing- 
ton, and  in  consequence  of  these  efforts  a  bill  passed 
the  House   making  an  appropriation   for  the  new 


MEN    OK    I'ROGRESS. 


29 


Government  Building,  which  now  stands  at  tlie  of  New  Jersey  and  his  grandfather  of  Long  Island, 
corner  of  Uroad  and  Common  streets.  During  his  He  was  educated  at  the  ]niblic  schools  of  Brooklyn 
administration  there  were  many  improvements  made,  and  began  business  in  New  York  city  in  1876. 
such  as  the  removal  of  railroad  tracks  from  Water  From  1S76  to  i88o  he  was  in  the  wholesale  paper 
street,  the  removal  of  the  old  Miller  l?uilding,  and      business,  and  from  1S80  to  1887  he  was  connected 

with  the  Erie  Railroad  Company.  In  1S87  he 
came  to  Hartford  and  in  connection  with  Seymour 
A.  Prayer,  started  a  coal  business.  His  partner 
died  in  1890,  and  he  has  conducted  the  business 
alone  since  tliat  date.  He  is  a  Mason,  a  member 
of  the  Republican  Club  and  of  the  First   Comi)any 


CIVILION    FONES. 

erection  of  the  Lower  Bridge,  also  the  locating  ami 
placing  of  numerous  gates  and  crossings.  One  of 
the  marked  benefits,  was  the  improvement  of  the 
streets  and  roads  about  the  city.  The  Park  Cottage 
was  also  built  during  his  last  term  of  office,  and 
many  other  improvements  made  of  minor  impor- 
tance. Both  terms  were  most  harmonious  in  every 
respect,  as  there  was  not  a  hitch  in  either  party  dur- 
ing his  administration.  He  is  a  member  of  several 
clubs  in  the  city  and  state  and  was  President  of  the 
Seaside  Club  in  the  year  1892.  He  has  taken 
several  degrees  in  Odd-Fellowship,  and  is  a  thirty- 
second  degree  Scottish  Mason.  He  was  married 
October  21,  1863,  to  Phoebe  E.  Wright  of  New 
York  city.  They  have  had  three  children  :  George 
who  died  in  childhood,  Grace  and  Alfred  C.  Fones. 


FOSTER,  William  Henry,  Coal  Merchant, 
Hartford,  was  born  in  Brooklyn,  New  York,  Febru- 
ary 14,  1858,  son  of  Joseph  Henry  and  Mary 
Elizabeth  (Hartt)  Foster.     His  father  was  a  native 


W.    H.    FOSTER. 


Governor's  Foot  (iuards.  He  was  married  Decem- 
ber 22,  1890,  to  Georgiana  Vail,  of  Hartford.  They 
have  one  child  :  Henry  Wilkinson  Foster. 


PULFORD,  Charles  Henry,  Physician,  Sey- 
mour, was  born  in  Stafford  Springs,  Connecticut, 
December  18,  1859,  son  of  Frederick  ^V.  Piilford, 
M.  D.,  and  Sarah  A.  (Leonard)  Pulford.  His 
father  was  born  in  Leeds,  luigland,  August  21, 
1826,  and  died  in  Seymour  June  3,  1893.  His 
mother  was  born  in  Dunkirk,  New  York,  June  16, 
1828,  and  died  in  Seymour  April  19,  1892.  Dr. 
Pulford  was  educated  in  the  public  schools  of 
Seymour  and  the  Collegiate  Institute  at  Hacketts- 


30 


.\[E\   OF   PROGRESS. 


town,  New  Jersey.  He  received  his  medical  educa- 
tion at  the  HonuL'opalhic  College  of  New  York 
city,  and  at  the  Hahnemann  College,  of  Chicago, 
where  he  was  graduated  in  iSSS.  He  has  jiracticed 
medicine  since   graduation    in    Seymour,  first  with 


CHARLES   H.    PULFORD. 

his  father  and  since  his  father's  death  in  1893, 
alone.  In  politics  he  is  a  Republican.  He  is  a 
member  of  the  Morning  Star  Lodge,  No.  47,  Free 
and  Accepted  Masons.  He  was  married  to  Har- 
riet E.  Humphrey  December  2,  1890.  They  have 
no  children. 


GAGER,  Edwin  Baker,  Lawyer,  of  Derby,  and 
Instructor  in  the  Yale  Law  School,  was  born  in 
Scotland,  Connecticut,  August  30,  1852,  son  of 
Lewis  and  Harriet  (Jennings)  Gager.  His  ances- 
tors were  of  early  Colonial  English  descent  and 
among  the  first  settlers  of  New  London  and  Nor- 
wich. His  early  education  was  obtained  at  the 
public  schools  of  Scotland  and  at  the  Natchaug 
High  School,  Willimantic,  Connecticut.  He  was 
graduated  from  the  Yale  University  in  the  class  of 
1877,  and  subsequently  took  a  one  year's  post- 
graduate course  in  history.  He  was  admitted  to 
the  Bar  in  October  18S1.  Before  entering  college 
he  taught  school  for  two  years.  After  graduation 
for  four  years  and  until  his  admission   to  the  Bar, 


he  was  Principal  of  the  Ansonia  (Connecticut)  High 
and  public  schools.  He  began  the  practice  of  law  at 
Derby  in  1881,  and  on  January  i,  1882,  became  a 
member  of  the  law  firm  of  Wooster,  Torrance  & 
Gager,  and  so  remained  until  April  i,  1885,  when 
on  accoimt  of  the  appointment  of  Mr.  Torrance  as 
Judge  of  the  Superior  Court,  the  new  firm  of 
W'ooster,  Williams  &:  Gager  was  formed.  Under 
tills  latter  name  the  firm  has  continued  in  success- 
ful practice  until  the  present  time.  Mr.  Gager 
Ijecame  a  member  of  the  State  Bar  Examining 
Committee  on  its  organization  in  1890,  and  still 
continues  on  the  board.  Since  1S92  he  has  been 
Instructor  in  Mortgages  in  the  post-graduate  course 
in  the  Yale  Law  School,  and  since  1894  has  been 
Instructor  in  Equity  to  the  Senior  class  at  the  Law 
School.  In  politics  he  is  a  Republican.  From 
18S9  to  iSg5  he  served  as  Judge  of  the  Town 
Court   of    Derby.     He    was    married    October    15, 


EDWIN    B.    GAGER. 

1895,  to  Nellie  A.  Cotter,  of  Ansonia.  They  have 
four  children  :  Edwin  B.,  Jr.,  William  W.,  Charles 
C.  and  Harriet  H.  Gager. 


GOSS,  CH.UTNCEV  Porter,  Treasurer  and  Manager 
of  the  ScovlU  Manufacturing  Company,  of  WaterbuV, 
Connecticut,  was  born,  August  5,  1838,  at  Roches' 


MEN    OF    PROGRESS. 


.11 


ter,  New  York,  son  of  Ephraim  and  Margaret  (Por- 
ter) Goss.  The  father,  a  lawyer  of  unusual  ability, 
practicing  in  all  the  courts  of  the  state,  was  a  man 
of  the  highest  probity,  always  expecting  and  receiv- 
ing the  greatest  respect  from  his  fellowmen,  who 
showed  their  appreciation  by  electing  him  to  many 
positions  of  trust  and  honor,  from  the  State  Senator 
down.  The  mother  was  noted  for  her  gentleness 
and  domestic  qualities.  With  such  parents  and 
descent  from  many  prominent  old  Dutch  and  Eng- 
lish families  of  New  York  state  and  New  England, 
some  of  whom  were  early  identified  with  Water- 
bury,  it  is  not  strange  that  C.  P.  Goss  is  possessed 


C.    p.  GOSS. 

of  a  fine  presence,  an  unquestionable  standard  of 
honor,  a  thorough  knowledge  of  human  nature,  a 
constant  thoughtfulness  of  others'  welfare,  a  consid- 
erate generosity,  and  other  qualities  and  abilities 
which  have  made  him  one  of  the  most  successful 
and  favorably  known  business  men  of  New  England. 
His  paternal  great-grandfather,  Ephraim  Goss,  who 
enlisted  in  the  Revolution  at  Great  Barrington,  Massa- 
chusetts, was  with  Washington  at  Valley  Forge,  and 
was  killed  on  the  battlefield.  Mr.  Goss  was  two 
years  old  when  his  parents  removed  to  the  neigh- 
boring town  of  Pittsford,  New  York,  where  he 
attended  the  district  school,  and  later  entered  a 
general  store.     While  yet  a  boy  he  became  a  buyer 


of  various  kinds  of  produce,  .ind  by  perfect  fairness 
of  dealing  he  soon  won  the  confidence  of  the  farm- 
ers, but  at  the  same  time  taught  them  that  it  was 
imjjossible  to  deceive  or  overreach  him.  He  went 
to  Waterbury  in  1862,  and  entered  the  Scovill  Man- 
ufacturing Company  as  assistant  bookkeeper,  was 
elected  Secretary  in  1864,  and  Treasurer  in  1868, 
which  office  he  still  holds.  Besides  being  Treas- 
urer and  Manager  of  the  Scovill  Manufacturing 
Company,  he  is  Treasurer  of  the  Matthews  &  Wil- 
lard  Manufacturing  Company,  and  a  Director  in  the 
Stanley  Works,  the  Simpson,  Hall,  Miller  Comi:)any 
and  the  Simpson  Nickel  Silver  Company.  He  is  an 
active  member  of  the  First  Congregational  Church, 
and  has  served  repeatedly  on  the  committee,  has 
been  a  Mason  since  1859,  and  is  a  member  of  the 
Clark  Commandery.  He  has  never  sought  or  held 
a  political  office.  Mr.  Goss  married  February  23, 
1864,  Caroline  Amelia  Ketcham,  of  ancient  and 
prominent  American  ancestry,  and  the  following 
children  were  born  to  them  :  Edward  Otis,  Marga- 
ret Porter  (deceased),  Caroline  Ryan,  John  Henry, 
Mary  Elizabeth,  Chauncey  Porter  and  George  Au- 
gustus Goss. 


GRANNISS,  Weston  Grey,  Merchant,  Litch- 
field, was  born  in  Jjitchfield,  February  16,  1855, 
son  of  Asa  Lyman  and  Sally  (Potter)  Granniss. 
On  the  paternal  side  he  traces  his  ancestry  back  to 
1585,  to  the  Rev.  Samuel  Stone,  a  native  of  Here- 
ford, F^ngland.  His  great-grandfather  William 
Granniss,  who  was  born  in  F^ast  Haven  and  became 
a  settler  in  Litchfield  in  1681,  purchased  the  farm 
five  miles  west  of  the  village  where  Mr.  Granniss's 
brother,  Fremont  M.  Granniss,  now  lives.  His 
grandfather,  Thomas  Granniss,  succeeded  to  the 
possession  of  this  farm,  and  died  a  prosperous  farm- 
er, at  the  age  of  eighty-nine.  His  wife  was  Ruth 
Stone,  who  was  born  in  Litchfield  in  April  1789. 
The  father  of  the  subject  of  this  sketch,  Asa  Lyman 
Granniss,  was  born  on  the  old  homestead  January  1, 
1814,  and  there  spent  his  whole  life,  dying  at  the 
age  of  eighty,  January  13,  1894.  His  wife  to  whom 
he  was  married  March  13,  1849,  was  Sally,  daughter 
of  Miner  and  Polly  Potter.  Miner  Potter  who  died 
in  1850,  was  a  carpenter  by  trade,  and  erected 
many  of  the  old  residences  in  Litchfield.  He  was 
the  son  of  Benjamin  Potter,  a  Revolutionary  soldier. 
The  Potters  trace  their  ancestry  back  to  John 
Potter  ist,  who  was  born  in  England  in  1607. 
Weston  G.    Granniss    passed  his  boyhood    on    the 


MEN   OF    I'ROGRESS. 


larni.  His  education  was  confined  to  the  country 
district  school,  and  a  winter  term  at  the  Gunnery 
St  hool  at  Wasliington,  Connecticut  His  first  busi- 
ness experience  was  with  liaker  &  Hrinsniade,  who 
kept  a  general  store  at  Washington  After  two 
years  of  hard  work  with  this  firm,  as  a  man  of  all 
rtork,  he  became  their  head  clerk  in  which  capacity 
he  remained  for  three  years.  He  then  became 
travelling  salesman  for  Bennett,  Sloan  &  Company, 
wholesale  grocers,  of  New  Haven.  He  remained 
with  the  latter  firm  for  two  and  a  half  years  ;  then 
returning  to  Litchfield  he  bought  out  the  interest  of 
C.  M.  danung,  in  the  firm  of  Ganung  &  Elmore. 


WESTO.N    G.   GRANNISS. 

'I'he  present  firm  of  Granniss  &  Klniore  dates  from 
February  i,  1S82.  The  firm  started  with  little  cap- 
ital, but  with  a  determination  to  win  by  honest 
dealing  and  painstaking  effort,  they  have  won  a 
liberal  patronage  and  a  well  merited  success. 
They  carry  on  the  largest  mercantile  business  ever 
done  in  Litchfield.  They  carry  a  large  line  of  dry- 
goods,  carpets,  wall  papers,  etc.,  and  their  grocery 
stock  comprises  some  of  the  choicest  of  domestic 
and  imported  delicacies.  Mr.  Granniss  is  a  Direc- 
tor in  the  First  National  Bank  of  Litchfield.  His 
politics  are  Republican.  He  takes  an  active  inter- 
est in  Masonry,  and  is  Past  Master  of  St.  Paul's 
IxDdge  Free  and  Accepted  Masons,  of  Litchfield, 
has  been  District  Deputy  for  Litchfield  County,  and 


holds  office  in  the  Council  and  Chapter.  He  was 
one  of  the  early  members  of  the  Connecticut  Com- 
mercial Travellers'  Association  in  which  he  still 
retains  membership.  His  wife  to  whom  he  was 
married  February  20,  1S79,  was  Louise  Glover,  only 
daughter  of  Julius  and  Jeannette  (Bolles)  Glover 
of  New  Preston,  Connecticut.  Her  father  served 
in  the  Civil  War,  and  her  grandfather  was  F^lisha 
Glover,  a  prosperous  farmer  of  Warren,  Connecticut. 


GRIGGS,  Wilfred  Elizur,  Architect,  Water- 
bury,  was  born  in  Waterbury,  May  2,  1866,  son  of 
Henry  t:harles  and  Mary  Bassett  (Foote)  (iriggs. 
He  traces  his  ancestry  back  to  a  long  line  of 
illustrious  progenitors.  He  is  of  the  eighth  gener- 
ation from  Thomas  Griggs  of  Roxbury,  Massachu- 
setts, and  from  Edward  Chapman  of  Simsbury  who 
was  killed  in  the  King  Philip's  War,  and  from 
Samuel  Porter  of  Hadley,  from  Deputy  Governor 
Stephen  Goodyear  of  New  Haven,  and  from 
Nathaniel  Foote.  He  is  of  the  sixth  generation 
from  Governor  Roger  Wolcott,  and  in  the  ninth 
generation  from  George  Steele  and  Thomas  Munson 
(Pequot  soldiers),  and  from  Major  Aaron  Cooke, 
from  William  Westwood  the  first  civil  officer  of 
Connecticut,  and  from  Rev.  Nicholas  Street,  first 
teacher  of  the  church  at  New  Haven,  and  its 
second  pastor.  The  following  ancestors  were  Revo- 
lutionary patriots  :  Deacon  Ichabod  Griggs,  Deacon 
Joshua  Griggs,  Deacon  Elijah  Chapman,  Amasa 
Drake,  Dr.  Alexander  Wolcott,  Dr.  Simon  Wolcott, 
Dr.  Jared  F'oote  and  Jonathan  Beecher.  The 
subject  of  this  sketch  received  his  early  education 
at  the  Waterbury  English  and  Classical  School,  and 
was  graduated  from  the  Sheffield  Scientific  School 
of  Yale  LTniversity  with  the  degree  of  Ph.  B.  in  1887, 
and  from  the  School  of  Mines  of  Columbia  College, 
New  York,  in  1889,  taking,  in  the  latter  school,  the 
course  in  Architecture.  After  graduation  he  spent 
two  years  in  New  York  as  draughtsman  in  several 
offices,  and  in  January  1891,  opened  an  office  as 
Architect  in  Waterbury.  In  March  of  the  same 
year  he  associated  himself  with  Robert  W.  Hill 
with  the  purpose  of  succeeding  him  in  business. 
His  professional  practice  has  included  most  of  the 
various  forms  of  architectural  work,  and  has  extended 
to  many  of  the  towns  within  a  radius  of  twenty-five 
miles  of  Waterbury.  He  was  the  Architect  of  the 
Odd  Fellows  Hall  Building,  the  New  England 
Engineering  Company's  Building,  the  Young  Men's 
Christian  .Association  Building,  the  Waterbury  Clock 


MKN    OF    PROGRESS. 


33 


Company's  Office,  the  Leavenworth  Street  Fire 
Engine  House,  in  Waterbury ;  the  Terry  Ulock  in 
Ansonia,  Hopson  Block,  Naugatuck,  Fire  Engine 
House  in  Seymour,  and  the  Hurlbut  National  Hank 
Building  in  Winsted.  He  has  planned  school 
buildings  for  the  Fiske  University,  Nashville,  Ten- 
nessee,    and     in     the     p\ihlir     school     districts    of 


WILFRED   E.  GRIGGS. 

Thomaston,  Naugatuck,  Watertown  and  Waterbury. 
He  has  furnished  plans  for  the  construction  of 
buildings  for  Electric  Lighting  Stations  at  Rock- 
ville,  Bristol,  Waterbury,  Stamford  and  Bramford, 
Connecticut,  and  Passaic  and  Dover,  New  Jersey. 
He  has  planned  factories  for  many  firms  in  Water- 
bury and  neighboring  towns  including  the  follow- 
ing :  Rogers  &  Hamilton  Co.,  the  Waterbury  Brass 
Co.,  American  Ring  Co ,  American  Mills  Co., 
Steele  i^;  Johnson  Manufacturing  Co ,  Waterbury 
Machine  Co.,  E.  J.  Manville  Machine  Co.,  Ber- 
becker  &  Rowland  Manufacturing  Co.,  all  of  Water- 
bury ;  the  Stanley  Works  and  the  North  &  Judd 
Manufacturing  Co.  of  New  Britain,  the  Union 
Hardware  Co.,  of  Torrington,  W.  R.  Brixey,  of  Sey- 
mour, and  the  Bridgeport  Brass  Co.,  of  Bridgeport, 
Connecticut.  His  work  also  includes  many  private 
residences  in  Waterbury  and  in  other  towns.  He 
has  been  a  member  of  the  fioard  of  Sciiool 
Visitors  for  Waterbury  since  1895.  He  is  a  mem- 
ber of  the  Waterbury  Club.     At  Yale  he  became  a 


member  of  the  Chi  Phi  Fraternity,  and  at  Columbia 
he  was  a  member  and  the  first  President  of  the 
Columbia  Architectural  Society.  He  was  married 
.April  21,  1892,  at  Paris,  France,  to  Flora  Victoria 
Hartley.     They  have  one  child,  Catharine  Griggs. 


HANNAN,  RtvKRKNi)  Frfderick  Watson,  Pas- 
tor of  the  First  Methodist  Episcopal  Church  of 
Meriden,  was  born  at  Cochecton,  Sullivan  county. 
New  York,  May  4,  1866,  son  of  Martin  and  Cather- 
ine (Noonan)  Hannan.  His  parents  came  to  this 
country  from  Ireland  at  an  early  age,  and  his  fatlicr 
dying  when  the  subject  of  this  sketch  was  but  three 
years  old,  his  mother  was  left  in  destitute  circum- 
stances with  a  family  of  four  small  children  to  sup- 
l)ort.  At  an  early  age  the  son  was  sent  to  work 
upon  a  farm,  attending  school  in  the  winter  only. 
Finally,  by  hard  labor  and  severe  economy,  he  suc- 
ceeded   in    passing    through    scliool    and    college, 


F.   WATSON   HANNAN. 

namely,  the  district  school  at  Rock  Hill,  and  the 
Academy  at  Monticello,  New  York,  and  the  Colle- 
giate Institute  at  Hackettstown,  New  Jersey.  He 
graduated  from  Wesleyan  L^niversity  with  the  degree 
of  B.  A.  in  1890.  and  from  the  Drew  Theological 
School,  Madison,  New  Jersey,  in  1893.  While  at 
college  at   Middletown  he  supplied  the   Methodist 


34 


MEN    OF    PROGRESS. 


Episcopal  Church  at  Welhersfield,  and  while  at  the 
'Iheological  School  he  supplied  the  Methodist  Epis- 
copal Church  at  East  Norwich,  Long  Island.  From 
there  he  went  to  the  church  at  Bayport,  Long 
Island,  remaining  there  until  a  year  after  his  gradu- 
ation from  the  seminary.  In  the  spring  of  1894  he 
became  the  assistant  of  Dr.  John  Rhey  Thompson, 
then  pastor  of  the  First  Methodist  Episcopal  Church, 
Meriden.  In  this  position  he  served  with  such 
acceptance  that  in  April  1895,  upon  the  removal  of 
Dr.  Thompson  by  expiration  of  time,  he  became 
full  pastor  of  the  church.  He  was  a  member  of  the 
Psi  I'psilon  fraternity  at  college,  and  is  a  member 
of  the  Royal  Arcanum.  He  was  married  March  25, 
1895,  to  Miss  Anna  L.  Danes  of  Blue  Point,  Long 
Island.  They  have  two  children  :  Watson  Monroe 
and  Herbert  Rhey  Hannan. 


1 87 1  he  sold  this  paper  to  the  publishers  of  the 
Churchman  in  Hartford,  and  became  attached  to 
that  paper  and  the  publishing  house  with  which  it 
was  connected.  In  January  1873  he  founded  the 
Insurance  Journal  in  Hartford.  In  January  1880 
he  became  the  editor  of  the  Weekly  Underwriter, 
having  purchased  one  half  the  stock  of  the  com 
pany  ijrinting  and  publishing  the  paper.  In  1874 
he  published  the  Insurance  Year  Book.  The  "  Stat- 
utory Requirements,"  an  abstract  of  insurance  laws, 
first  published  in  the  Year  Book,  has  since  become  a 
standard  book  and  is  published  annually.  "  Fire 
and  Marine  Insurance  Statistics"  was  published  in 


HAYDEN,  Henry  Rogers,  Insurance  Journalist, 
Hartford,   was   born    in   Seneca    Falls,  New  York, 
November   23,    1836,   son   of   Henry    Rogers   and 
Lucretia  (Gregory)  Hayden.     His  mother  was  born 
in  Frome,  England,  and  on  his  father's  side  he  is 
descended  from  John  Hayden  of  Braintree,  Massa- 
chusetts (1634).     After  leaving  the  common  schools 
at  sixteen  he  entered  a  printing  office  to  learn  the 
trade.     Subseijuently  he  travelled  considerably  as  a 
journeyman  printer,  newspaper  correspondent   and 
local  editor.     His  first  essay  as  publisher  and  editor 
was  in  the  campaign  of  i860,  when  he  published  a 
weekly  paper  called  the  Mirror  at  La  Crosse,  Wis- 
consin,  and   which,  in   the    following   winter,  was 
changed    to   a   daily.     In  the  winter   of    1862    he 
became   publisher  and  local  editor   of   the   Sparta 
Herald,  and  a  year  later  was  persuaded  to  begin  the 
publication   of   the    Monroe    County   Democrat   at 
Sparta,  Wisconsin.     In  the  spring  of  1865  Mr.  Hay- 
den was  offered  the  position  of  City  Editor  of  the 
Milwaukee  Daily  Sentinel  and  removed  to  that  city. 
A  year  later  he  was  associated  with  Joseph  R.  Ham- 
ilton as  General  Agent  of  the  Equitable  Life  Assur- 
ance Society.     But  the  old  habit  was  too  strong  to 
be  easily  broken,  and  even  before  his  resignation  as 
agent  of  the  Equitable,  he  had  begun  the  publica 
tion  of  a  monthly  in  the  interest  of  the  Protestant 
Episcopal  Church  in  Wisconsin.     He  gave  up  the 
life  insurance  business  in  the  spring  of   1868,  and 
soon   after   purchased   the   American    Churchman, 
which  was  conducted  under  the  editorship  of   the 
present  Bishop  of  Mississippi.     In  the  summer  of 


H.    R.  HAYDEN. 

1880,  1881  and  1882.  Mr.  Hayden  is  now  the  edi- 
tor and  publisher  of  the  "Annual  Cyclopaedia  of 
Insurance."  He  was  a  representative  in  the  Gen- 
eral Assembly  of  Connecticut  in  1876-77,  and  was 
again  nominated  in  1881  but  declined,  and  was  the 
nominee  of  the  Democratic  party  for  State  Senator 
in  1884.  He  has  been  a  Trustee  and  President  of 
the  Raymond  Library,  East  Hartford,  since  its  foun- 
dation, is  a  member  of  the  Connecticut  Horticul- 
tural Society  and  an  occasional  competitor  at  its 
exhibitions,  a  member  of  the  Connecticut  Dairy- 
men's .\ssociation,  and  is  also  a  member  of  the  Con- 
necticut Historical  Society,  the  Larchmont  Yacht 
Club,  New  York,  the  New  York  .\thletic  and  Lotos 


MRN    Ol'    I'KOGRESS. 


35 


clubs,  aiul  the  Church  ("hih  oi  fonnccticut.  1  It- 
was  married  May  i,  1862,  to  Maria  S.  Warren. 
Their  children  have  been :  Celia  Murray,  Jessie 
Warren,  Henry  Rogers,  ^[aria  l.ouise,  Warren,  Sara, 
Joseph  A.,  Edgar  Gregorv,  May  i*'ranccs  and  lltrtlia 
Brighani  Havden. 


III'RR,  Reverend  Joseph  Daniei.,  Baptist  Cler- 
gyman and  Lecturer,  Norwich,  was  born  in  Shar]3s- 
burg,  Pennsylvania.  February  23,  1837,  son  of 
Daniel  and  Ann  {Sni\<.'ly)   ilerr.       lie  is  a  descen- 


J.    D,    HERR. 

dant  of  Hans  Herr  who  in  1684  came  to  this  country 
from  Suabia,  Germany,  all  of  Suabia  being  at  one 
time  in  possession  of  the  family.  Hans  Herr 
settled  in  Lancaster  county,  Pennsylvania,  receiving 
a  grant  of  land  from  William  Penn.  Owing  to  his 
large  possessions  and  noble  character  he  was 
known  as  King  Herr.  He  was  a  Memnonite  as 
have  been  most  of  his  descendants.  Rev.  Joseph 
D.  Herr  was  educated  at  Madison  College,  but  did 
not  complete  his  course,  as  the  college  was  closed 
on  account  of  the  War,  and  for  the  fact  that  the 
majority  of  the  students  had  enlisted.  During  the 
War  he  was  intimately  connected  with  the  .Sanitary 
Commission.  He  also  raised  a  company  of  emer- 
gency men,  who  however  did  not   see    service    as 


('io\crni)r  Curtin  wired  that  he  had  enough  men. 
Mr.  Ilerr  has  been  pastor  of  churches  in  Pitts- 
burgh, where  he  was  ordained,  and  at  Cincinnati, 
New  York  city,  Milwaukee  and  Norwich.  He 
received  his  degree  of  1).  D.  from  Otterbein  Uni- 
versity in  1876.  He  was  one  of  the  trustees  of 
Adrian  College,  Michigan,  and  helped  to  raise  the 
endowment  for  that  institution,  and  has  been  influ- 
ential in  having  many  churches  erected.  He  is  an 
accomplished  speaker  and  a  well  known  lecturer 
before  Teachers'  Institutes  in  Pennsylvania  and 
other  states.  He  has  been  C'hairman  of  ICxecutive 
Committee  of  Wisconsin  Board  of  ^L^nagement, 
and  also  on  Executive  Board  of  Connecticut  Bap- 
tist Interests,  as  well  as  of  New  York.  He  is  a 
thirty-second  degree  Mason.  In  politics  he  is  a 
Republican,  casting  his  first  \ote  for  Lincoln,  in 
the  city  of  Pittsburgh,  Pennsylvania,  being  guarded 
by  two  policemen.  He  was  married  July  21,  1859, 
to  Mary  K.  Wood.  His  second  wife  is  .Anna  M. 
Given,  to  whom  he  was  married  October  27,  1863. 
I  lis  children  are  :  Benjamin  Laisdell,  Mary  Lillian 
and  Josejih  I).  Herr,  Jr. 


HILLS,  Charles  Sidney,  Drygoods  Merchant, 
Hartford,  was  born  in  Hartford,  September  i,  1853, 
son  of  Sidney  and  Sarah  M.  Hills.  His  grand- 
father on  his  mother's  side  was  Martin  Rogers,  who 
married  Betsey  Scoville.  His  grandfather  on  his 
father's  side  was  Joel  Hills,  who  was  born  in  1778 
and  married  Milly  Keeney.  His  great-grandfather 
was  Ebenezer  Hills,  born  in  1750,  and  the  husband 
of  Ruth  Deming  Hills.  He  was  educated  in  the 
district  schools  and  at  a  business  college  in  Brook- 
lyn, New  York.  On  May  31,  1869,  at  the  age  of 
fifteen,  he  entered  the  employ  of  the  drygoods  firm 
of  Joseph  Langdon  &  Company,  of  Hartford,  and 
on  July  I,  1881,  he  became  a  partner  in  the  firm. 
Joseph  Langdon  retired  in  August  1885,  and  the 
business  was  continued  by  the  remaining  partners, 
Charles  W.  Cook  and  Charles  S.  Hills,  under  the 
firm  name  of  Cook  &  Hills.  In  July  1896,  Mr. 
Hills  bought  the  interest  of  Mr.  Cook  in  the  busi- 
ness, and  continued  under  the  firm  name  of  C.  S. 
Hills  &  Company,  associating  with  him  Mr.  E.  V. 
Vedder,  of  New  York.  In  1891  Cook  &  Hills 
ac(]uired  the  business  of  E.  L.  Bliss.  The  com- 
bined stores  now  occupy  a  building  with  a  frontage 
of  seventy  feet  on  Main  street  and  one  hundred 
and    twenty-five  feet  on    Pratt  street.      I'Vom  Sep- 


36 


MEN   OF  PROGRESS. 


,     ,    ,  ,  ,     ,1,^  Hnrrford     as   their  Superintendent.     He   remained  with  the 

tcubcr  .875  to  .880  he  belonged  _to  the  Ha  tfo  d      as  ^^^^.^^^^^    .^^  ^^^^^^^_ 


City  Guard.  Company  F,  First  Regiment  Connecti 
cut  National  Guards,  and  he  is  a  member  of  the 
Veteran  City  Guard.  He  also  belongs  to  the 
Country   Club  of    Farmington.     He    was    married 


Company  as  long  as  they  continued  in  business. 
In  1870  in  connection  with  J.  B.  Leavenworth  he 
started  a  coal  and  lumber  business  at  Ro.xbury 
Station.  Mr.  ]xa\enworth  retired  from  the  firm 
on  account  of  poor  health  and  the  business  is  now 
carried  on  under  the  firm  name  of  A.  L.  Hodge  & 
Son.  The  firm  also  deals  in  hardware.  In  politics 
he  is  a  Democrat.  He  has  been  Constable,  Grand 
Juror,  Justice  of  the  Peace,  Member  of  the  Board 
of  Relief,  Registrar  of  Vital  Statistics,  Postmaster 
at  Ro.xbury  Station  for  six  years,  and  Selectman  for 
thirteen  years.  He  was  a  member  of  the  Legisla- 
ture in  1853,  1864  and  1865  and  1875.  In  1853  he 
served  on  the  Committee  on  Agriculture,  in  1865 
on  the  Committee  of  Railroads  and  Mileage,  and  in 
1875  was  Chairman  of  the  Committee  on  Claims. 
He  was  a  Director  on  the  Shepang  Railroad  until 
the    bondholders  foreclosed    and   took  possession. 


C.  S.   HILLS. 

September  22,  1880,  to  Mattie  E.  Harrison.     They 
have   one  child  :  .Xnnie  M.  Hills,  born  November 

14,  1881. 

HODGE,    Albert   Laf.avetie,  Merchant,    Rox- 
bury,  Connecticut,  was  born  in  Roxbury,  October 

15,  1822,  son  of  Chauncey  Hodge  of  Ro.xbury  and 
Ruth  .Vnn  (Bunnell)  Hodge,  of  Oxford.  His  great- 
grandfather was  Daniel  Hodge  who  was  killed  near 
Stamford  during  the  Revolutionary  War.  His  grand- 
father Phito  Hodge  was  at  the  Battle  of  Bunker 
Hill  and  served  throughout  the  war.  His  war 
record  shows  three  enlistments  and  his  widow  re- 
ceived a  pension.  Albert  L.  Hodge  received  his 
education  at  the  district  school  and  at  the  Academy 
at  Roxbury  for  four  winters.  For  fifteen  years  he 
worked  on  the  farm  in  the  summer  and  taught 
school  in  the  winter.  On  May  16,  1845,  he  was 
chosen  Colonel  of  the  Twelfth  Regiment  Infantry, 
which  position  he  held  until  the  law  was  changed. 
In  July  1866  he  began  to  work  for  the  American 
Silver  Steel  Company  as  their  Agent  and  afterwards 


ALBERT    L.    HODGE. 

He  has  been  an  executor  or  administrator  on  thirty 
estates.  He  is  past  master  of  the  Rising  Sun  Lodge 
number  twenty-seven.  He  was  married  October 
25,  1846,  to  Jane  E.  Wells  of  New  Milford.  Two 
children  have  been  born  to  them  :  Elizabeth  J.  who 
married  L.  J.  Pons,  M.  D.,  and  Charles  W.  Hodge 
who  now  has  charge  of  the  business  of  A.  L.  Hodge 
&  Son. 


MEN    OF    PROCRRSS. 


37 


HOLMES,  George  M.,  Merchant  and  Banker, 
Norwalk,  was  born  in  Wilton,  Connecticut,  son  of 
Cliarles  and  Lucretia  (Morehouse)  Hohiies.  His 
father  was  an  honorable  and  well-to-do  farmer.     He 

was    educated  in  the  common  schools  and  at  the 


tional  Churcli.  Mr.  Holmes  was  married  October 
25,  1852,  to  Huldah  A.  Smith.  They  have  had 
two  children  :  Mary  \.,  now  wife  of  James  Cousins, 
jr ,  of  New  York  city ;  and  Charles  O.  Holmes,  who 
died  in  January  1886,  at  the  age  of  twenty.  Mr. 
Holmes  is  in  the  enjoyment  of  good  health  and  the 
ability  to  be  actively  engaged  in  the  splendid  busi- 
ness of  Holmes,  Keeler  &  Selleck  Company,  Whole- 
sale Grocers. 


GEO,   M.    HOLMES. 

High  School  of  Wilton,  followed  by  a  term  under 
the  tutorship  of  Storrs  Hall,  a  brother  of  the  Rev. 
Doctor  Hall  of  Norwalk,  Connecticut.  He  taught 
school  in  Norwalk  for  three  years,  and  then  took  up 
merchandising,  in  which  he  has  been  actively  en- 
gaged for  forty-six  years.  During  his  business 
career  he  has  never  had  a  lawsuit.  He  has  had  no 
taste  for  politics,  believing  that  politics  and  mer- 
chandising make  a  miserable  combination.  His 
success  in  his  business  dealings  is  well  attested  by 
the  responsible  positions  with  which  he  has  been 
entrusted.  He  is  President  of  the  Norwalk  Savings 
Society,  the  Central  National  Bank  of  Norwalk,  and 
the  Holmes,  Keeler  &  Selleck  Company.  He  is  a 
Director  in  the  Norwalk  Pottery  Company,  the 
Lounsburg  &  Bissell  Company,  and  in  the  Norwalk 
Club  Company.  He  has  also  been  a  Director  in 
the  Danbury  &  Norwalk  Railroad  Company,  and  the 
Norwalk  Gaslight  Company.  He  is  a  Trustee  for 
the  estate  of  Joseph  W.  Hubbell,  of  Norwalk.  He 
is  a  member  of  the  New  York  Produce  Exchange, 
of  the  Norwalk  Club   nnd  of  the   First  Congrega- 


HUBB.ARD,  Reverend  Andrew  Coomus,  D.  D., 
Pastor  of  the  Second  Baptist  Church  of  Danbury, 
was  born  at  what  is  now  known  as  Lindale,  Cler- 
mont county,  Ohio,  January  23,  1839,  son  of  Rufus 
Hubbard,  a  native  of  Maine,  and  Martha  R. 
(Coombs)  Hubbard.  'I'iie  Coombs  family  were 
early  pioneers  in  Ohio,  they  came  from  Maine  and 
settled  in  Clermont  county  when  it  was  an  almost 
unbroken  forest,  and  when  Cincinnati  was  a  mere 
village.     Mr.  Hubbard  was  educated   in  the  public 


A.   C.    HUBBARD. 

schools  of  Cincinnati,  and  graduated  from  the 
Woodward  High  School.  He  attended  Denison 
University,  (IranviUe,  Ohio,  and  received  from  that 
institution  the  degrees  of  B.  A.,  A.  M.,  and  the 
honorary  degree  of  I).  I).  He  was  ordained  pastor 
of  the  Baptist  Church,  Woodstock,  Illinois,  Decem- 
ber 19,  1861,  and  the  following  year  became  Pastor 


38 


MEN    OF    PROGRESS. 


of  the  North  Baptist  Church  in  Springfield,  Illinois. 
He  took  a  prominent  part  in  union  and  anti-slavery 
meetings,  and  during  the  war  was  active  in  hospital 
and  enlistment  work.  He  was  one  of  the  officiat- 
ing clergyman  at  the  funeral  of  .Abraham  Lincoln 
at  Springfield.  In  1S65  he  became  Pastor  of  the 
First  Baptist  Church  at  Cincinnati,  Ohio.  On 
November  13,  1S68,  he  assumed  the  pastorate  of 
the  Second  Baptist  Church  of  Danbury,  where  he 
still  remains.  During  his  pastorate  there  have 
been  large  additions  to  the  membership  of  the 
church,  and  its  activities  and  benevolence  have 
been  greatly  increased.  In  1893  the  society  dedi- 
cated one  of  the  finest  church  edifices  in  Connecti- 
cut, at  a  cost  of  one  hundred  and  ten  thousand 
dollars.  Mr.  Hubbard  has  been  a  member  of  the 
Board  of  School  Visitors  of  Danbury  for  more  than 
twenty-five  years,  and  for  the  most  of  the  time  has 
been  Secretary  of  the  Hoard.  He  is  an  Odd  Fellow 
and  has  been,  for  many  years,  prominent  as  a  Free 
Mason,  both  in  the  local  and  state  organizations. 
In  politics  he  has  always  been  a  Republican.  He 
has  been  a  lecturer  on  various  phases  of  science 
and  art,  and  has  written  numerous  articles  for  peri- 
odicals anil  newspapers,  being  an  eloquent  speaker 
and  a  forceful  writer.  He  was  married  January  i, 
1861,  to  Abbie  Maria  MuUiken.  They  have  had 
three  children  :  Martha  C,  wife  of  Joseph  A.  Skin- 
ner of  Holyoke,  Massachusetts,  born  February  16, 
1862  ;  Harry  G.,  born  April  22,  1864;  and  Francis 
W.  Hubbard,  born  December  i,  1866. 


HUBBARD,  G.ASTON  Tryon,  President  of  the 
Rogers  &  Hubbard  Company,  Middletown,  was 
born  in  Wadesboro,  North  Carolina,  September  8, 
1828,  son  of  Asa  and  Sarah  Ann  (Tryon)  Hubbard, 
both  of  whom  were  born  in  Middletown,  Connecti- 
cut. He  is  a  grandson  of  Asa  Hubbard  ist,  of 
Middletown,  and  traces  his  ancestry  through  George 
Hubbard  5th  and  Mary  Stocking  Hubbard,  his  wife, 
to  George  Hubbard  4th  of  Middletown,  to  George 
Hubbard  3d  and  Mehitabel  Miller  Hubbard,  his 
wife,  to  George  Hubbard  who  was  captain  of  the 
Militia  in  Captain  Comfort  Sage's  regiment  in  the 
Revolutionary  War,  and  is  a  Son  of  the  Revolution. 
Up  to  1840  he  attended  a  school  in  Middletown 
kept  by  Joseph  Lathrop,  after  which  he  attended 
the  Chase  Academy  until  January  1,  1846.  He 
prepared  for  college  but  chose  the  mercantile  busi- 
ness instead  of  a  college  course.     He  was  brought 


up  on  a  farm.  In  February  1846  he  went  South 
to  act  as  clerk  for  his  uncle,  George  S.  Hubbard, 
who  carried  on  a  large  mercantile  business  at 
Wadesboro,  North  Carolina.  His  uncle  was  strict, 
yet  kind,  and  the  training  which  he  there  received 
laid  the  foundation  for  the  business  success  which 
he  afterwards  attained.  Returning  to  .Middletown, 
January  i,  185  i,  he  has  continued  in  business  there 
ever  since.  He  is  President  of  the  Rogers  &  Hub- 
bard Company  of  Middletown,  and  an  active  mem- 
ber and  officer  of  the  Board  of  Trade  ;  has  been 
a  member  of  the  Board  of  Education,  member  of 
the  Board  of  Aldermen  and  City  Council,  and  has 


GASTON    T.  HUBBARD. 

been  identified  with  all  the  great  undertakings  of 
the  city.  He  was  an  active  member  of  the  board 
of  directors,  on  the  building  of  the  railroad  from 
Berlin  to  New  Britain,  also  of  the  Connecticut  Val- 
ley Railroad  from  Hartford  to  Saybrook.  He  states 
that  he  has  never  voted  against  a  road,  street,  bridge, 
school-house,  home  for  the  unfortunate,  or  public 
improvement.  He  strongly  sympathizes  with  the 
temperance  cause,  and  believes  that  the  acceptance 
of  its  principles  would  settle  labor  difficulties  and 
bring  happiness  to  the  homes  of  the  people.  Dur- 
ing the  Rebellion  he  did  what  he  could  to  maintain 
the  Union,  although  always  retaining  his  feeling  of 
kinship  and  love  for  the   people  of   the  South.     He 


MEN    OF    I'KOC.RESS. 


39 


is  a  Knight  Templar,  a  member  of  tlie  Cyrean  Com- 
mandery,  and  was  tlie  first  President  of  the  Mason 
Social  Club.  He  was  married  May  4,  1852,  to 
Maria  E.  Hubbard,  daughter  of  Hon.  .Alfred  Hub 
bard  of  Middletown.  They  were  of  the  same  name 
but  not  related.  There  have  been  born  to  them 
six  children:  Clara,  .Ada  H.,  William  Gaston,  F. 
Perry,  G.  Tracy  and  Wilbur  Lansing  Hubbard. 
Of  this  number,  three  arc  still  li\ing  to  bless  their 
home. 


HYDE,    Georce    Henry,    Lawyer,    New    ^'ork 
city,    was    born  at    Woodstock,    Windham     rounty. 


GEO.   H.    HYDE. 

Connecticut,  August  7,  1854,  son  of  William  L  and 
Sarah  M.  (Potter)  Hyde.  He  is  the  descendant 
on  the  maternal  side  from  an  old  New  England 
family  of  Potters  who  settled  at  Plymouth,  Rhode 
Island,  in  early  Colonial  times.  He  is  also  con- 
nected with  the  Sprague  and  Williams  families 
of  Rhode  Island.  On  the  paternal  side  he  traces 
his  descent  from  four  generations  of  New  England 
ancestors.  His  early  education  was  received  at  the 
public  schools,  at  Danielson  High  School,  and  at 
Woodstock  .Academy.  Later,  he  attended  the  Con- 
necticut Literary  Institution,  after  wliich  he  spent 
some  time  on  a  farm.  He  taught  in  public  schools 
in  Plainfield  at  eighteen,  and  later  at   the  graded 


]iublic  schools  in  Central  Village  where  he  was 
Principal,  and  at  Wauregan,  Connecticut,  thus 
earning  means  for  an  education.  Lie  was  also  clerk 
in  the  office  of  John  J.  Penrose  of  Central  Village 
for  two  years,  and  at  the  end  of  that  time  began 
the  study  of  law  in  the  law  school  of  the  Lbiiversity 
of  the  City  of  New  York,  where,  in  May  1883,  he 
obtained  the  degree  of  LL.  li.  He  was  admitted 
to  the  Windham  County  i5ar  September  19,  1883, 
to  the  Supreme  Court  of  New  York,  March  1886, 
and  to  the  United  States  Circuit  Court,  and  Court 
of  Appeals,  in  1889.  Mr.  Hyde  is  at  present  estab- 
lished in  a  large  and  profitable  practice  in  New 
York  city,  mostly  in  the  l'"quity  and  Surrogate 
Courts,  and  numbers  a  wealthy  clientele.  In  1880 
and  1 88 1,  he  was  Registrar  of  the  township  of 
Plainfield,  Connecticut;  in  1896  he  was  Commis- 
sioner from  Presbytery  of  New  York  to  General 
Assembly  of  Presbyterian  churches  in  the  Ignited 
States,  held  at  Saratoga.  At  present  he  holds  the 
office  of  Clerk  of  Session,  and  Superintendent  of 
Sunday  School  of  the  Scotch  Presbyterian  Church 
of  New  York,  and  is  a  member  of  the  New  York 
City  Presbytery  ;  he  is  also  a  member  of  the 
Presbyterian  LTnion,  the  New  England  Society,  and 
of  the  .Alumni  Association  of  the  Law  Department 
of  the  LIniversity  of  the  City  of  New  York.  In 
politics  he  is  a  Republican,  but  independent  in 
municipal  matters.  He  was  married  October  13, 
1888,  to  Emma  D.  Lewis,  and  has  two  children: 
George  G.  and  Richard  L.  Hyde. 


JOHNSON,  Marcls  Morton,  B.  P.  I..,  M.  D., 
Hartford,  was  born  in  Malone,  New  York,  April  2, 
1S44,  son  of  Marvin  T.  and  Polly  (Chapman)  John- 
son. He  traces  his  ancestry  back  for  seven  genera- 
tions in  this  country.  His  father's  ancestors  were 
early  settlers  in  \V^ethersfield,  C'onnecticut,  and 
from  there  a  branch  of  the  family  moved  to  Rut- 
land, Vermont,  where  many  descendants  still  live. 
His  grandfather,  Leonard  Johnson,  moved  from 
Rutland  to  Malone,  New  York,  and  was  one  of  the 
first  half  dozen  settlers  of  that  town.  His  maternal 
ancestors  were  early  settlers  of  Norwich,  Connecti- 
cut. Joshua  Chajiman,  Sr.,  was  born  in  1755,  and 
enlisted  in  the  Revolutionary  War  in  April  1775,  in 
Captain  Chapin's  Company  at  West  S]iringfield, 
Massachusetts.  His  son  Joshua  Cha])man,  Jr.,  went 
to  Malone,  New  \'ork,  when  a  young  man.  Dr. 
Johnson    was    prepared    for    college    at    Franklin 


40 


MEN  OF  PROGRESS. 


Academy  at  Malone,  and  was  graduated  from 
Brown  University  in  1870.  He  took  his  medical 
degree  at  the  I'niversily  of  tlie  City  of  New  York. 
He  was  house  surgeon  for  one  year  in  the  Hartfoni 
Hospital,  and  for  two  years  he  pursued  his  medical 


M.   M.  JOHNSON. 

studies  at  Ix)ndon,  Vienna  and  Berlin.  His  medi- 
cal studies  lasted  from  1875  to  1880.  For  the  five 
years  previous  he  was  instructor  in  mathematics  and 
the  sciences  in  the  Connecticut  Literary  Institution, 
at  Suffield.  From  1880  until  the  present  time  he 
has  practiced  medicine  and  surgery  at  Hartford. 
He  has  been  .Surgeon  of  the  First  Company  Gover- 
nor's Foot  Guards  from  1880  until  the  present 
time,  and  for  twenty  years  beginning  in  1876,  he 
was  President  of  the  Alumni  Association  of  the 
Connecticut  Literary  Institution,  and  is  a  trustee  of 
the  Institute  as  well.  He  is  a  member  of  the 
American  Medical  Association,  and  of  the  city, 
county  and  state  medical  societies.  He  is  a  fellow 
of  the  New  York  Academy  of  Medicine,  and  a 
member  of  the  Connecticut  Society  of  the  Sons  of 
the  American  Revolution.  He  is  a  Knight  Tem- 
plar and  a  member  of  the  Washington  Commander)'. 
He  was  married  February  14,  1884,  to  Helen 
Lyman  Jackson.  They  have  two  children  :  Helen 
Gaylord  and  Ethel  Chapman  Johnson. 


JOSLYN,  Charles  Mason,  Attorney-at-Law, 
Hartford,  was  born  in  Tolland,  Connecticut,  March 
20,  1849,  son  of  Edmund  and  Ro.\ana  (Cobb) 
Joslyn.  On  his  father's  side  he  is  of  Huguenot 
descent,  and  on  his  mother's  side,  Welsh.  The 
family  have  been  prominent  in  Tolland  since  their 
settlement  there  about  1760.  He  was  educated  at 
the  Tolland  High  School  and  at  Monson  Academy. 
From  the  latter  institution  he  was  graduated  as 
Valedictorian  of  his  class  in  1870,  and  with  the 
highest  rank  as  speaker  and  writer.  He  was  fitted 
for  Yale  College,  but  instead  of  pursuing  his  course 
there,  entered  the  law  office  of  Waldo  Hubbard  & 
Hyde,  Hartford.  He  was  admitted  to  the  Bar  in 
May  1873,  and  for  the  two  years  following  was  asso- 
ciated witii  the  State  Attorney,  Hon.  William  Ham- 
mersley  (now  Judge  of  the  Supreme  Court),  and 
with  Hon.  George  G.  Sumner.  On  April  i,  1875, 
he  formed  a  partnership  with  E.  H.  Hyde,  Jr.,  for 
the  practice  of  law  under  the   firm   name   of  Hyde 


CHAS.    M.  JOSLYN. 

&  Joslyn.  In  1894,  George  H.  Oilman,  son  of  the 
late  Judge  Oilman  of  Hartford,  was  admitted  to  the 
firm,  and  the  firm  style  has  since  been  Hyde,  Joslyn 
&  Oilman.  The  firm  is  one  of  the  most  successful 
and  respected  in  the  state,  and  represents  many 
nnportant  estates  and  corporations.  Mr.  Joslyn 
was  trustee  of  the  estate  of  George  M.  Bartholo- 


MEN   OF   PROGRESS. 


41 


mew,  in  uiiich  one  million  six  hundreii  thousand 
dollars  was  involved,  was  Receiver  of  the  Stallord 
National  Hank,  whose  creditors  were  paid  in  full 
with  interest  in  one  year  from  his  appointment, 
executor  of  estate  of  Charles  M.  I'ond,  comisel 
for  the  state  for  the  two  years  followinj;  the  dead- 
lock in  the  Legislature,  and  comisel  in  the  move- 
ment which  residted  in  the  abolition  of  the  I'last 
Hartford  bridge  and  subsequent  litigation.  His 
best  known  addresses  outside  of  his  professional 
arguments  are  the  address  on  Nathan  Hale  at 
Coventry  in  1878,  the  Memorial  Oration  at  Hartford 
in  18S4  and  the  oration  at  the  dedication  of  the 
statue  to  Governor  Hubbard  in  1890.  He  was 
Representative  in  the  General  Assembly  from  Tol- 
land in  1874,  Representative  from  Hartford  in  1S85, 
and  the  Democratic  candidate  for  Speaker.  He 
was  .\ide-de-Camp  on  the  staff  of  Governor  Hub- 
bard in  1877-78,  and  Judge-Advocate  General  on 
staff  of  Governor  Morris  in  1S93-94.  He  was  Chair- 
man of  the  Hartford  High  School  Committee  from 
1883  to  1893,  President  of  the  Hartford  Library 
Association,  and  President  of  the  Hubbard  Escort, 
one  of  the  most  important  political  clubs  in  the 
state,  for  ten  years  from  its  organization  in  1880. 
He  has  always  been  active  in  the  counsels  of  the 
Democratic  party  and  in  demand  as  a  speaker  and 
as  presiding  officer  at  its  conventions.  He  was 
married  December  18,  1879,  to  Minnie  L.  Brown, 
of  Providence,  Rhode  Island.  They  have  one 
child  :  Emily  Joslyn,  born  July  18,  1888. 


JUDSON,  Stiles,  Jr.,  Attorney-at-Law,  Strat- 
ford, was  born  fn  Stratford,  Connecticut,  February 
13,  1862,  son  of  Stiles  and  Caroline  E.  (Peck) 
Judson.  He  is  a  lineal  descendant  of  William 
Judson  who  came  from  England  and  settled  in 
Stratford  in  1638  one  year  before  the  plantation 
was  established.  His  ancestors  for  successive  gen- 
erations were  born  and  lived  in  Stratford,  and  in 
nearly  an  unbroken  line  ha\e  rei^resented  the  town 
in  the  (ieneral  Assembly  of  Connecticut.  He  was 
educated  in  the  public  and  private  schools  of  Strat- 
ford, and  studied  law  in  the  Law  Department  of 
Vale  University  where  he  was  graduated  in  1885, 
at  the  head  of  his  class.  He  was  admitted  to  the 
Bar,  June  24,  of  the  same  year.  After  graduation 
he  was  Law  Clerk  in  the  office  of  Townsend  & 
Watrous,  New  Haven,  until  the  fall  of  1886,  when 
he  began  the  practice  of  law  in  Bridgeport,  asso- 
ciated with  Mr.  W.  K.  Seeley.     In   1890  he  formed 


a  partnership  with  Charles  S.  Canfield  of  I^.ridge- 
|iort  under  the  firm  name  of  Canfield  \'  Judson. 
The  firm  has  conducted  a  successful  law  business 
ill  I'lridgcjiort  and  has  been  connected  with  some  of 
the  most  imjiortanl  suits  that  have  arisen  in  I'air- 
field  county.  Mr.  Judson  was  identified  with  the 
State  Militia  for  thirteen  years,  passing  through  the 
various  grades  to  ('ajitain  of  Company  K,  Fourth 
Regiment,  Connecticut  National  Guards,  resigning 
in  1S91.  He  has  always  been  active  in  politics  and 
has  been  Chairman  of  the  Republican  Town  Com- 
mittee of  Stratford  for  ten  years  jjast.  He  was 
member  of  the  General  Assembly  in  1S91  and  again 


STILES  JUDSON,  JR. 

in  1895,  acting  on  both  occasions  as  chairman  of 
the  Judiciary  Committee,  and  in  1895  was  also 
Chairman  of  the  Committee  on  Constitutional 
Amendments.  He  was  the  Republican  nominee 
for  Secretary  of  State  in  the  campaign  of  1892, 
and  has  been  a  prominent  stump  speaker  for  the 
Republicans  for  several  Presidential  campaigns. 
He  is  a  member  of  the  Lotus  Club  of  New  York, 
the  Seaside  and  Country  clubs  of  Bridgeport,  the 
Housatonic  and  Social  clubs  of  Stratford,  and  is 
also  a  member  of  St.  John's  Lodge  A.  F.  &  \.  M. 
He  was  married  December  5,  1889,  to  Minnie  L. 
Miles,  of  Milford,  and  has  always  resided  in  the 
town  of  Stratford. 


42 


MEN    OF   PROGRFSS. 


KELLOGG,  Edward  Wilberforce,  M.  D.,  Hart- 
ford, was  born  in  Avon,  Connecticut,  November  29, 
1840,  son  of  Heia  C.  and  Mary  (liarllett)  Kellogg. 
His  grandfathers  were  Reverend  Bela  Kellogg,  the 
first  ])astor  of  the  Congregational  Church  at  East 


E.  W.  KELLOGO. 

Avon,  and  Reverend  John  Bartlett,  pastor  of  the 
Congregational  churches  at  Bloomfield  and  West 
Avon.  Through  the  latter  he  is  descended  from 
twelve  of  the  Mayflower  Pilgrims,  including  John 
and  Priscilla  Alden,  Elder  William  and  Mary 
Brewster,  and  John  and  Elizabeth  Rowland.  His 
education  was  received  in  the  public  schools  of 
Philadelphia,  and  at  the  High  School  at  Collins- 
ville,  Connecticut.  He  studied  medicine  for  two 
years  with  the  late  Dr.  Isaac  G.  Porter  of  New  Lon 
don,  and  then  took  courses  of  lectures  at  the  Belle- 
vue  Hospital  Medical  College  and  at  the  New  York 
Homeopathic  Medical  College,  receiving  his  de- 
gree from  the  latter  institution  in  1867.  He  set- 
tled in  Danbury  the  year  of  his  graduation,  but 
removed  the  same  year  to  .Southington,  where  he 
remained  till  May  187 1.  He  then  settled  at  Hart- 
ford where  he  has  since  resided.  He  served  for 
three  years  during  the  Civil  War  as  Hospital  Stew- 
ard in  the  Regular  Army,  often  performmg  the 
duties  of  Assistant  Surgeon.  His  commission 
bearing  the  signature  of  General  U.  S.  Grant  is  a 


highly  valued  souvenir  of  that  experience.  He  has 
also  served  respectively  as  Treasurer,  Vice-Presi- 
dent and  President  of  the  Connecticut  Homoeo- 
pathic Medical  Society.  He  is  a  Republican  and  a 
member  of  the  society  of  the  Sons  of  the  Revolu- 
tion, the  Army  and  Navy  Club,  and  the  Connecti- 
cut Historical  Society.  He  was  married  March  7, 
7867,  to  Miss  Hilah  A.  Dart  of  New  London. 
Their  children  are  :  Edward  Russell  Kellogg,  M.  D., 
Arthur  Bartlett  Kellogg,  M.  D.,  and  Robert  Belden 
Kellogg. 


KENT,  Thomas  Blake,  President  of  the  Holmes, 
Booth  &  Haydens  Company,  brass  manufacturers, 
Waterbury,  Connecticut,  was  born  in  Calvert  county, 
Maryland,  June  24,  1847,  son  of  Jonathan  Yates 
and  I'^lizabeth  (Blake)  Kent.  The  Kent  family 
were  among  the  earliest  settlers  of  Maryland,  and 
identified  with  the  history  of  the  state  both  before 


THOS.  B-   KENT. 

and  after  the  Revolutionary  War.  His  paternal 
grandfather  was  Daniel  Kent,  for  many  years  a  State 
Senator,  and  a  brother  of  the  late  Joseph  Kent, 
Governor  and  United  States  Senator  from  Mary- 
land. His  maternal  grandfather  was  Dr.  Joseph 
Blake  of  Calvert  county,  Maryland,  a  prominent 
physician  of  his  time.     Mr.  Kent  received  his  early 


MEN    OF   PROGRESS. 


43 


education  uiulor  private  instruction,  then  look  a 
preparatory  course  at  Iiorrt)nieo  College,  I'ikesviUe, 
Baltimore  county,  Maryland,  finally  entering  George- 
town College,  Georgetown,  I).  C.  He  first  entered 
mercantile  life  with  Kdward  Mitchell  &  Sons, 
wholesale  grocers,  of  Baltimore.  He  later  removed 
to  Chicago,  where  he  established  a  branch  house  of 
Abram  P'rench  &  Company,  of  Boston,  and  after- 
wards the  firm  of  Bowen  &  Kent,  wholesale  dealers 
in  crockery,  lamps  and  glassware,  Chicago,  Illinois. 
He  became  associated  with  the  Bristol  Brass  & 
Clock  Company,  of  Forestville,  Connecticut,  in 
1877,  and  with  the  Holmes,  Booth  &  Haydens 
Company  of  Waterbury,  Connecticut,  in  1887.  In 
1893  he  became  President  and  Treasurer  of  this 
company,  in  which  responsible  position  he  still  con- 
tinues. He  is  also  Trustee  of  the  Bowery  Savings 
Bank,  and  Director  in  the  Tradesmen's  National, 
and  the  Market  &  Fulton  National  Banks,  all  of 
New  York  city.  He  is  a  member  of  the  Water- 
bury  Club,  of  \Vaterbury,  Connecticut,  and  of  the 
Union  League,  Manhattan  and  Lawyers'  clubs  of 
New  York  city.  He  was  married  A])ril  23,  1884, 
to  Cora  H.  Rutter,  daughter  of  the  late  Thomas 
Rutter  of  New  York  city.  They  have  two  chil- 
dren :  .Aline  Mrginia  and  Georgie  Marie  Kent. 


KN.-\PP,  Herbert  Merton,  Banker,  Bridgeport, 
was  born  in  Fairfield,  Connecticut,  December  12, 
1854,  son  of  Rufus  and  Caroline  (Trubee)  Knapp. 
His  ancestors  lived  in  Fairfield  for  many  generations. 
On  the  paternal  side  they  were  sea-faring  men  and 
farmers ;  on  the  maternal  side  they  were  merchants, 
farmers  and  mechanics.  The  paternal  grandfather's 
and  grandmother's  names  were  Rufus  and  Esther 
Knapp,  the  maternal  Samuel  C.  and  Elizabeth  Tru- 
bee. He  comes  of  a  family  of  remarkable  longevity. 
When  the  subject  of  the  present  sketch  was  seven- 
teen years  old,  his  four  grandparents  were  living  and 
all  of  them  over  eighty- five  years  of  age.  In  the 
Trubee  history  an  honorable  line  of  ancestry  is  traced 
back  for  many  generations.  The  present  banker 
received  his  education  at  the  Fairfield  Academy. 
At  fourteen  he  entered  the  preparatory  school  at 
Winchester  Centre,  Connecticut,  where  he  remained 
two  years.  He  left  the  school  to  enter  the  employ 
of  the  Pequonnock  National  Bank  of  Bridgeport. 
He  remained  in  that  institution  for  nineteen  years, 
holding  all  the  positions  from  boy  to  teller,  and  act- 
ing as  paying  and  receiving  teller  combined  for  ten 


years.  During  most  of  this  lime  he  was  associated 
with  outside  business.  .At  the  age  of  nineteen,  in 
connection  with  others,  he  organized  the  Pettis 
Loan  and  Savings  Bank  of  Sedalia,  Missouri,  which 
is  now  the  Missouri  Trust  Comjiany,  one  of  the 
most  successful  institutions  of  its  kind  in  the  West. 
In  1883,  with  others,  he  organized  the  Georgia 
Loan  and  Trust  Company,  then  of  Americus,  now 
of  Macon,  Georgia,  and  has  held  the  position  of 
Vice-President  of  this  institution  ever  since.  In 
1893,  with  I'lbene/.er  Burr,  he  formed  the  private 
banking  house  of  Burr  &  Knapp,  now  one  of  the 
jirominent  financial  institutions  of  Bridgeport.      He 


H.   M.    KNAPP. 

has  tra\elled  extensively,  crossing  the  Atlantic 
twelve  times,  visiting  nearly  every  large  city  in  the 
United  States  and  Europe,  and  has  been  as  far  East 
as  Egypt  and  Palestine.  In  politics  he  is  a  Repub- 
lican, but  never  an  office  seeker.  He  is  a  member 
of  the  Corinthian  Lodge  and  Hamilton  Command- 
ery  of  Bridgeport.  He  had  the  rare  experience  of 
attending  lodge  in  the  (,)uarries  of  Solomon  at  Jeru- 
salem, which  city  he  visited  in  1895.  He  is  a 
member  of  the  Sea-Side  and  Sea-Side  Outing  clubs, 
Brooklawn  Club  Corporation,  and  the  Bridgeport 
Yacht  Club.  He  was  married  February  5,  1895,  to 
E.  Louise  Faxon,  of  Philadelphia. 


44 


MEN    OF    I'ROC.RESS. 


LANE,  John  Shkrman,  Stone  Contractor,  Meri- 
den,  was  born  in  Kent,  Connecticut,  November  27, 
1839,  son  of  Daniel  P.  and  Polly  B.  (Sherman) 
I^ne.  His  father,  a  veteran  of  the  War  of  1812, 
filled  several  town  offices  and  was  a  member  of  the 
State  Legislature.  He  was  educated  at  the  district 
school,  working  on  the  farm  during  the  summer, 
and  attending  school  in  the  winter.  At  the  age 
of  eighteen,  he  left  home  for  Bridgeport  where 
he  began  work  on  track  repairs  on  the  New  York, 


■1 

■■ 

^^g         . 

i^jH^I 

^^^^^^^H  v^^  ^^/^PP 

■1 

^^^ 

w 

i^ 

^-^flHI^H 

JOHN   S.   LANE. 

New  Haven  &  Hartford  Railroad.  In  three  months 
he  was  promoted  to  be  foreman  on  the  Housatonic 
line.  He  assisted  in  laying  the  double  tracks 
between  New  Haven  and  New  York,  and  also  in 
laying  the  tracks  into  the  old  station  at  Fourth 
avenue  and  Twenty-seventh  street,  New  York,  since 
abandoned.  In  1859  he  went  West  with  Col.  R.  K. 
Mason,  then  Mayor  of  Chicago  and  General  Mana- 
ger of  the  Logansport,  Peoria  &  Burlington  Rail- 
road. There  he  remained  until  the  battle  of  Bull 
Run,  when  he  returned  to  Connecticut  and  enlisted 
with  the  Eighth  Connecticut  Volunteers,  September 
21,  1861.  He  was  gradually  promoted  until  he  was 
finally  offered  a  captain's  commission.  Having  suf- 
fered from  chills  and  fever  for  a  year,  and  after 
taking  part  in  fourteen  hard  engagements,  he 
resigned    October    18,    1864.      He    was   appointed 


Supervisor  of  the  Housatonic  Railroad,  January  i, 
1865,  in  which  position  he  remained  until  1880, 
when  he  accepted  a  like  position  on  the  New 
York,  New  Haven  &  Hartford  Railroad,  his  super- 
vision covering  the  road  from  New  Haven  to 
Springfield,  with  its  branches.  Here  he  remained 
until  1890,  during  which  time  he  stone-ballasted 
sixty-two  miles  of  the  main  track.  This  work 
called  his  attention  to  the  stone  business,  and 
resigning  his  position,  he  became  the  pioneer  stone 
contractor  east  of  Pennsylvania  in  the  furnishing  of 
stone  and  concrete  work  for  streets  and  railroads. 
In  1892  he  received  the  contract  for  supplying  all 
the  ballast  for  the  four-track  improvements  of  the 
New  York,  New  Haven  &  Hartford  Railroad.  This 
contract  necessitated  the  supplying  of  a  daily 
average  of  one  hundred  carloads  of  stone.  Begin- 
ning with  one  crusher  in  1890,  Mr.  Lane,  with  his 
eldest  son,  now  operates  fourteen  large  crushers  in 
five  quarries,  besides  two  large  steam  rollers  for 
road  building.  The  firm  has  built  over  forty  miles 
of  macadamized' roads  in  Connecticut  and  M,assa- 
chusetts,  and  is  now  erecting  a  plant  to  build  a 
large  dam  at  New  Milford.  In  1894  Mr.  Lane 
moved  from  Hartford  to  Meriden  where  he  now 
resides.  He  has  always  been  a  Republican,  and  is 
a  member  of  the  Common  Council,  and  of  the 
Home  Club,  of  Meriden.  He  is  also  a  Mason,  an 
Odd  Fellow,  and  a  member  of  the  Royal  Arcanum, 
the  Grand  Army  of  the  Republic,  the  Loyal  Legion, 
the  American  Mechanics,  and  of  the  Army  and 
Navy  Club  of  New  London.  He  was  married  Janu- 
ary 27,  1863,  to  Emma  S.  Plumb.  Their  children 
have  been:  Arthur  S.,  Bertha  G.  (Mrs.  VV.  R. 
Smith),  E.  LeRoy,  Harry  C.  and  Ednah  C.  Lane. 


LEWIS,  Edward  Cuffin,  Manufacturer,  Water- 
bury,  was  born  in  Welsh  Pool,  North  Wales,  Sep- 
tember 23,  1826,  son  of  John  and  Mary  Lewis.  He 
came  with  his  parents  to  this  country  in  1831,  they 
settling  in  Bridgeport.  He  received  a  common 
school  education,  but  was  under  the  necessity,  early 
in  life,  of  working  in  cotton  and  woollen  mills,  an 
employment  which  he  followed  for  eight  years.  At 
the  end  of  that  time  he  entered,  as  an  apprentice- 
the  Bridgeport  Iron  Works,  a  concern  which  he 
afterwards  owned  and  managed.  He  acquired  a 
thorough,  practical  knowledge  of  the  foundry  busi- 
ness, and  in  1847  entered  the  employ  of  Colburn  & 
Bassett,    prominent   iron   founders   of  Birmingham 


MEN    OF    PROGRESS. 


45 


He  left  this  establishment  in  1S49  to  become  fore- 
man of  the  Farrcl  Foundry  and  Machine  Company 
of  Ansonia.  Mr.  Lewis  here  exhibited  so  much 
executive  ability,  and  so  thorough  a  knowledge  of 
the  business  that  he  was  selected  as  foreman  of  tlu' 


E.   C.   LEWIS. 

branch  concern  in  W'alerbury.  In  a  short  time  he 
became  the  Manager  of  the  Waterbury  establishment 
and  eventually  its  President  and  owner.  He  has 
been  closely  identified  with  the  industrial  interests 
of  Waterbury,  and  in  his  business  enterprises  has 
been  uniformly  successful.  He  was  one  of  the  pro- 
jectors of  the  Manufacturers  National  Bank  and 
has  been  a  Director  since  its  organization.  He  is 
also  a  Director  in  the  Dime  Savings  Bank.  He  is 
interested  in  twenty-seven  different  manufacturing 
concerns,  and  is  a  large  owner  of  real  estate.  He 
is  President  of  the  Oakville  Company  and  of  the 
Capewell  Horse  Nail  Company  of  Hartford,  and  a 
Director  in  the  following  concerns  :  Benedict  & 
Burnham,  Plume  &  Atwood,  Hendey  Machine  Com- 
pany, Torrington,  Connecticut,  and  Holmes,  Booth 
&  Haydens.  Mr.  Lewis  is  a  genial  and  liberal  busi- 
ness man,  and  is  in  hearty  sympathy  with  all  efforts 
for  the  public  good.  He  has  twice  served  as  mem- 
ber of  the  Common  Council,  has  been  a  Police 
Commissioner,  and  in  1884  was  a  member  of  the 
Legislature.     In  1886  he  was  the  Republican  nom- 


inee ioT  Congress  in  the  Second  District,  and, 
although  defeated,  received  a  most  flattering  vote 
in  a  tlistrict  strongly  Democratic.  He  is  an  (Xiil 
Fellow  and  a  generous  supporter  of  Trinity  Church. 
He  was  married  October  29,  1850,10  Harriet  M. 
l'hi|)peny  of  Hartford.  Their  children  have  been  : 
Ida  (Mrs.  William  I',.  Fullon),  Mary  (Mrs.  William 
j.  Schlcgel),  I'ldward  IL,  Truman  S.  Lewis  and 
three  others  now  deceased. 


LOOMIS,  Seymour  Crane,  Counsellor-at-Law, 
New  Haven,  was  born  in  Suffield,  Connecticut, 
November  12,  1861,  son  of  (ieorge  Wells  and 
Mary  ICllen  (Norton)  Loomis.  On  his  father's 
side  he  is  descended  from  Joseph  Loomis,  one  of 
the  original  settlers  of  Windsor,  and  whose  place, 
still  in  the  Loomis  family,  is  shortly  to  be  used  as 
the  site  of  the  Loomis  Institute.     On  his  mother's 


SEYMOUR  C.   LOOMIS. 

side  he  is  descended  from  Daniel  W.  Norton,  late 
of  Suffield.  He  was  educated  in  the  district  schools 
of  Suffield  and  at  the  Connecticut  Literary  Institute 
of  that  town,  from  which  school  he  graduated,  in 
1878,  as  valedictorian  of  his  class.  He  received 
the  degree  of  B.  A.  from  Yale  College  in  1882,  and 
two  years  later  the  degree  of  LL.  B.  lU///  laudc,  from 


46 


MEN    OF    i'ROORESS. 


the  Yale  I-iw  School,  and  was  admitted  to  the  Bar 
June  24,  1884,  having  previimsly  studied  with  John 
W.  Ailing,  of  New  Haven,  with  whom  he  continued 
until  1887.  In  that  year  he  entered  the  law  firm 
of  Stoddard,  Thompson  &  I.ooniis,  continuing  until 
1 89 1,  when  the  firm  became  Stoddard  &  Loomis. 
In  1893,  Mr.  Loomis  opened  an  office  individually. 
He  has  been  engaged  in  active  practice,  largely  in 
corporation  and  estate  law,  and  was  of  counsel  for 
defendant  in  the  Coffee  Case.  Mr.  Loomis  has 
held  the  offices  of  Assistant  City  Clerk  of  New 
Haven  two  terms,  1885  and  1886,  acting  City  Clerk 
1885,  and  Executive  Secretary  of  the  State  of  Con- 
necticut 1S93  and  1894.  In  politics  he  is  a  Sound 
Money  Democrat.  Mr.  Loomis  was  married  April 
20,  1892,  to  Catharine  Canfield  Northrop,  of  New 
Milford,  Connecticut. 


lune  I,  1864,  and  on  the  Staff  of  Colonel  Ronald 
S.  Mackenzie,  in  which  service  he  was  wounded  at 
Cedar  Creek,  Virginia,  October  19,  1864.  When 
able  to  rejoin  his  regiment,  yet  before  his  wound 
was  healed,  he  was  mustered  February  16,  1865,  as 
Second  Lieutenant  and  placed  in  command  of  Com- 
pany B,  which  position  he  held  till  the  close  of  the 
War.  Company  B  was  the  "  Color  Company  "  and 
his  command  included  regimental  colors  and  color 
guard,  and  in  the  battles  of  that  campaign  which 
covered  the  capture  of  Petersburg  and  Richmond, 
Five  Forks,  Sailor  Creek,  and  the  surrender  at 
Appomattox,  the  company  did  gallant  service,  cap- 


LUCAS,  Frederick    Allw,     Farmer,    Goshen, 
was   born  in   Goshen,    Connecticut,   September  9, 
1 84 1,  son  of  Daniel  Norton  and  Marilla  L.  (Price) 
Lucas.     His  mother  was  one  of  the  twelve  daughters 
of    Benjamin   Price  of   Goshen,  and    her  ancestry 
goes  back  to  a  British  soldier  of  the  Revolution, 
captured  and  confined  at  Litchfield,  Connecticut, 
who,  when  paroled,  married  and  settled  in  Goshen. 
On  the   paternal  side   the  line  is  traced   back  to 
James  Lucas,  a  landholder  and   a  Trial  Justice  in 
1620,  near  Manchester,  England.     From  this  ances- 
tor the   line  descends  as  follows :    Thomas  James, 
who    died    in    Boston,    Massachusetts,    in     1650; 
Thomas  Augustus,  a  ship  captain  who  died  at  sea 
in  1665  ;  Thomas,  who  died  at  Middletown,  Con- 
necticut, in   1737  ;  Thomas,  Jr  ,  who  died  in  Mid- 
dletown in  1749  ;  Thomas,  Jr.,  who  settled  at  Goshen 
in    :75s;    Allen,   who   died   at   Goshen   in    1820; 
Thomas  Allen,  the  grandfather  of  the  subject  of  our 
sketch,  who  died  in  Goshen  in   1837,  and  Daniel 
Norton,  above  named,  who  died  in  Goshen  in  1880. 
Frederick  AUyn  Lucas  was  educated  in  the  public 
schools  and  at  Goshen  Academy.     He  worked  on 
his  father's  farm  in  the  summer  and  for  four  winters 
])revious  to  enlistment  taught  a  district  school.     On 
August  8,  1862,  a  few  weeks  before  coming  of  age, 
he  enlisted  as  private  in  Company  C  of  the  Nine- 
teenth Connecticut  Infantry,  afterwards  the  Second 
Connecticut  Heavy  Artillery.     He  was  made  Cor- 
poral September  11,   1862,  promoted  to  Sergeant 
February    i,    1864,   and    Sergeant-Major  April    6, 
1864.     He  served  on  the  Staff  of  Colonel  Elisha  S. 
Kellogg,  until  his  death   at  Cold    Harbor,  Virginia, 


FREDERICK   A.    LUCAS. 

turing  three  flags  from  the  enemy.  Although  twice 
wounded  he  never  missed  a  battle  of  his  regiment, 
and  by  virtue  of  his  office  held  a  prominent  position 
in  every  engagement.  In  March  1865  Colonel, 
then  General  Mackenzie,  commanding  a  division 
of  cavalry  under  General  Sheridan,  urged  him  to 
join  his  staflf  as  an  Aide-de-Camp  with  rank  of  cap- 
tain, but  this  honor  he  declined.  We  quote  from 
Vaill's  History  of  the  Second  Connecticut  Heavy 
Artillery:  "Sergeant-Major  (afterwards  Second 
Lieutenant)  Frederick  A.  Lucas  received  a  wound 
in  the  left  thigh  at  Cedar  Creek  which  disabled 
him  for  several  months.  He  returned  to  the  regi- 
ment just  in  time  to  receive  another  wound,  a  slight 


MKN    OK    I'KOGRF.SS. 


47 


one,  in  the  affair  at  Hatcher's  Run.     He  was  pro- 
moted for  gallantry  at  Winchester  and  Fisher's  Hill 
and   Colonel  Mackenzie   told  the  writer  just  after 
those  battles  that  he  never  saw  a  braver  man  than 
Sergeant-Major    Lucas."       He   was    mustered    out 
August  i8,    1865.     \Vith  this  gallant  record  he  re- 
turned home  after  the  war  and  engaged  as  clerk  in 
the  mercantile  firm  of  Hart   Brothers  &  Company 
at  West    Goshen,    Connecticut.     This    firm    did  a 
large  wholesale  and  retail  business  in  butter,  cheese 
and  general  merchandise,   in  one  year  boxing  and 
selling   forty    thousand   boxes   of   cheese  made    in 
Litchfield  county,  most  of  them  going  to  the  West 
Indies.     Mr.   Lucas  remained    with   the  firm  four 
years,  during  the   last  year  of  which   he  was   the 
"cheese    man"   of   the    concern.       In    September 
i86g  he  became  partner  in  the  firm  of  tliddings  & 
Lucas,  Wholesale  Grocers,  at  Bridgeport,  Connecti- 
cut, but  withdrew  March    i,  1S70,  to  purchase  the 
old  stand   of  Hart  Brothers  &   Company,   forming 
the  firm  of  Lucas,  Hurlbut  &  Allyn,  and  continuing 
the  business  as  before.     On  March  5,  1877,  Wilbert 
M.  .-Mlyn  withdrew   and  the   firm   became  Lucas  cS: 
Hurlbut.       On  April   i,    1879,  Fretlerick  E.  Hurl- 
but  sold  his  interest  to  Eugene  E.  .iMlyn  of  Closhen, 
and    the    firm    style   became   Lucas  i.\:   .\llyn.     On 
November  i,  1883,  being  in  poor  health,  Mr.  Lucas 
disposed  of  his  interest  to   his   partner  and  retired 
from  mercantile  life.     His  time  is  now  occupied  in 
the  interests  of  his    large    farms  of  one   thousand 
acres  at  Goshen,  and  in  the  care  of  one  hundred  and 
fifty  head  of  stock.     He  devotes  much  time  to  the 
assistance  of  others  and  for  many  years  has  served 
continuously    as    guardian,    trustee    and    executor. 
He  has  won   success  by  hard   work,   diligence  and 
faithfulness    and    his    townsmen    ha\'e    frequently 
honored   him  with   office.     He   was  Representative 
in  the  Legislature  from  Goshen   in  1869,  and  again 
in    1886,   his  first   term    serving    on   the  Commit- 
tee on  Roads  and  Bridges,  and  in  his  second  as 
Chairman  of  the   Committee   on  Finance.     He  was 
Senator  from  the  Eighteenth  District   in    1887  and 
1888,   and  there  also  served    as  Chairman   of    the 
Finance  Committee.     His  politics  have  always  been 
Republican.     He  is  a  member  of  St.  Paul's  Lodge 
No.  1 1,  Darius  Chapter  and  Buell's  Council  Free 
and   Accepted  Masons  of    Litchfield,   Connecticut, 
of  the    Steele    Post  No.   34,    Grand    Army  of    the 
Republic  of  Torrington,  of  the  Society  of  the  Army 
of  the  Potomac,  The  Army  and  Navy  Club  of  Con- 
necticut, and  of  Goshen  Grange.     He  was  married 


August  7,  1S67,  to  jane,  eldest  daughter  of  Hon. 
John  M.  Wadhams,  of  Goshen.  Two  children 
have  been  born  to  them  :  Frederick  Wadhams,  born 
November  11,  1868,  and  John  Marsh,  born  Decem- 
ber 14,  1870.  His  son,  John  Marsh  Lucas,  mar- 
ried Lizzie  Garner,  daughter  of  John  D.  Barton, 
of  Goshen,  Connecticut,  January  21,  1894;  their 
children  are  Marilla  Myrtle,  born  January  20,  1895, 
and  Ella  Barton,  born  April  22,  1896. 


McM.'\HON,  J.AMKS  Hkxkv,  .Xttorncy-at-Law  and 
Ex-Judge    of    Probate,   New   Milford,  was    born    in 


JAMES    H.    McMAHON. 

New  Milford,  Connecticut,  June  24,  1839,  son  of 
John  and  Sophia  (Wells)  McMahon.  He  received 
an  academic  education  but  did  not  enter  college. 
He  studied  law  at  the  Albany  Law  School  and  was 
admitted  to  the  Bar  in  November,  1863.  In  his 
early  manhood  he  taught  school  for  four  years. 
He  commenced  tlie  practice  of  Law  in  May  1864 
and  has  continued  in  active  practice  ever  since. 
He  was  counsel  in  the  State  and  United  States 
Courts,  and  the  United  States  Patent  Office  in 
the  Bostwick  vs.  Isbel  case  involving  the  Isbel 
patents ;  in  the  case  of  the  First  National  Bank  of 
New  Milford  vs.  the  Town  of  New  Milford  ;  in  the 


48 


MKN    OV    PROGRESS. 


James  S.  Taylor  Hal  Patent  cases  ;  in  the  Hongeson 
murder  case;  the  Knowles  homicide  cases;  the 
noted  sewer  cases  in  the  city  of  Danbury  (Morgan 
vs.  Danbury),  and  many  others.  For  many  years  he 
was  counsel  for  tlie  town  of  New  Milford,  and  later 
for  the  First  National  Bank  of  New  Milford.  He 
was  elected  Judge  of  IVobate  for  the  district  of  New 
Milford  in  August  1864,  and  held  the  office  contin- 
uously until  January  1897.  He  was  a  member  of 
the  General  Assembly  in  1873  and  1875.  In  poli- 
tics he  is  a  Democrat.  He  is  a  member  of  the 
Valley  Club,  of  the  Good  Shepherd  Lodge  of  Odd 
Fellows,  and  the  St.  Peter's  Lodge  and  Housatonic 
Chapter  of  Masons. 


MERSICK,Ch..\ri.f,s  Smith,  Hardware  and  Metal 
Merchant,  New  Haven,  was  born  in  New  York  city 
December  13,  1840,  son  of  John  Charles  and  Sarah 
(Daggett)  Mersick.  His  father  was  born  in  Boston 
.August  20,  1S04,  and  his  grandfather  was  a  native 
of  Fiume,  .Austro-Hungary,  who  came  to  Portsmouth, 
New  Hampshire,  in  the  year  1800,  settling  in  Boston 
a  year  later.  His  mother  was  a  granddaughter  of 
Naphtali  Daggett,  President  of  Yale  College  from 
1766  to  1777,  and  daughter  of  Richard  Smith  of 
Smithtown,  Long  Island,  whose  father,  grandfather 
and  great-grandfather  each  bore  the  name  of  Richard 
Smith.  Of  the  ancestors  of  Charles  Smith  Mersick 
two  were  governors  of  American  colonies,  and  many 
others  were  jirominent  in  both  civic  and  military 
life,  from  one  of  whom  General  U.  S.  Grant  traced 
his  ancestry.  His  early  education  was  obtained  in 
public  and  private  schools  at  New  Haven.  From 
1857  ""'■'  'he  present  time,  with  the  exception  of 
the  year  1865,  when  he  was  in  business  in  New 
York,  he  has  been  engaged  in  the  hardware  and 
metal  business  on  State  street.  New  Haven.  He 
first  entered  the  employ  of  English,  Atwater  &  Co., 
on  January  i,  1858.  In  i866  he  formed  a  partner- 
ship with  Nelson  A.  Hotchkiss  under  the  firm  name 
of  Hotchkiss  &  Mersick.  On  the  death  of  John 
English  he  purchased  the  business  and  succeeded 
the  firm  of  John  English  &  Co.  which  had  previ- 
ously succeeded  the  firm  of  English,  Atwater  &  Co. 
In  1878  he  purchased  the  interest  of  Nelson  A. 
Hotchkiss  and  formed  a  partnership  with  Lewis  H. 
English  under  the  firm  name  of  C.  S.  Mersick  &  Co. 
This  business  has  been  continued  until  the  present 
time  with  more  than  a  moderate  degree  of  success. 
The  firm  is  well  known  as  extensive  dealers  in  hard- 


ware and  metals,  and  stands  at  the  head  of  this  busi- 
ness in  Connecticut.  In  1881  he  was  elected  a 
Director  in  the  Merchants  National  Bank  of  New 
Haven,  and  in  1S89,  on  the  resignation  of  Ex- Gov- 
ernor Hobart  B.  Bigelow,  was  made  President, 
which  office  he  still  holds.  As  banker  and  as  trustee 
and  receiver  of  several  insolvent  estates  he  has  dis- 
played an  ability  and  versatility  which  have  given 
him  an  enviable  reputation  as  a  clear-headed,  pains- 
taking and  reliable  man  of  business.  He  is  Treasurer 
of  the  Masonic  Mutual  Iknefit  Association,  a  trustee 


C.    S-    MERSICK. 

of  the  New  Haven  Savings  Bank,  and  a  Director  in 
many  manufacturing  companies.  He  was  Vice- 
President  of  the  Chamber  of  Commerce  for  two 
years,  and  has  for  several  years  been  active  on  its 
Committee  of  New  Enterprises,  serving  as  its  Chair- 
man. He  was  a  Director  in  the  New  Haven  Free 
Public  Library  at  the  time  of  its  organization  and 
helped  to  establish  it  on  a  firm  foundation  and 
secure  the  property  where  the  Library  is  now 
located.  In  1872  he  was  a  member  of  the  Common 
Council  and  in  1894-96  was  Treasurer  of  the  City 
of  New  Haven,  and  by  the  terms  of  the  new  City 
Charter  he  will  continue  to  hold  this  office  until 
June  1899.  He  was  one  of  the  original  members  of 
the  Republican  League  Club  and  was  active  in  the 
early  days  of  the  club  as  a  member  of  its  executive 


MKN    Ol'-    I'ROC.KKSS. 


49 


(•ommittee.  lie  is  a  iiiomhcr  of  tlie  First  Congrega- 
tional Church  of  New  Haven  and  one  of  its  Society 
Committee.  He  was  married  by  Rev.  Leonard 
Bacon,  D.  1).,  the  church's  famous  pastor,  on  Octo- 
ber lo,  1865,  to  l-^llen  Louisa  Knglish,  daughter  of 
George  D.  iMiglish  and  a  niece  of  l"..\-Ciovernor  James 
E.  Knglish.  They  have  one  child  :  Mary  English 
Mersick.  This  brief  sketch  of  one  identified  so 
closely  by  ties  of  kindred  and  associations  with  the 
largest  city  in  Connecticut  would  not  be  complete 
without  adding  a  few  words  to  emphasize  his  loyalty 
to  the  state  by  saying  that  he  has  always  been 
ardently  attached  to,  and  deeply  interested  in  every- 
thing appertaining  to  its  welfare. 


delivered  by  Mr.  Morrow  on  that  occasion  has  been 
|)ut  in  book  form  and  is  a  valual)le  contribution  to 
the  ecclesiastical  history  of  the  state.  Mr.  Mor- 
row's work  in  Norwich,  as  elsewhere,  has  been 
abundantly  blessed,  one  hundred  and  fifty  jiersons 
having  been  added  to  the  niembershi|)  of  the 
church  during  the  last  three  years.  He  is  an 
enthusiastic  member  of  the  Christian  Endeavor 
Society,  and  a  member  of  the  New  J.ondon  County 
Association  of  Congregational  Ministers.  His 
papers  before  this  society  give  evidence  of  his 
scholarship  and  philosophic  bent  of  mind.     He  was 


MORROW,   Rl'.VKRENl)  CoRNEI.It'S    WoR'IKNDVKE, 

Congregational  Minister,  Norwich,  was  born  in 
Brooklyn,  New  \'ork,  February  8,  1855,  son  of  Cor- 
nelius Wortendyke  Lafayette  and  Jane  I-'.liza  (Chase) 
Morrow.  On  his  father's  side  the  family  is  traced 
back  to  Johannes  Van  Hlarcom  of  Paraiiuis,  New 
Jersey,  a  settler  there  in  1600,  and  on  his  mother's 
side  to  Aquila  Chase  of  Hampton,  New  Hampshire, 
in  1640.  This  branch  of  the  family  is  remarkable 
for  ministers.  His  father,  Cornelius  W.  L.  Mor- 
row, also  studied  for  the  ministry,  but  devoted  him- 
self to  manufacturing,  being  a  man  of  broad  culture, 
a  lecturer  and  a  newspaper  contributor.  The  sub- 
ject of  this  sketch  was  graduated  from  Columbia 
University  in  1876,  having  prepared  at  Adelphi 
Academy  and  Lockwood  Academy,  Brooklyn,  where 
he  was  Valedictorian  of  his  class.  From  Columbia 
he  entered  Union  Theological  Seminary,  New  York, 
where  he  was  graduated  with  honor  in  1879. 
During  his  college  and  seminary  course,  he  devoted 
much  time  to  addresses,  and  writing  for  the  press, 
having  published  several  short  stories.  After  leav- 
ing the  seminary  he  preached  for  a  while  as  a 
Licentiate,  supplying  the  pulpit  of  the  Congrega- 
tional Church  at  Kensington,  Connecticut.  He 
was  installed  as  Pastor  of  the  Congregational 
Church  at  Bethlehem,  Connecticut,  where  he,  re- 
mained four  and  a  half  years,  then  accepting  a  call 
to  Danbury,  in  the  same  state,  where  he  remained 
six  years.  His  work  in  each  of  these  fields  was 
very  successful.  In  1893  he  accepted  a  call  to  suc- 
ceed Dr.  Leonard  W.  Bacon  at  the  Second  Con- 
gregational Church,  Norwich,  his  present  charge. 
In  December  1895  the  church  celebrated  the  cen- 
tennial   of    its   present    location   and    the    address 


C.  W.   MORROW. 

a  member  of  the  Danbury  High  School  Committee, 
twice  delivering  the  graduating  address.  He  is  at 
present  one  of  the  trustees  of  the  Otis  (Norwich) 
Ijibrary,  and  a  member  of  the  School  Board.  He 
was  married  January  14,  1880,  to  Rosalie  Caroline 
Lippman.  Their  children  have  been :  William 
Alexander  (deceased),  Julia  Matilda  and  Marie 
Janet  Morrow. 


NICKERSON,  Leonard  J.,  Attorney-at-Law, 
Cornwall,  was  born  in  Cornwall,  Connecticut,  Octo- 
ber 23,  1857,  son  of  Orson  and  Julia  M.  (Dibble) 
Nickerson.  On  his  father's  side  he  is  a  descendant 
of  William  Nickerson  who  emigrated  to  Cape  Cod 


50 


.MKN    OF    PROGRESS. 


from  England  in  1637.  His  mother  is  a  grand- 
daughter of  Israel  Dibble  who  fought  in  the  Ameri- 
can Army  through  the  entire  Revolutionary  War 
and  was  several  times  wounded.  She  is  descended 
in  a  direct  line  from  Governor  William  Bradford  of 


throns^h  Captain  Samuel  Parsons,  Ithamar  Parsons, 
Aaron  Parsons  to  Curtiss  Parsons,  his  grandfather. 
He  was  educated  at  the  Durham  public  schools. 
From  1850  to  1853  he  was  engaged  in  merchan- 
dizing, from  1854  to  1866  he  was  employed 
in  the  Waterbury  National  Bank,  and  from  1866 
to  1870  he  was  a  manufacturer.  He  has  been 
Secretary  and  Treasurer  of  the  Dime  Savings 
Bank  since  1870  and  a  private  banker  since  1871. 
Mr.  Parsons  was  Aide-de-camp  on  Governor  R.  D. 
Hubbard's  Staff  from  1877  to  1878,  was  Mayor  of 
Waterbury  from  1880  to  1882,  and  Judge  of 
Probate,  Waterbury  District,  from  1874  to  1875. 
He  is  a  member  of  the  New  York  Reform  Club, 
of  the  Waterbury  Club,  and  of  the  Country  Club 
of  Farmington.     In  politics  he  is  a  Democrat.     He 


%(k 


:'"**>• 


L.  J.    NICKERSON. 

the  Massachusetts  Colony.  His  early  education 
was  obtained  in  the  common  schools,  and  at  the 
Alger  Institute  at  Cornwall.  For  a  time  he  taught 
school  and  then  studied  law  with  Hon.  Arthur  D. 
Warner.  He  was  admitted  to  the  Bar  of  the  state 
April  22,  1879,  and  to  the  United  States  Bar  in 
April  1882.  During  the  last  ten  years  he  has  been 
connected  with  nearly  every  important  case  in 
Litchfield  county.  He  has  held  various  town 
ofifices  and  was  a  member  of  the  Legislature  of 
1883.  In  189S  he  represented  Litchfield  county 
before  the  Legislature  in  the  repeal  of  the  act, 
placing  the  maintenance  of  the  Hartford  Bridge 
upon  the  state.  His  politics  are  Republican.  He 
is  a  Mason  and  a  member  of  the  order  of  the  East- 
ern Star.  He  was  married  September  16,  1896,  to 
Alice  P.  New. 


PARSONS,  Guernsey  Smith,  Banker,  Water- 
bury, was  born  at  Durham,  December  4,  1834,  son 
of  Clement  M.  and  Phcjebe  (Smith)  Parsons.  He 
traces  his  ancestry  back  to  Cornet  Joseph  Parsons 


G.    S,    PARSONS. 


was  married  October  14,  1858,  to  Eliza  J.  Brown, 
and  has  one  daughter,  Mrs.  Sarah  K.  Parsons 
Merriman. 


PARSONS,  Herbert  Calvin,  Proprietor  of  Par- 
sons Theatre,  Hartford,  was  born  in  East  Windsor, 
Connecticut,  November  4,  1854.  son  of  Calvin  G., 
and  Elizabeth  (Chapman)  Parsons.  He  was  edu- 
cated in  the  common  schools  of  East  Windsor,  and 
spent  his  early  manhood  in  farming  in  that  town. 
He  began  his  business  career  as  proprietor  of  the 


MEN    OF    I'ROC'.RKSS. 


51 


Hotel  at  Broad  Brook,  in  the  town  of  ICast  Windsor, 
and  later  as  proprietor  and  resident  manager  of  the 
Hotel  Parsons  which  he  continued  until  i8g6.  He 
still  owns  the  hotel.  He  entered  the  theatrical 
business  in  the  fall  of  1S92  as  pro]irietor  of  the  Park 


H.   C.    PARSONS. 

City  Theatre.  On  April  i,  1896,  he  opened,  in 
Hartford,  the  New  Parsons  Theatre.  The  theatre  is 
beautifully  decorated  and  elegantly  furnished  and  is 
throughout  a  thoroughly  modern  playhouse,  the 
equal  of  those  in  the  larger  cities.  During  the  year 
De  Wolf  Hopper,  W.  H.  Crane,  Fanny  Davenport, 
John  Drew,  Ada  Rehan  and  the  Damrosch  Opera 
Company  have  had  engagements  there,  and  the 
public  has  shown  its  appreciation  by  a  very  liberal 
patronage.  Mr.  Parsons  is  a  Knight  Templar,  a 
member  of  Washington  Commandery  of  Hartford, 
and  of  Pyramid  Shrine  of  Bridgeport.  In  politics 
he  has  always  been  a  Republican.  His  wife's  maiden 
name  was  Carrie  G.  Simpson.  They  have  one 
daughter,  Maud  M.  Parsons,  born  in  1880. 


PEARSON,  A.  Walton,  Editor  of  The  Bulletin, 
Norwich,  Connecticut,  was  born  in  Newburyport, 
Massachusetts,  F"ebruary  12,  1842,  son  of  Ariel 
Pearson,  Jr.,  and  Emily  (Colby)  Pearson.  On  the 
paternal  side  he  is  descended  from  John  Pearson, 


an  Englishman,  who  in  1643  established  at  Rowley, 
Massachusetts,  the  first  fulling  mill  in  America. 
On  the  maternal  side  the  Colbys  trace  their 
descent  to  an  ancestor  who  lived  in  the  little  town 
of  Colberg  on  the  Danish  coast  several  centuries 
ago.  His  education  was  obtained  in  the  schools  of 
Newburyport.  His  journalistic  career  was  pre- 
shadowed  when  at  the  age  of  eight  he  became  a 
carrier  for  the  Newburyport  Herald.  Several  years 
later  he  entered  the  office  as  an  apprentice  and  so 
served  for  two  years.  He  was  one  of  the  last 
indentured  or  long  time  apprentices.  In  1859  he 
came  to  Connecticut  with  John  (^uincy  Adams 
Stone,  one  of  the  owners  of  the  Herald,  and  with 
him  finished  his  apprenticeship  on  the  Windham 
County  Transcript  at  Danielson.  He  was  taught 
the  entire  business  and  in  the  absence  of  the  editor 
used  to  take  editorial  charge  of  the  paper.  In  May 
1862,  he  enlisted  in  Company  A,  Forty-eighth 
Massachusetts  Volunteers,  and  was  in  the  Depart- 


A.   WALTON    PEARSON. 

ment  of  the  Gulf  under  General  Banks  when  Port 
Hudson  was  captured.  He  was  honorably  dis- 
charged in  September  1863.  In  1864,  he  returned 
to  Danielson  and  completed  his  apprenticeship  in 
the  office  of  the  Windham  County  Transcript.  For 
a  few  months  he  worked  in  a  Boston  bookoffice, 
after  which  he  became  foreman  of  the  Middlesex 


D- 


MEN    OF   PROGRESS. 


County,  Massachusetts,  Journal,  published  at  Wo- 
burn.  After  a  year  and  a  half  at  Woburn,  he  went 
to  Nashua,  New  Hampshire,  where  he  was  employed 
as  job  printer  and  pressman  for  two  years.  He  left 
there  to  accept  a  more  lucrative  position  in  the 
Newburyport  Post  Office,  under  George  J.  L. 
Colby,  one  of  the  best  known  editors  of  Eastern 
Massachusetts.  In  1869  he  was  associated  with 
.Messrs.  Stone  &  Colby  in  the  purchase  of  the 
Wiilimantic  Journal  under  the  firm  title  of  Stone, 
Pearson  &  Co.  In  1870,  Mr.  Stone  retired  from 
the  firm  and  the  business  was  continued  until  May 
1872,  when  it  was  sold  out  to  Barber  &  Company. 
In  April  1873,  he  accepted  the  city  editorship  of 
the  Norwich  Evening  Advertiser.  On  the  discon- 
tinuation of  the  Advertiser  in  1875,  he  was  by  vote 
of  the  directors  of  the  Advertiser  Company,  made 
editor  of  the  Norwich  .Aurora,  a  weekly  Democratic 
paper  which  he  edited  until  November  1878.  In 
March  1879  he  accepted  the  city  editorship  of  the 
Norwich  Morning  Bulletin  which  he  held  until 
1S93,  when  he  look  the  full  editorial  management, 
which  position  he  still  holds.  He  has  been  a 
correspondent  of  the  New  York  Herald  and  the 
New  York  Tribune,  and  has  written  Natural  History 
articles  for  the  Philadelphia  Press.  He  was  an 
.Associate  Editor  of  The  Observer,  a  magazine 
devoted  to  microscopy  and  natural  history.  He  is 
keenly  interested  in  Lepidoptera,  and  has  a  choice 
collection  of  exotic  butterflies  and  moths.  In  his 
official  position  it  was  said  of  him :  "  He  brought 
to  his  position  ripe  journalistic  experience,  a  keen 
humor,  bright  and  versatile  talents,  and  a  well- 
balanced,  discriminating  judgment.  Personally,  he 
is  a  frank,  honest  and  conscientious  gentleman, 
and  a  genial  friend.  To  whatever  position  Mr. 
Pearson  may  be  called  he  carries  with  him  the 
earnest  and  hearty  wishes  for  his  welfare,  pros- 
perity and  hajipiness,  of  his  former  associates." 
In  politics  he  was  a  Democrat  previous  to  the 
Greeley  campaign,  since  which  time  he  has  been  a 
Republican.  He  is  a  member  of  St.  Mark's  Lodge 
of  Masons,  of  Newburyport.  He  was  married  Octo- 
ber 26,  1865,  to  Frances  Elizabeth  Winsor,  of 
Brooklyn,  Connecticut.  They  have  one  child : 
Walton  Hardin  Pearson,  born  November  28,  1869. 


PENFIELD,  LoREN  Dwighi,  Town  Clerk,  New 
Britain,  was  born  in  New  Britain,  June  15,  1840, 
son   of   Harvey  and    Lucy  E.  (Sanford)    Penfield.' 


His  grandfather  was  Phinehas  Penfield,  and  his 
great-grandfather,  Phinehas  Penfield,  Sr.,  a  soldier 
of  the  Revolutionary  War,  whose  wives  were  respec- 
tively, Ruth  Hart,  daughter  of  Linas  Hart,  and 
Lucy  Osgood,  daughter  of  Jeremiah  H.  Osgood. 
Back  of  this  the  line  is  traced  to  Nathaniel  Pen- 
field,  Jr.,  who  married  Lydia  Barnes,  to  Nathaniel 
Penfield,  Sr.,  and  Hannah  his  wife.  His  maternal 
grandmother  was  Lydia,  daughter  of  John  Beckley, 
who  was  also  in  the  Revolutionary  War.  His  edu- 
cation was  obtained  in  the  district  schools  which  he 
left  when  twelve  years  old  to  work  in  a  factory. 
He  attended  school  for  one  winter  term  only  after 


i**" 


^  ■fS^ 


LOREN    D.    PENFIELD. 

that  time.  On  December  11,  186 1,  he  enlisted  in 
the  Thirteenth  Regiment  Connecticut  Volunteers, 
and  served  until  his  discharge,  January  5,  1865. 
He  served  under  General  B.  F.  Butler  and  General 
N.  P.  Banks.  He  was  at  the  surrender  of  New 
Orleans,  and  was  engaged  in  all  battles  and  skir- 
mishes of  the  regiment,  including  the  siege  of  Port 
Hudson.  He  volunteered  in  the  "Forlorn  Hope  " 
called  by  General  Banks  to  storm  the  works.  After 
the  surrender  of  Port  Hudson  he  was  detailed,  July 
15,  1863,  as  clerk  at  Head  Quarters,  Department  of 
the  Gulf.  In  July  1864,  and  until  his  discharge,  he 
was  under  General  Sheridan  in  the  Shenandoah 
Valley,  taking   part   in    the  battles  of   Winchester, 


MRN    OK    PROGRESS. 


53 


Fisher's  Hill  and  Cedar  Creek.  After  his  dis- 
charge he  was  employed  for  nearly  a  year  as  clerk 
in  the  U.  S.  Provost  Marshal  General's  Office  at 
Hartford.  He  then  took  up  the  trade  of  house 
painting,  taking  contracts  for  some  of  the  finest 
residences  in  New  15ritain  and  otlicr  cities.  In 
January  1894,  he  commenced  his  first  term  as 
Town  Clerk  of  New  Britain,  of  which  office  he  is 
still  the  incumbent.  He  is  also  Clerk  of  tlie  Pro- 
bate Court  of  the  District  of  Berlin,  his  ap|)ointment 
dating  from  January  icSg5.  He  served  six  years 
with  Company  D,  First  Regiment  Connecticut 
National  Guards,  and  was  commissioned  Lieutenant 
by  Governor  Jewell.  He  is  a  member  of  tlie  Patri- 
otic Order,  Sons  of  America,  the  Pilgrim  Fathers, 
Order  of  the  United  .American  Mechanics,  Connec- 
ticut Society  Sons  of  the  American  Revolution,  and 
Harmony  Lodge  of  Masons.  He  was  elected  Com- 
mander of  Stanley  Post  Grand  Army  of  the  Repub- 
lic in  January  1897;  he  is  Treasurer  of  Knights  of 
Ancient  Essenic  Order,  reporter  of  Elihu  Burritt 
Lodge  Knights  of  Honor,  and  also  Local  Treasurer 
of  the  Baltimore  Building  and  Loan  Association. 
He  was  married  June  20,  1866,  to  Carrie  W. 
McNary,  daughter  of  William  G.  McNary.  Their 
children  have  been  :  Nellie  Ruth,  born  October  20, 
1867,  now  wife  of  Warren  W.  Marshall,  and  Arthur 
Eugene  Penfield,  deceased. 


PHELP.S,  Charles,  Attorney-at-Law  and  Secre- 
tary of  the  State  of  Connecticut,  Rockville,  was 
born  in  East  Hartford,  Connecticut,  August  10, 
1852,  son  of  the  late  Rev.  Benjamin  C.  Phelps  and 
Sarah  Parker  (Humphrey)  Phelps.  His  descent  is 
traced  to  George  Phelps  who  came  to  this  country 
from  England  in  1630  and  settled  at  Windsor. 
His  great-grandfather,  Benjamin  Phelps,  was  a 
member  of  the  Constitutional  Convention  that 
adopted  the  original  Constitution  of  Connecticut. 
His  father  was  the  Rev.  B.  C.  Phelps,  a  retired 
Methodist  clergyman  lately  living  in  Vernon,  Con- 
necticut. He  prepared  for  college  at  East  Green- 
wich Academy  and  was  graduated  from  Wesleyan 
University  in  1875.  He  studied  law  in  the  office 
of  B.  H.  Bill  of  Rockville,  and  was  admitted  to  the 
Bar  in  1877.  For  a  year  he  practiced  in  Tolland, 
but  then  returned  to  Rockville  where  he  has  built 
up  a  large  practice  and  made  himself  recognized  as 
one  of  the  leading  lawyers  of  the  state.  Among  the 
many  important  cases  which   Mr.   Phelps  has  con- 


ducted to  a  successful  issue  for  his  clients  are,  the 
Utah  Copper  Belt  Mining  Claim  suits,  the  suit  of 
J.  J.  Regan  against  the  New  York  &  New  England 
Railroad  Company  in  which  he  won  the  largest 
verdict  granted  by  a  Tolland  Court  in  twenty  years, 
the  celebrated  Gleason  case  and  the  Windermen 
Litigation  in  which  he  represented  Jordan,  Marsh 
\:  Company.  When  the  office  of  Tolland  County 
Coroner  was  established  in  1883  Mr.  Phelps  was 
appointed  to  the  position,  which  he  has  held  ever 
since.  He  has  always  been  a  Republican.  He 
represented  Vernon  in  the  General  Assembly  in 
1885  and  made  a   record  of  wlii<  h   the   town  had 


CHARLES    PHELP3. 

good  reason  to  be  proud,  serving  as  member  of 
the  Judiciary  Committee  and  Chairman  of  the 
Contested  Election  Committee.  In  1892  he  was 
elected  to  the  Connecticut  Senate  from  the  twenty- 
third  district,  and  became  one  of  the  Republican 
leaders  as  Chairman  of  the  Insurance  Commit- 
tee. The  Senate  was  at  that  time  evenly  divided 
between  the  two  parties  and  it  so  happened 
that  Senators  Phelps  and  Holcomb  were  the  only 
Republican  lawyers.  Opposed  to  them  were  a 
large  number  of  Democratic  lawyers.  When  Rock- 
ville became  a  municipality  Mr.  Phelps  was  chosen 
City  Attorney  and  under  Mayor  Fitch  he  was  ap- 
pointed City  Prosecuting  .Attorney,  which  office  lie 


54 


MKN    OF    PROGRESS. 


has  held  ever  since.  He  represents  the  county  on 
the  State  Hoard  of  I':xaminers  of  applicants  for 
admission  to  the  15ar.  He  was  elected  Secretary  of 
the  State  of  Connecticut  in  November  1896,  which 
oflice  he  still  holds,  having  been  nominated  in  the 
Convention  by  acclamation.  He  is  a  man  who  has 
made  many  friends  in  private  and  public  relations, 
and  is  one  of  the  most  popular  men  in  Eastern 
Connecticut.  He  is  an  Odd  Kellow,  and  a  member 
of  the  Encampment.  He  is  also  a  member  of  the 
Opera  Club,  New  York,  and  in  college  was  a  Psi 
I'lisilon  man.  He  was  married  October  19,  1881, 
to  Leila  Loomis  Bill,  a  daughter  of  B.  H.  Bill,  of 
Rockville,  and  a  niece  of  Judge  Dwight  Loomis. 
Mrs.  Phelps  died  September  30,  18S8. 


for  the  Congregational  polity  and  for  a  settled  pas- 
torate, and  because  of  the  innuence  of  Presbyterian 
blood  inherited  from  his  mother's  family.  The 
Church  of  the  Redeemer  is  one  of  the  most  promi- 
nent churches  of  the  state  and  is  distinguished  for 
its  members'  intelligence  and  liberality.  It  con- 
ducts the  Oak  Street  Mission,  necessitating  the 
employment  of  an  assistant  pastor  and  a  lady  mis- 
sionary. It  conducts  a  reading  room,  clubs  for 
boys  and  young  men,  sewing  school,  mothers' 
meeting,  Band  of  Hope,  Penny  Savings  Bank, 
singing  classes,  kitchen  garden  and  the  usual  Sun- 
day school  and    gospel    services.     Dr.    Phillips   is 


PHILLIPS,  W.vi-soN  Lyman,  D.  D.,  Pastor  of  the 
Church  of  the  Redeemer,  New  Haven,  was  born  in 
West  Troy,  New  York,  January  28,  1850,  son  of 
Rev.  Jonas  and  Maria  E.  (Nims)  Phillips.  His 
father  was  a  native  of  Fishkill-on-Hudson  where 
many  of  the  name  still  reside.  On  his  mother's 
side  he  is  descended  from  Godfrey  Nims  one  of 
the  early  settlers  of  Deerfield,  whose  house  was 
burned,  some  of  his  children  killed,  and  others, 
with  his  wife,  carried  to  Canada,  at  the  time  of  the 
Deerfield  massacre.  His  father,  who  died  in  1883, 
was  in  early  life  a  teacher,  and  afterwards  a  Metho- 
dist clergyman,  a  member  of  the  Troy  Conference. 
His  early  education  was  obtained  at  private  schools, 
at  the  Poultney,  Vermont,  Academy,  and  the  Fort 
Edward,  New  York,  Institute.  He  was  graduated 
from  Wesleyan  University,  Middletown,  in  1872. 
He  then  took  a  partial  course  at  the  Theological 
School  of  Boston  University  and  in  the  spring  of 
1873  joined  the  Providence  Annual  Conference  of 
the  Methodist  Episcopal  Church.  His  first  pastor- 
ates were  in  Massachusetts,  where  he  preached  suc- 
cessively in  the  churches  at  West  Duxbury,  South 
Yarmouth,  the  First  Church,  Fall  River,  and  the 
County  Street  Church,  New  Bedford.  In  1880  he 
was  called  to  the  pastorate  of  the  Summerfield 
Church,  Brooklyn,  New  York,  and  later  to  the  St. 
John's  Church  in  that  city.  In  1888  he  became 
pastor  of  the  First  Church  in  Wilkesbarre,  Pennsyl- 
vania, one  of  the  largest  and  strongest  churches  in 
that  part  of  the  state.  In  1890  he  accepted  a  call 
to  the  Church  of  the  Redeemer  (Congregationalist), 
New  Haven,  where  he  still  remains.  He  made  the 
change  of  denominations,  because  of  his  fondness 


W.    L.   PHILLIPS. 

well  known  as  a  lecturer  and  after  dinner  speaker, 
and  is  deeply  interested  in  all  movements  towards 
good  citizenship.  He  received  the  degree  of  M.  A. 
from  Wesleyan  University  in  course,  and  the  de- 
gree of  D.  D.  in  1889  from  Wesleyan  University 
and  Dickinson  College.  In  college  he  was  a  mem- 
ber of  the  Alpha  Delta  Phi  fraternity  and  Phi  Beta 
Kappa.  He  is  a  Mason  and  a  member  of  the 
Graduates  Club,  New  Haven,  and  the  Congrega- 
tional Club,  serving  one  year  as  President.  He  is  a 
corporate  member  of  the  American  Board  and  the 
Connecticut  Bible  Society.  He  is  a  Director  of 
the  Connecticut  Missionary  Society  and  of  the 
organized  Charities  Association,  New  Haven,  and 


MK\    Ol'    I'R()(;RKSS. 


55 


Presiiient  of  the  New  Haven  City  Missionary  Asso- 
ciation. He  was  mairieil  June  22,  1S73,  to  I'^lla 
Vernon  Stetson  of  East  Pembroke,  Massachusetts, 
whose  ancestors  were  of  Revohitionary  origin,  and 
who  is  a  member  of  the  Daugliters  of  the  American 
Revolution.  Their  children  are :  .Arthur  N'ernon, 
Frank  l.yman  and  Ruth  Pahner  Phillips. 


PIERCE,  Nohle  Emf.rsox,  Attorney-at-law  and 
ex-State  Senator,  Bristol,  was  born  in  T5ristol,  Con- 
necticut, July  31,  1854,  son  of  Julius  E.  and  Muldali 
(Botsford)  Pierce.     He  is  a  descendant  of  Deacon 


NOBLE    E.    PIERCE. 

John  Pierce  who  settled  in  Wethersfield,  Connecti- 
cut, in  1 73 1,  and  after  a  few  years  removed  to 
Woodbury,  Connecticut.  Abraham  Pierce,  his  great- 
grandfather, removed  to  liristol  in  1797  and  pur- 
chased the  homestead  where  his  father  still  lives 
and  where  Senator  Pierce  was  raised.  His  early 
education  was  obtained  at  the  common  schools 
of  Bristol  and  at  the  Connecticut  Literary  Insti- 
tute at  Suffield.  He  was  graduated  from  the 
Connecticut  State  Normal  Scliool  in  1873,  and 
from  the  Albany  Law  School  in  May  1876.  He 
was  admitted  to  the  Bar  at  Albany,  New  York,  May 
18,  1876.  During  1873-74-75  he  taught  the  Lower 
Middle  School  at  Ansonia  and  read  law  with  Judge 


V.  Munger  of  Ansonia  during  the  same  period.  He 
began  the  practice  of  law  at  Angelica,  New  York, 
where  he  remained  from  1876  to  June  1878.  In  that 
month  he  came  to  Connecticut  and  was  admitted  to 
the  Bar  at  Hartford.  He  has  been  connected  with 
the  School  Board  of  Bristol  since  1887,  and  is  Chair- 
man of  District  C'omniittee  Number  One.  He  was 
Treasurer  of  Hartford  county  in  1893-95.  He  was 
a  member  of  the  Connecticut  Senate  from  the  Fourth 
District  from  1891  to  1894.  This  included  the 
memorable  dead-lock  of  1891-92.  In  both  sessions 
he  was  the  Democratic  leader.  As  Justice  of  the 
Peace  of  Hartford  county  he  administered  the  oath 
of  office  to  Covernor  Morris  and  his  associates,  and 
during  the  two  years  that  followed  he  was  the  recog- 
nized mouthpiece  of  the  Democratic  side  of  the 
Senate.  In  the  session  of  1893  he  was  Chairman  of 
the  Committee  on  Cities  and  Buroughs,  which  com- 
mittee, after  six  weeks  of  public  hearings,  reported 
the  General  Street  Railway  Law  of  1893.  The  work 
of  sifting  the  various  suggestions  offered  and  the 
drafting  of  the  bill  was  left  almost  entirely  to  Sena- 
tor Pierce.  The  Committee  considered  one  hun- 
tlred  and  fifty-three  applications  for  street  railway 
charters,  and  during  the  session  the  charter  of 
almost  every  city  in  the  state  was  either  completely 
revised  or  materially  amended.  As  Chairman  of 
the  Committee,  Mr.  Pierce  gave  careful  attention  to 
each  of  these  applications,  and  in  many  cases 
rewrote  and  revised  them.  He  is  well  known  as  a 
campaign  orator  He  stumped  New  York  state  in 
the  Tilden  campaign  of  1876,  and  with  the  excep- 
tion of  the  last  campaign  he  has  stumped  Connecti- 
cut in  every  subsequent  presidential  campaign.  He 
is  a  Knight  Templar,  a  member  of  Franklin  Lodge 
Number  Fifty-Six,  Free  and  Accepted  Masons  of 
Bristol,  the  Pequabuck  Chapter  Number  Thirty- 
Two,  Royal  Arch  Masons,  the  Clark  Commandery 
Number  Seven,  Knight  Templars  of  Waterbury, 
and  the  Ethan  Lodge  Number  Nine,  Knights  of 
Pythias.  He  is  also  a  member  of  the  Country  Club 
of  Farmington.  He  was  married  July  16,  1879,  to 
Hattie  Kendall  of  Angelica,  New  York,  who  died 
October  26,  1895.  'i'hey  had  two  children:  Ken- 
dall, born  May  26,  1888,  and  (iertrude  Pierce,  born 
December  24,  1893. 


PIRRITTE,  Fred  Winchell,  M.  D.,  New  Haven, 
was  born  at  Brooklyn,  Province  of  Ontario,  Canada, 
July  20,  1868,  son  of  William  Pirritte,  D.  I).,  and 
Alzina  L.  (Winchell)  Pirritte.     On  his  father's  side 


56 


MEN    OF    I'ROC.RKSS. 


he  is  descended  from  a  Huguenot  family  driven  from 
Paris  by  the  Edict  of  Nantes,  his  paternal  grand- 
father having  been  a  Hritish  officer  stationed  at 
Kingston,  Canada.  His  mother  was  of  Massachu- 
setts birth.     He  was  educated  by  his  parents  until 


FRED  W.  PIRRITTE. 

his  thirteenth  year,  when  he  entered  the  High 
School  at  Toronto.  He  afterwards  took  a  partial 
course  in  the  Academic  Department  of  Toronto 
University,  and  in  1893  graduated  with  the  degree 
of  M.  D.  from  the  same  University.  He  was 
Interne  in  the  Toronto  General  Hospital  in  1892-93, 
and  has  also  been  connected  for  several  months  each 
with  the  Burnside  Lying-in  Hospital,  Toronto,  and 
the  Backus  Hospital,  Norwich,  Connecticut.  He 
has  had  special  training  in  gynecology  and  obstet- 
rics under  Dr.  Adam  Wright  and  Dr.  James  F.  W. 
Ross,  of  Toronto.  Since  April  1896  he  has  been 
attending  Physician  at  the  New  Haven  City  Dispen- 
sary. He  gives  special  attention  to  obstetrics  and 
diseases  of  women,  maintaining  a  private  hospital 
in  connection  with  his  office  at  215  Orange  street. 
He  is  a  member  of  the  Republican  League  Club. 


Porter.  The  Porter  family  came  from  Farmington, 
Connecticut,  and  his  mother  was  a  descendant 
of  tlie  Humphreys  of  Goshen.  His  education  was 
obtained  at  the  common  schools  and  at  Gos- 
hen Academy.  He  began  his  training  for  active 
life  with  a  three-years  clerkship  in  the  store  of 
E.  G.  Brigham  at  Goshen.  This  was  followed 
by  another  three  years  as  clerk  for  Hart  Brothers 
iv:  Company.  In  187 1  he  commenced  business  as 
a  merchant  in  Goshen  in  partership  with  Ralph  F. 
Cook  under  the  firm  name  of  Cook  &  Porter. 
This  was  continued  until  1883  when  he  bought  out 
his  partner.  In  the  following  year  he  himself  sold 
out  to  C.  M.  Allen  of  Litchfield,  and  in  October 
bought  a  one-third  interest  in  a  general  store  at 
West  Goshen,  Connecticut,  doing  business  under 
the  firm  name  of  Porter  &  Allyn  Brothers.  This 
connection  continued  for  one  year  when  he  sold  out 
to  Eugene  E.  Allyn.  In  January  18S7  he  bought 
the  store  in  Goshen  Centre  where  he  still  continues. 


PORTER,  Charlfs  J.,  Merchant,  Goshen,  was 
born  in  Goshen,  Connecticut,  January  27,  1839. 
His  parents  were  John  P.  and  Laura  C.   (Prentice) 


CHAS.   J,    PORTER. 

He  has  an  honorable  war  record,  enlisting  as  a 
private  May  23,  i86i,in  Company  I,  First  Connect- 
icut Heavy  Artillery.  He  served  for  three  years 
and  was  successively  promoted  Corporal  and  Quar- 
ter-master Sergeant,  and  is  a  member  of  the  Grand 
Army  of  the  Republic.  In  politics  he  is  a  Repub- 
lican.    He  represented  the  town  in  the  Legislature 


MEN    OF    rRDCRF.SS. 


57 


in  iS66  and  1S93  and  was  Sheriff  of  Litchfield 
County  from  1881  to  1884.  He  has  been  Select- 
man one  year  and  is  the  present  Town  Treasurer, 
having  served  for  ten  years.  He  was  married  in 
187010  Kllen  C.  Bennett.  The  following  children 
have  been  born  to  them  :  John  l\,  Carrie  1*.  (wife 
of  Andrew  W.  Harton  of  Watcrtown,  Connecticut), 
Kate  L.  (wife  of  Lemuel  1'.  Humphrey  of  Norfolk, 
Connecticut),  Anna  K.  (wife  of  Austin  X.  Allyn,  of 
Goshen),  Charles  \V.,  Samuel  W.  and  (lordon  li. 
Porter. 


RE.\DE,  Hezeki.ah  Lord,  Author  and  President 
of  the  Jewett  City  Savings  Bank,  Jewett  City,  was 
born  in  Lisbon,  Connecticut,  October  i,  1827,  the 
only  child  of  Silas  and  Sarah  (Meech)  Reade.  He 
traces  his  ancestry  back  to  intercolonial  times, 
his  ancestors  coming  from  England  to  Ipswich, 
Massachusetts.  They  subsequently  removed  to 
Norwich,  Connecticut,  and  bought  a  tract  of  land  a 
mile  long,  and  one  half  a  mile  wide,  of  Owanico, 
the  half-brother  of  Lhicas,  the  famous  chief  of  the 
Mohegan  Lidians.  The  family  still  reside  upon 
this  purchase,  and  the  deed  bearing  the  date  of 
16S6  is  still  in  the  possession  of  the  family.  The 
subject  of  this  sketch  is  in  the  seventh  generation 
from  John  Read  who  came  to  this  country  from 
England  in  1630,  and  the  name  of  John  Read  is 
five  times  repeated  in  the  direct  line  of  descent 
from  the  first-named  ancestor.  On  the  maternal 
side  a  tradition  traces  the  line  back  to  a  Colonel 
Walbridge  of  the  Scottish  Army,  who,  for  his  heroic 
deeds  and  a  price  for  his  head,  was  obliged  to  flee 
to  this  country.  He  is  said  to  have  landed  at  New- 
port, Rhode  Island,  and  to  have  married  a  daughter 
of  King  Philip,  Chief  of  the  Narragansetts.  Young 
Reade  was  educated  in  the  common  schools  of  Lis- 
bon, and  later  in  the  select  schools  of  Jewett  City, 
and  at  Plainfield  Academy.  During  his  early  man- 
hood he  worked  on  the  old  farm,  spending  his 
evenings  in  study  by  the  aid  of  an  open  fire  and  a 
tallow  candle.  For  sixteen  winters  he  taught 
school,  five  of  these,  acting  as  principal  of  the 
graded  school  at  Jewett  City.  In  1864  he  added 
to  his  farm  work  and  other  occupations,  that  of 
manufacturing  paper.  He  bought  out  a  paper  mill, 
and  under  his  good  management  the  business  was 
highly  prosperous  and  at  last  grew  into  the  Reade 
Paper  Company,  which  owned  and  operated  three 
mills.  Five  years  later,  being  called  to  take  charge 
of  the  Agricultural    Department  of   the  Hearth  & 


Home,  a  leadnig  New  \'()rk  illustrated  journal, 
edited  by  Donald  G.  Mitchell,  he  sold  out  his  inter- 
est in  the  paper  mills,  and  has  since  devoted  much 
of  his  time  to  literary  work.  Vet,  he  is  a  man  of 
many  sides;  never  content  with  one  form  of  activ- 
ity. In  1873  he  conceived  the  idea  of  founding  a 
Savings  Bank  in  Jewttt  City,  and  upon  its  organiza- 
tion was  chosen  President,  and  has  since  served 
continuously  in  that  capacity.  Mr.  Reade  is  an 
able  writer.  Among  the  books  that  are  the  ])rodu(-l 
of  his  pen  are  :  "  Money  and  how  to  Make  it  and 
Use  it";  "Boys'  and  Girls'  Temperance  Book"; 
"  Reade's  Business  Reader"  ;  "Story  of  a  Heathen 


H.    L.    READE. 

and  his  Transformation";  "The  Way  Out";  and 
others  which  have  been  widely  read.  He  first 
became  mterested  in  temperance  and  Sunday 
School  work  in  1849,  and  in  Evangelistic  work  in 
1S75.  He  was  the  originator  of  the  system  of  com- 
pulsory temperance  teaching  in  public  schools,  and 
introduced  a  bill  into  the  Connecticut  Legislature 
to  that  end  in  i88r,  the  first  ever  submitted  to  a 
legislative  boily  for  consideration  and  adoption. 
He  traveled  extensively  in  furtherance  of  this  sys- 
tem, speaking  before  legislative  committees  and 
publishing  leaflets  on  the  subject  which  have  been 
widely  ([uoted.  The  work  was  afterwards  taken  up 
by  the  Woman's  Christian  Temperance  Union.     He 


58 


MEN    OF    PROGRESS. 


commenced  writing  for  tlie  newspapers  at  the  age 
of  twenty-two,  and  has  been  a  constant  contributor 
to  the  rehgious  and  secular  press,  and  has  hail  edi- 
torial connection  with  Connecticut  journalism,  for 
nearly  a  ipiarter  of  a  century.  He  has  been  all  this 
time  active  in  church  and  evangelistic  work,  and  it 
may  be  said  that  every  good  cause  lias  his  sym- 
pathy, and,  so  far  as  he  can  give  it,  his  help.  He 
is  a  Director  of  "  The  Missionary  Society  of  Con- 
necticut," and  has  often  represented  a  wide  con- 
stituency in  the  meetings  of  the  Congregational 
churches  of  his  state  and  the  country.  He  served 
as  assistant  United  States  Assessor  during  and  after 
the  war,  was  Deputy  Sheriff  in  1848-50,  and  is  now 
Treasurer  and  member  of  the  Board  of  Educa- 
tion of  his  town.  His  politics  are  Republican.  In 
1867  he  was  married  to  Faith  Bingham  Partridge. 
They  have  no  children,  but  have  educated,  in  the 
schools  of  this  country,  Mary  Klla  Butler  (Reade), 
and  given  a  University  education,  both  in  America 
and  Germany,  to  Riechiro  Saikii,  a  Christian  Japan- 
ese. The  former  was  for  many  years  a  missionary 
in  Japan,  and  the  latter  is  a  prominent  officer  in  the 
Japanese  Navy,  a  writer  of  books,  member  of  the 
faculty  of  the  Japanese  University,  at  Kioto,  and  a 
most  influential  Christian  leader  in  the  Empire. 


ROBERTS,  Hen'rv,  President  of  the  Hartford 
Woven  Wire  Mattress  Company,  Hartford,  was 
born  in  Brooklyn,  New  York,  January  22,  1853 
son  of  George  and  Elvira  (Evans)  Roberts.  The 
Roberts  family  is  one  of  Welsh  origin  and  is  traced 
back  to  William  Roberts  who  came  to  this  country 
in  1654.  Another  ancestor  was  George  Roberts, 
an  officer  in  the  Revolutionary  War,  through  whom 
was  descended  Ozias  Roberts,  the  grandfather  of 
the  present  manufacturer.  His  mother's  parents 
were  Jason  Evans  and  (Iratia  (Taylor)  Evans,  the 
latter  daughter  of  Thomas  Taylor,  2d,  and  grand- 
daughter of  John  Taylor,  the  latter  son  of  Captain 
Thomas  Taylor,  to  whom  a  monument  was  erected 
at  Deerfield  (Cross  Roads),  Massachusetts,  for 
bravery  in  the  French  and  Indian  Wars.  Young 
Roberts  was  educated  in  the  public  and  High 
Schools  of  Hartford  and  South  Windsor,  Connecti- 
cut, and  was  graduated  from  Yale  College  in  the  class 
of  1877.  He  attended  the  Columbia  Law  School  in 
1878  and  the  Yale  Law  School  in  1879,  and  was 
admitted  to  the  Connecticut  Bar  in  the  same  year. 
His  law  studies  were,  however,  pursued  without  any 


intention  of  practicing,  and  in  1880  he  entered  the 
office  of  the  Hartford  Woven  Wire  Mattress  Com- 
pany. In  1884,  he  became  Secretary  of  the 
Company  and  in  1886  its  President,  which  office  he 
continues  to  hold.  The  company  has  done  a  large 
and  successful  business  much  of  which  is  directly 
the  result  of  Mr.  Roberts'  able  management  He 
is  also  a  Director  in  the  Hartford  Trust  Company, 
State  Savings  Bank,  Hartford  Electric  Light  Com- 
pany, Farmington  River  Power  Company,  and 
Trustee  of  the  Co-operative  Savings  Society  of 
Hartford.  He  is  also  Trustee  of  Slater  Industrial 
School,  Winston,  North  Carolina,  and  of  the  Young 


HENRY   ROBERTS. 

Men's  Christian  Association  Training  School,  of 
Springfield,  Massachusetts.  He  belongs  to  the 
Connecticut  Society  of  Colonial  Wars,  and  Sons  of 
Revolution,  and  the  Hartford  Colonial,  Country  and 
Republican  clubs.  He  was  married  October  5, 
1 88 1,  to  Caroline  E  Smith  of  Bridgeport.  There 
have  been  born  to  them  three  children :  John 
Taylor,  Francis  Thacher  (deceased),  and  Edward 
Constant  Roberts. 


ROOD,  David  Alonzo,  proprietor  of  the  LTnited 
States  Hotel,  Hartford,  was  born  in  Sheffield,  Mas- 
sachusetts, September  28,  181 7,  son  of  David  and 


MKN    OF    I'ROC.RI'ISS. 


59 


Salome  (Partridcje)  Rood,  of  Canaan,  Connecticut. 
He  was  educated  in  the  common  schools  of  Siief- 
field,  where  he  remained  and  worked  upon  llie 
farm  until  he  was  twenty-one  years  old.  His  first 
business  venture  was  in  1S45,  as  proprietor  of  a 
hotel  in  New  Hartford.  Two  years  later  he  took 
charge  of  the  Connecticut  Hotel,  Hartford,  and 
this  he  sold  in  1849.  In  185 1  he  bought  the 
Eagle  House,  Hartford,  which  in  1855  he  enlarged 
and  changed  to  the  Trumbull  House.  He  thus 
continued  until  1865,  when  he  took  a  lease  of  the 
United  States  Hotel  which  was  an  adjoining  build- 
ing.    In    1867  he  bought  out   the   Trumhull  House 


D.    A.    ROOD. 

and  two  years  later  connected  them  together,  since 
which  time  the  name  Trumbull  has  been  dropped 
and  the  whole  known  as  the  Ignited  States  Hotel. 
Few  hotels  in  New  England  are  more  widely  and 
favorably  known.  With  one  or  two  breaks  of 
greater  or  less  length,  Mr.  Rood  has  retained  the 
management,  and  he  is  now  the  oldest  active  hotel 
proprietor  in  the  state,  both  in  age  and  years  of 
service.  He  has  been  a  hotel  proprietor  since 
1845,  ^"d  proprietor  of  the  United  States  Hotel  for 
forty-two  years.  He  was  also  proprietor  of  Fen- 
wick  Hall,  Saybrook,  for  five  years,  and  of  the 
Manhassett  Hotel,  Shelter  Island,  New  York,  for 
one    year.     He    leased    the  ground    tloor   of    the 


Trumbull  House  jiroperty,  bought  in  1867,  to  the 
l*'irst  National  liank,  who  in  1S97  tore  down  the  old 
building,  and  erected  a  large  banking  house  on  the 
site.  He  was  connected  with  the  First  Regiment 
of  the  Connecticut  National  Guard,  and  served  as 
its  Lieutenant-Colonel  for  three  years.  He  is  an 
incorporator  and  Director  of  the  Dime  Savings 
i5ank.  He  was  a  police  commissioner  for  ten  years 
and  has  been  Treasurer  of  the  First  School  District 
for  fourteen  years.  He  is  a  member  of  the  Repub- 
lican Club.  Mr.  Rood  has  been  twice  married. 
His  first  wife  was  Maria  Woodford  of  Avon,  Con- 
necticut, who  died  June  23,  1S83.  Three  children 
were  born  to  them  :  Frank  D.,  born  December  1 7, 
1S51  ;  Arthur  W.,  born  July  g,  1853;  and  Emma 
L.,  born  September  27,  1864.  He  was  married  a 
second  time,  September  10,  1884,  to  Abbie  F., 
daughter  of  Sanford  Carroll  of  Dedham,  Massa- 
chusetts. 


ROOT,  Joseph  Edvv.4rd,  B.  S.,  M.  D.,  Alienist 
and  Author,  Hartford,  was  born  in  Greenwich,  Mas- 
sachusetts, March  4,  1854,  son  of  Thomas  Pitkin 
and  Seraph  Marsh  (Haynes)  Root.  His  father  is  a 
prominent  citizen  of  Barre,  Massachusetts,  and  has 
represented  his  town  and  district  in  the  State  Sen- 
ate and  House.  Dr.  Root  is  a  grandson  of  John 
Root,  of  Greenwich,  Massachusetts,  and  a  great- 
grandson  of  Josejih  Root  of  Somers,  Connecticut, 
who  was  a  soldier  of  the  Revolutionary  War  for 
four  years  and  took  part  in  the  Battle  of  Bunker 
Hill,  and  in  Arnold's  Expedition  to  Quebec  as  a 
member  of  the  Fifth  Company  of  the  Twentieth 
Connecticut  Regiment.  F"roni  this  Revolutionary 
ancestor  the  line  runs  back  to  Timothy  Root,  one 
of  the  founders  of  the  town  of  Somers,  and  who 
built  the  Root  House  on  the  mountain  at  Somers, 
which  served  as  a  house  of  worship  until  the  first 
meeting-house  was  erected.  F>om  the  last  named 
the  line  runs  back  to  Thomas  Root  of  Westfield, 
Massachusetts,  and  from  him  to  John  Root,  who  was 
one  of  the  followers  of  Hooker  in  1633  and  in  1640 
became  the  first  settler  of  the  town  of  Farmington, 
Connecticut.  The  subject  of  this  sketch  attended 
school  from  i860  to  1868  in  District  School  Num- 
ber 8,  Barre,  Massachusetts,  and  the  four  succeed- 
ing years  at  the  Barre  High  School.  He  received 
the  degree  of  B.  S.  from  the  Massachusetts  State 
College  at  Amherst  in  1876  and  in  the  same  year 
a  like  degree  from  Boston  University.  He  studied 
medicine  at  the  College  of  Physicians  and  Surgeons, 


6o 


MEN   OF    PROCtRF.SS. 


New  York,  where  he  was  graduated  in  1883.  At 
Amherst  he  was  one  of  the  Farnsworth  Prize  speak- 
ers in  his  Freslimau  and  Sophomore  years,  and  a 
Commencement  speaker  at  graduation.  His  early 
life  was  spent  on  the  Hillside  farm  at  Barre,  Mas- 
sachusetts. During  his  college  course  he  taught 
school  two  winters  at  Barre  Plains,  and  after  gradu- 
ating he  entered  Dr.  Brown's  Institute  at  Barre, 
remaining  till  the  spring  of  1S79  when  he  was  en- 
gaged at  the  Walnut  Hill  Asylum,  Hartford.  On 
receiving  his  medical  diploma  he  was  made  .Assis- 
tant Physician  at  the  Ketreat  for  the  Insane,  Hart- 
ford, where  he  remained  until  he  began  the  general 


JOS.   E.   ROOT, 

practice  of  medicine  at  Hartford,  August  20,  1884. 
In  1885  he  helped  to  re-organize  the  Hartford  Dis- 
pensary of  which  he  has  been  Secretary  and  Treas- 
urer since  its  re-organization.  He  has  also  been 
Chief  of  the  Department  of  General  Medicine  and 
Nervous  Diseases  at  the  Dispensary.  He  has  been 
appointed  on  many  commissions  of  lunacy  by  Gov- 
ernors Harrison  and  Morris,  was  a  delegate  for  the 
Connecticut  Medical  Society  to  the  meetings  of  the 
American  Medical  .Association  from  1889  to  1894 
and  as  such  attended  the  meetings  held  respectively 
at  Newport,  Rhode  Island,  Washington,  D.  C, 
Milwaukee,  Wisconsin,    and   San  Francisco,    Cali- 


fornia. In  April  1891  he  was  elected  Secretary  of 
the  Hartford  Medical  Association,  which  office  he 
held  until  .\\m\  1894.  During  his  term  of  office 
much  of  the  responsibility  pertaining  to  the  Centen- 
nial Celebration  of  the  Association  devolved  upon 
him,  and  he  also  delivered  the  historical  address. 
In  1896  he  was  appointed  Surgeon  on  Major  War- 
ren's Staff  of  the  First  Company  Governor's  Horse 
Guards,  which  rank  he  now  holds.  In  1895  he 
was  elected  a  member  of  the  Board  of  Physicians 
and  Surgeons  to  the  Masonic  Home  at  Wallingford, 
Connecticut ;  in  1896  was  made  its  President  and  in 
1897  was  chosen  Chairman  of  the  Building  Commit- 
tee for  the  new  Masonic  Hospital.  Dr.  Root  was 
appointed  medical  examiner  for  the  Massachusetts 
Mutual  Life  Insurance  Company  in  1894,  The  Mutual 
Reserve  of  New  York  in  1890,  and  the  "  Home 
Circle  "  in  1895,  which  positions  he  now  holds.  He 
is  a  member  of  the  Franklin  and  Hartford  Rifle  clubs 
and  Vice-President  of  the  latter.  He  is  a  member 
of  the  New  York  Alumni  Association  of  the  Massa- 
chusetts Agricultural  College  and  was  elected  Presi- 
dent in  1896.  He  is  a  member  of  the  Hartford 
(City),  State  and  County  Medical  Societies  and  the 
American  Medical  Association.  He  belongs  to  the 
Pearl  Street  Congregational  Church  and  to  the 
Hartford  Scientific  Society.  He  is  both  a  York 
and  a  Scottish  rite  Mason  and  a  member  of  the  fol- 
lowing bodies  :  St.  John's  Lodge  No.  4,  Pythagoras 
Chapter  No,  17,  Wolcott  Council  No.  i,  Washington 
Commandery  No.  i.  Charter  Oak  Lodge  of  Perfec- 
tion, Princes  of  Jerusalem,  Rose  Croix,  Connecticut 
Consistory  Thirty-Second  Degree,  Norwich,  and 
Sphinx  Temple  of  the  Mystic  Shrine.  He  also 
belongs  to  the  Masonic  Club  and  the  Sons  of  the 
American  Revolution,  and  on  December  6, 1890,  was 
made  a  fellow  of  the  Society  of  Arts,  Literature  and 
Science  of  London  with  the  title  of  F.  S.  C.  His 
work  as  an  alienist  and  author  has  given  him  a 
wide  and  well  deserved  prominence.  He  is  the 
author  of  the  following  works  :  "  Early  Discovery  of 
America  by  the  Norseman  "  ;  "  Hunting  Trip  in  the 
Rocky  Mountains  "  (lecture)  ;  and  these  medical 
treatises:  "Epilepsy";  "Essay  on  Electricity  in 
Nervous  Diseases  "  ;  "  .Arteritis  of  the  Brain  "  ;  "  Hy- 
giene of  School  Life  "  ;  "  Electricity  in  Diseases  of 
Women  "  ;  and  "  Centennial  History  of  Hartford 
County  Medical  Association."  In  politics  he  is  a 
Republican  and  deeply  interested  in  good  govern- 
ment but  has  declined  to  run  for  office  of  any  kind. 
He  was  married  March  4,  1885,  to  Ella  Goodman 
Moseley  of  Hartford. 


Mi:\    oi'    I'KOGRF.SS. 


6i 


ROOT,    Cn.\Ri.i.:s   Georcf,    Lawyer,    Waterlniry,  ;,o,    iSSo;    Josephine,     born     October    18,    1S92  ; 

Connecticut,  was  born  in  Naiigaluck,  ronnccticut,  Reuben  Howard,  born  August  4,  1887;  and  Helen 

August  13,  1855.      His  parents  were  i\euben  H.  and  Root,  born  March  30,  1896. 
Laura  (Penfield)  Root.    Llis  paternal  ancestors  came 

from   i'lngland  in  i6',7  and  settled  at   l'"armington,  —  •    

SAGE,  Wii.i.iA.M  Hknrv,  M.  D.,  New  Haven, 
was  born  in  Sandisfield,  ^L^ssachusetts,  March  15, 
iSic,.  His  parents  were  Josiah  H.  and  Eliza- 
beth (Cone)  Sage.  His  early  education  was  ob- 
tained in  the  common  schools  and  at  Westfield 
Academy.  He  studied  medicine  at  the  Vale  Med- 
ical School,  where  he  was  graduated  in  1849.  In 
that  year  he  began  the  practice  of  medicine  at 
I'nionville,  in  the  town  of  Farmington,  where  he 
remained  lor  twenty  five  years.  In  1857  he  adopted 
the  principles  of  medicine  as  taught  by  Hahnemann. 
He  removed  to  New  Haven  in  1874,  and  has  con- 
tinued   the   practice  of  his  profession  in  that  city 


CHAS.  G.    KOOT. 

Connecticut.  After  attending  schools  in  Springfield, 
Massachusetts,  and  Waterbury,  Connecticut,  he  was 
Assistant  Librarian  in  the  Bronson  Library  at  Wa- 
terbury. In  1877  he  ^^^s  graduated  from  the  Yale  Law 
School  and  was  admitted  to  the  Bar  in  New  Haven 
the  same  year.  In  i8gi  he  was  member  of  the 
Legislature  from  Waterbury  and  served  as  member 
of  the  Judiciary  Committee.  In  1 893  he  was  Senator 
from  the  Eifth  District,  and  was  Chairman  of  the 
Committee  on  Roads  and  Bridges,  and  a  member 
of  the  Special  State  Prison  Committee.  In  politics 
he  is  a  Dei^iocrat,  and  in  1896  went  as  a  gold 
Democrat  delegate  to  the  Indianajjolis  Convention. 
Since  1893  he  has  been  Judge  of  the  Police  Court  of 
Waterbury  and  Deputy  Judge  of  the  District  Court 
of  Waterbury.  He  is  a  member  of  the  Reform  Club 
of  New  York,  also  of  the  American  Academy  of 
Political  and  Social  Science  of  Philadelphia.  He 
married  Carrie  M.  Chapin  of  Bristol,  Connecticut, 
February  2,  1880,  and  to  them  have  been  born  the 
following  children  :   Mabel    F.  C,  born   November 


WM.   H.   SAGE. 

since  that  time.  He  is  a  senior  member  of  the  Amer- 
ican Institute  of  Homiuopathy  and  a  Director  of, 
and  a("onsulting  Physician  to  Grace  Hospital.  He 
was  married  in  1851,  to  I'^lizabeth  \'.  Pinney,  of 
Farmington,  Connt'c  ticul.  'I'liey  have  had  two 
sons:  i-'rederick  11.  (deceased)  anil  Henry  P.  Sage, 
M.  D.,  New  Haven,  Connecticut. 


MEN    Ol'    I'ROCJRKSS. 


SAN  FORI"),  Davio  Coi.f.v,  F.ngineer  of  the  Shell 
Fish  Commission  of  Connecticut,  and  Oyster  Ex- 
pert, New  Haven,  Connecticut,  was  born  in  Red- 
ding, Connecticut,  August  21,  1849,  son  of  George 
A.  and  Caroline  S.  (  Hanks)  Sanford.     He  was  edu- 


at  Bridgeport,  South  Norwalk,  Danbury  and  else- 
where, and  has  frequently  been  called  to  different 
states  when  his  advice  as  an  expert  on  oyster  culti- 
vation was  required.  He  is  a  member  of  the 
Republican  League,  the  Young  Men's  Republican 
Club,  the  New  Haven  Chamber  of  Commerce,  the 
Pequot  Club,  and  in  1885  was  elected  a  member  of 
the  American  Society  of  Engineers.  His  politics 
are  Republican,  but  he  has  never  sought  a  political 
office.  He  was  married  October  11,  1874,  to  Mary 
A.  Mitchell.     They  have  no  children. 


SKINNER,  Clarence  Edward,  M.  D.,  New 
Haven,  was  born  in  New  Haven,  June  8,  1868,  son 
of  William  Joseph  and  Cecelia  Eliza  (Hoggan)  Skin- 
ner. On  his  father's  side  his  ancestors  were  Eng- 
lish, on  his  mother's  Scotch.  His  early  education 
was   received   in   the    public    schools  at   Westville, 


DAVID   C.    SANFORD. 

cated  in  the  district  schools,  and  at  Redding  Ridge 
Academy.  He  acted  as  Assistant  Engineer  on  the 
New  Haven  City  Sewerage  from  January  23,  1S71, 
to  October  1879.  During  the  succeeding  year  he 
was  occupied  in  making  surveys  and  specifications 
for  the  Wallingford  Water  Works,  and  ran  all  the 
grades  and  lines  on  the  construction,  and  the  maps 
for  the  sewerage  system.  From  January  1881  to 
September  1888,  he  was  Field  Engineer  for  the 
Connecticut  Shell  Fish  Commission,  and  for  the 
succeeding  four  years  acted  as  their  (General  Engi- 
neer. At  the  present  time  he  is  City  Engineer  of 
Ansonia,  Engineer  of  the  Shell  Fisli  Commission, 
and  Secretary  of  the  Connecticut  Oyster  Growers' 
Association,  and  Clerk  of  its  Committee  on  Legis- 
lation. He  is  an  expert  on  the  oyster,  its  habits 
and  enemies,  and  has  deceived  repeated  invitations 
to  visit  Germany  to  determine  the  cause  of  the 
extinction  of  the  oyster  in  Cierman  waters.  As 
Engineer  of  the  Shell  Fish  Commission,  he  had 
charge  of  determining  the  bounds  of  the  oyster 
beds  in  the  Sound.     He  has  lectured  on  the  oyster 


CLARENCE   E.    SKINNER. 

Connecticut,  and  at  the  Commercial  and  Collegi- 
ate Institute  at  New  Haven.  He  studied  medicine 
at  the  Yale  Medical  School,  and  was  graduated  with 
the  class  of  1891.  At  his  graduation  from  the 
Medical  School  the  prize  for  the  best  graduation 
thesis  was  equally  divided  between  himself  and  a 
classmate,  Reuben  Lockhart,  his  subject  being  "  The 


MICN    (»!•■    PKOCRKSS. 


63 


Microscopical  Differentiation  of  the  Hair  of  Man 
from  that  of  Lower  Animals."  He  began  the  prac- 
tice of  medicine  at  New  Haven  July  i,  1891,  where 
he  still  continues.  After  graduation  he  was  Resident 
Physician  at  the  Springside  Home,  and  is  a  contrib- 
utor to  medical  journals.  He  is  a  member  of  the 
County  and  State  Medical  Societies,  the  Yale  Medi- 
cal Society,  and  the  New  liaven  Colony  Historical 
Society.  In  politics  he  is  an  Independent.  He 
was  married  December  31,  1896,  to  Edith  Hart 
Hotchkiss  of  New  Haven. 


SMITH,    Edward   Weir,  M.   D.,  Meriden,    was 
born  in  Meriden,  October   17,  1854,  son  of    David 


he  took  a  prominent  jiart  in  athletics,  playing  on 
both  the  University  Foot  Ball  and  Base  Ball  teams. 
After  leaving  New  Haven  he  spent  one  season  in 
teaching  school  at  Yalesville,  and  then  began  a  two 
years'  course  of  study  at  the  McGill  Medical  School, 
Montreal,  Canada,  taking  his  degree  in  1882.  He 
immediately  settled  in  Meriden,  where  he  has  con- 
tinued in  the  practice  of  his  profession  until  the 
present  time.  He  is  a  member  of  the  Home  Club, 
Meriden,  and  of  the  Meriden,  the  County,  and  the 
State  medical  societies.  He  was  married  October 
14,  1885,  to  Helen  Bethia  Rice.  They  have  two 
children  :  Marion  R.,  born  June  26,  1887,  and 
David  P.  Smith,  born  May  6,  1889. 


EDWARD  W.    SMITH. 

Smith  and  Fidelia  Augusta  (Parker)  Smith.  His 
parents  were  of  old  New  England  Revolutionary 
stock,  three  of  his  grandfathers,  namely,  Lieutenant 
Jacob  Smith,  Jesse  Hall  and  Daniel  Parker,  having 
served  in  the  Revolutionary  War.  The  Smith  fam- 
ily came  from  Litchfield  county  and  the  Parkers 
from  New  Haven,  dating  back  to  about  1640.  He 
was  educated  in  the  district  schools  of  Meriden  and 
at  the  Hopkins  Crammar  School,  New  Haven,  from 
which  school  he  entered  Yale,  graduating  from  the 
Academic  Department  in  1878.  The  next  year  he 
spent  at  the  Yale  Medical  School.     While  in  college 


SMITH,  Herbert  Eugene,  Dean  of  the  Yale 
Medical  School,  New  Haven,  was  born  in  Hartford, 
Connecticut,  October  21,  1857,  son  of  Henry  H. 
and  Mary  B.  (Morgan)  Smith.     His  father's  family 


HERBERT   E.   SMITH. 

were  farmers  in  New  Haven  county.  His  mother 
was  a  Morgan,  the  honorable  record  of  whose  ances- 
tors are  recorded  in  the  Morgan  Genealogy.  Dr. 
Smith  received  his  early  education  at  the  South 
District  School  and  at  the  High  School  at  Hartford 
where  he  was  graduated  in  1876.  He  next  entered 
the  Shefifield  Scientific  School  of    \'ale    I'niversity 


64 


MEN   OF   PROC.RESS 


where  he  took  the  degree  of  Ph.  B.  in  1879.     His 
medical  edu.alion  was  obtained  with  one  year  at 
the    Vale    Meilical   School,  and  a  subsequent  two 
years  at  the  Medical  Department  of  the  University 
of  Pennsylvania   where   he   gained   his   degree   of 
M.  1>.  in   1.S82.     In  the  same  year  he  was  made 
lecturer  on  Chemistry  at  the  Yale  Medical  School. 
Three  years  later  he  was  promoted  to  his  present 
jwsilions  of   Professor   of   Chemistry   in   the   Yale 
Medical  School,  and  Dean  of  the  Medical  Faculty 
of  Yale  University.     Dr.  Smith's  advancement  has 
been  rapid  and   well   deserved,   and   the    Medical 
Department  under  his  charge  has  largely  increased 
in    numbers    and    usefulness.      Dr.    Smith    is   the 
Chemist  of  the  State  Board  of  Health,  Chemist  of 
the  New  Haven  Hospital  and  one  of  the  Connec- 
ticut   State    Chemists.     He   is   a   member   of  the 
American    Physiological     Society,    the    American 
Chemical  Society,  and  of  the  City  and  State  Medi- 
cal Societies.     He   also  belongs  to   the  Graduates 
Club  of  New  Haven.     In  politics  he  is  a  Republi- 
can.    He  was  married    in    Philadelphia  June    30, 
1885,  to    Emily   Scull    Dinnin.     They   have    three 
children  :  Emily,  Mary  and  Elizabeth  Smith. 


at  the  public  school  or  village  academy.  He  might 
have  lived  and  died  a  farmer  but  for  a  sunstroke 
while  working  in  the  field,  the  effects  of  which  com- 
pelled him  to  give  up  farming.  For  three  years  he 
filled  a  clerkship  in  the  stores  of  his  native  town 
and  in  Westbrook.  This  was  the  stepping  stone  to 
his  subsequent  advancement.  He  next  entered  the 
employ  of  L.  L.  Bishop  of  New  Haven,  as  travel- 
ling salesman,  and  soon  acquired  a  reputation  as 
an  energetic  and  capable  salesman  that  extended 
beyond  the  limits  of  his  own  state.  In  1853, 
Moulton,  Plympton,  Williams  &  Company,  one  of 
the  leading  wholesale  drygoods  firms  of  New  York, 


SPI':NCER,  Daniel  Chapman,  of  Old  Saybrook, 
and  formerly  with  H.  B.  Claflin  &  Company  of 
New  York,  was  born  in  Saybrook,  December  3, 
1823,  son  of  David  and  Rachel  (Bushneli)  Spencer. 
His  mother  was  the  daughter  of  Asa  Bushneli  of 
Westbrook,  a  descendant  of  one  of  the  first  settlers 
under  the  Fenwick  patent.  The  Spencer  family 
trace  their  descent  back  to  Robert  de  Spenser,  who 
was  steward  or  "  dispenser  of  the  King's  bounty  " 
under  William  the  Conqueror.  The  American 
ancestor  was  Jared  Spencer,  who  came  to  this 
country  about  1634  and  settled  first  at  what  is  now 
Cambridge,  Massachusetts,  and  in  1662  removed  to 
Haddam,  Connecticut,  from  which  place  Thomas, 
his  son,  removed  to  Pochaug,  now  Westbrook,  in 
1685.  The  descendants  of  Thomas  were  mostly 
farmers,  but  David,  the  father  of  Daniel  C.,  was  a 
farmer,  mason  and  blacksmith.  He  was  born  in 
Westbrook,  but  removed  early  in  life  to  that  part  of 
the  town  of  Saybrook,  known  as  Oyster  River. 
There  Daniel  C  Spencer,  the  eighth  of  eleven 
children  was  born.  He  attended  the  public  schools 
until  his  ninth  year  when  he  went  to  work  on  his 
father's  farm,  where  he  continued  until  he  was 
twenty-two  years  old,  attending  school  in  the  winter 


D.  C.  SPENCER. 

heard  of  him,  and,  after  a  brief  personal  interview, 
offered  him  the  entire  charge  of  their  fancy  goods 
department.  He  was  fearful  they  had  overesti- 
mated his  ability  and  was  reluctant  to  accept  the 
position,  but  so  anxious  were  they  to  secure  his  ser- 
vices that  they  at  once  gave  him  a  check  to  pur- 
chase the  unexpired  time  of  his  contract  from  his 
employer.  He  remained  with  the  new  firm  for  two 
years,  until  their  failure,  and  so  pleased  were  they 
with  his  mangement  of  their  affairs  that  Mr.  Moul- 
ton, one  of  the  firm,  prepared  the  vi'ay  for  his 
entrance  into  the  house  of  Claflin,  Mellen  &  Com- 
pany, then  the  second  largest  drygoods  house  in 
the  United  States.     They  were  then  located  in  the 


MEN    OK    PROGRESS. 


65 


Trinity  IJuilding,  111  liroadway,  and  were  contem- 
plating the  opening  of  a  notion  department.  Mr. 
Spencer  offered  to  take  charge  of  it  for  one  year 
without  compensation.  Mr.  Clallin  declined  the 
offer,  and  insisted  on  paying  him  a  salary  with  the 
promise  of  further  compensation  at  the  end  of  the 
year  should  the  venture  prove  successful.  'I'he 
department  was  limited  to  a  small  space  in  the 
basement;  but  Mr.  Spencer  at  once  devoted  his 
whole  energies  to  the  business,  and  at  the  end  of 
the  year  his  purchases  and  sales  had  nearly  equalled 
those  of  other  departments  long  established.  The 
balance  sheet  was  so  satisfactory  to  Mr.  Claflin  that 
he  ga\e  Mr.  Spencer  a  check  for  one  thousand 
dollars  in  addition  to  his  salary.  The  engagement 
was  renewed  on  the  basis  of  a  percentage  of  the 
profits,  and  so  rapidly  did  the  business  increase 
that  the  firm  was  compelled  to  change  their  quarters 
for  the  purpose  of  increasing  their  facilities.  They 
purchased  a  site  on  the  corner  of  Church  and  Worth 
streets,  extending  through  to  West  Broadway  and 
covering  nearly  an  acre  of  ground,  on  which  they 
erected  a  six-story  building.  The  notion  depart- 
ment under  Mr.  Spencer's  management,  covered  a 
large  portion  of  the  third  and  fifth  floors.  To 
handle  the  immense  quantities  of  goods  recjuired 
the  aid  of  forty  clerks,  and  the  control  of  the  busi- 
ness required  great  powers  of  combination  and 
organization  together  with  a  strong  will  and  a 
decision  of  character.  During  Mr.  Spencer's  con- 
nection with  the  business,  the  house  rose  from  the 
second  largest  to  the  largest  drygoods  house  in  the 
United  States,  the  sales  exceeding  those  of  its  dis- 
tinguished rival  by  several  millions  of  dollars.  The 
strain,  however,  proved  too  great  for  his  powers  of 
endurance,  and  in  the  fall  of  1867  he  broke  down 
completely  and  was  compelled  to  give  up  business. 
Though  urged  by  Mr.  Claflin  to  continue  his  con- 
nection with  the  house,  taking  as  much  time  as  he 
chose  for  recuperation  and  rest,  he  felt  that  this 
would  be  impossible  so  long  as  the  care  and  respon- 
sibility rested  upon  him.  He,  therefore,  severed 
his  connection  with  the  firm  on  January  i,  1868, 
and  determined  to  spend  the  remainder  of  his  days, 
which  he  then  thought  were  few,  in  retirement  and 
rest.  Soon  after  it  became  known  he  was  to  retire, 
a  most  touching  scene  awaited  him  which  is  thus 
described  in  the  New  York  Tribune  :  "  Mr.  1).  C. 
Spencer,  for  many  years  past,  the  genial  and  able 
manager  of  the  fancy  goods  department  of  H.  B. 
Claflin  &  Company,  having  been  obliged,  on 
account  of   ill  health,  to  retire  from    business,  his 


kill,'  employees,  headed  by  his  efficient  successor, 
Mr.  James  H.  Day,  presented  Mr.  Spencer  with 
a  superb  silver  service  of  the  richest,  yet  most 
chaste,  workmanship,  contained  in  a  truly  elegant 
black  walnut  case.  Each  jjiece  of  the  service  bears 
the  following  inscription :  '  Presented  to  D.  C. 
Spencer,  by  his  late  emjiloyecs,  on  his  retiring 
from  business,  January  i,  1S68.'  Accompanying 
the  service  was  a  very  handsome  card,  thirty- 
six  by  forty  inches,  incased  in  a  heavy  gilt  frame, 
on  which  is  a  photograph  of  the  house  of  Claflin 
&  Company,  and  one  of  each  of  the  donors." 
The  gift  was  also  accompanied  by  the  expression 
of  their  highest  esteem  for  their  employer  and 
their  heartfelt  regret  at  the  parting.  To  these 
costly  testimonials  of  the  regard  of  his  late  em- 
ployees, Mr.  Spencer  replied  in  a  characteristic 
but  appropriate  letter.  The  event  is  still  a  most 
treasured  memory  and  served  as  a  most  fitting 
ending  to  his  mercantile  career.  He  had  previ- 
ously purchased  a  number  of  acres  contiguous  to 
the  old  homestead  in  Saybrook,  known  as  the 
Chalker  farm.  Here  he  retired  to  spend  his  days, 
'i'he  old  place  was  enlarged  and  improved,  the 
meadows  were  turned  into  cranberry  patches  on 
which  he  spent  thousands  of  dollars,  and  amid 
these  surroundings  he  soon  regained  his  health  and 
energies.  He  purchased  one  hundred  acres  of 
land  at  Guard  House  Point  and  in  connection  with 
John  F.  and  R.  M.  Bushnell,  purchased  two  hun- 
dred and  fifty  acres  of  what  was  known  as  the 
Lynde  farm,  originally  a  part  of  the  Fenwick 
estate.  This  property  was  sold  to  the  New  Say- 
brook  Company  in  which  he  became  a  Director. 
The  property  was  divided  and  sold  for  building  lots 
for  summer  residences.  In  this  work,  and  in  the 
erection  of  the  hotel  known  as  Fenwick  Hall,  he 
took  an  active  part.  He  was  one  of  the  pioneers 
of  the  Valley  Railroad,  was  instrumental  in  securing 
the  present  location  as  the  terminus  of  the  road, 
and  was  for  many  years  a  Director.  He  has  been 
twice  chosen  to  represent  the  town  in  the  Legisla- 
ture, in  1885,  when  he  was  Chairman  of  the  Library 
Committee,  and  in  1886  when  he  served  on  the 
Railroad  Committee,  and  he  was  also  a  Director  in 
the  Deep  River  National  Bank  for  many  years, 
besides  serving  at  various  times  as  Town  Auditor  of 
Accounts  and  United  States  Grand  Juror.  Mr. 
Spencer  is  a  life  member  of  the  Connecticut 
Humane  Society  and  of  the  Acton  Library.  While 
in  New  ^'ork  he  was  a  member  of  St.  Timothy's 
Episcopal  Church,  and  held  the  offices  of  Treasurer, 


66 


MEN   OF    PROGRESS. 


Vestryman  and  Warilcn.  On  loiuing  again  to  Say- 
brook  he  joined  the  (".race  Episcopal  Church,  and 
was  largely  instrumental  in  the  erection  of  its 
beautiful  stone  building,  and  was  one  of  the  most 
liberal  contributors  to  its  building  fund.  For  the 
last  thirty  years  he  has  held  the  several  offices  of 
Clerk,  Treasurer  and  Vestryman,  and  at  the  present 
time  is  Senior  Warden.  He  was  married  October 
12,  1S51,  to  Emily  Maria  Stokes,  of  Westbrook, 
daughter  of  William  Stokes,  a  volunteer  of  the  War 
of  1812,  and  one  of  the  brave  men  who  shouldered 
the  musket,  and  intercepted  the  retreating  British 
troo])s  after  the  burning  of  Essex,  in  1814.  The 
following  children  have  been  born  to  them  :  William 
David,  M.  D.,  born  in  1852;  Ella  Maria,  born  in 
1S56,  wifeof  B.  W.  Leonard;  Daniel  Stokes,  born 
in  i860;  Grace  Emily,  born  in  1861,  wife  of  John 
Clayton  Wood ;  George  Jarvis,  born  in  1866,  died 
in  1892  ;  Edmund  Chapman,  born  in  1869,  married 
Florence  J.  Burr;  Frederick  Clarence,  born  in 
1870,  and  Henry  Russell  Spencer,  born  in  1875, 
died  in  1876.     Mrs.  Spencer  died  October  5,  1895. 


of  home  guards  organized  in  anticipation  of  an 
invasion  by  General  Sibley  from  Texas.  On  May 
15,  1862,  he  enlisted  in  the  Second  Colorado 
Cavalry,  together  with  many  other  members  of  the 
home  guard.  When  the  regiment  was  mustered 
into  service  January  10,  1S63,  he  was  promoted  to 
the  rank  of  First  Lieutenant.  The  regiment  was  in 
service  in  1862  in  W^estern  Kansas  and  Colorado, 
in  1863  in  Northwestern  Arkansas  and  the  Arkan- 
sas frontier,  and  in  1864  in  the  guerrilla  warfare 
along  the  Kansas  and  Missouri  border.  He  was 
wounded  October  21,  1864,  in  the  battle  of  Little 
Blue,    Missouri,  and    while  recovering   was  absent 


SPENCER,  Frederick  Albert,  Real  Estate 
Dealer,  was  born  in  Waterbur\',  Connecticut, 
November  7,  1833,  son  of  Willard  and  Marcia 
(Burton)  Spencer.  His  ancestors  on  both  sides 
came  to  this  country  about  1633.  The  Spencers 
came  originally  from  County  Bedford,  England. 
Frederick  Albert  Spencer  is  seventh  in  descent 
from  Gerard  Spencer,  who  on  coming  to  this 
country  settled  at  Cambridge,  Massachusetts,  mov- 
ing from  there  to  Lynn,  Massachusetts,  and  from 
there  to  Haddam,  Connecticut.  Young  Spencer 
was  educated  at  the  public  schools,  and  at  the 
Waterbury  Academy,  and  the  Williston  Seminary, 
at  Easthampton,  Massachusetts.  He  pursued  his 
studies  with  reference  to  the  profession  of  Civil  Engi- 
neer and  after  leaving  school  was  engaged  with  the 
Waterbury  Brass  Company,  and  then  with  Holmes, 
Booth  &  Haydens,  as  shipping  clerk  and  time- 
keeper. With  the  exception  of  from  1858  to  the 
close  of  the  War,  he  has  always  lived  in  Waterbury. 
For  a  part  of  this  time  he  was  engaged  in  civil 
engineering  and  mining  in  Kansas  and  Colorado. 
His  military  service  began  in  April  1856,  when  he 
joined  the  Waterbury  Company  of  those  days.  Com- 
pany H  of  the  Second  Regiment,  of  which  he  was 
Sergeant  when  he  left  Waterbury  in  1858.  In 
Colorado  in  1861-62,  he  was  captain  of  a  company 


F.  A.   SPENCER. 

from  his  command  the  only  time  during  his  service. 
About  January  i,  1865,  the  regiment  went  out 
on  to  the  plains  and  was  in  service  among  the 
Indians  until  mustered  out  September  23,  1865. 
His  military  record  is  that  of  a  gallant  soldier.  In 
March  1876,  he  was  appointed  by  Colonel  Stephen 
R.  Smith,  paymaster  of  the  Second  Regiment, 
Connecticut  National  Guard,  and  in  March  1877, 
was  elected  Captain  of  Company  A  of  that  Regi- 
ment. In  May  1882,  he  was  promoted  to  the  rank 
of  Major  and  inspector  of  rifle-practice  on  the  staff 
of  Brigadier-General  S.  R.  Smith,  which  office  he 
resigned  in  1885.  After  the  w-ar  he  returned  to 
Waterbury  and    renewed    his  connection   with  the 


Ml'.N    Ol 


'R  OCR  ESS. 


67 


VVaterbury  lirass  Company  with  wliom  he  continued 
for  six  years.  He  then  gave  up  other  occupations 
in  order  to  assist  his  father,  then  old  and  infirm,  in 
the  charge  of  his  affairs.  He  became  a  Director 
and  Vice- President  of  the  I3ime  Savings  Bank  soon 
after  its  origination  and  has  been  a  member  of  its 
appraisal  and  loan  committee  for  fifteen  years. 
He  has  been  a  member  of  the  Common  Council, 
was  twice  Assessor  of  Waterbury,  was  a  member  of 
the  first  Board  of  Police  Commissioners,  one  of  the 
Engineers  of  the  Fire  Department,  member  of  the 
Board  of  Health,  member  of  the  Finance  Com- 
mittee of  the  Centre  School  district,  and  clerk  of 
the  Probate  Court.  By  appointment  of  Governor 
Morris  he  served  as  member  of  the  Board  of  State 
Prison  Directors,  acting  as  Chairman  of  the  Com- 
mittee on  Building  and  Repairs.  During  this 
service  which  lasted  from  July  i,  1893,  to  July  i, 
1895,  the  important  change  was  made  by  which 
General  S.  E.  Chamberlain  was  succeeded  as 
Warden  by  Colonel  J.  L  Woodbridge.  He  was 
appointed  Director  of  the  Connecticut  Reformatory 
by  Governor  Coffin,  July  9,  1895.  Mr.  Spencer  is 
a  prominent  member  of  the  Masonic  order.  He 
was  initiated  in  Harmony  Fodge  in  1855,  ^^i'^  ^'^^' 
sequently  became  a  Charter  Member  of  Continental 
Lodge  of  which  he  is  Trustee.  He  was  exalted  in 
Eureka  Chapter  April  23,  1856,  was  received  into 
\\'aterbury  Council  June  18,  1856,  and  made  Knight 
Templar  in  Clark  Commandery  Knight  Templars 
January  23,  1866,  he  being  the  first  one  knighted 
in  the  Commandery.  In  1870  he  served  as  Emi- 
nent Commander  of  this  Commandery,  and  again 
in  1892,  1893  and  1895.  On  January  29,  1874,  he 
became  a  member  of  Charter  Oak  Lodge  of  Per- 
fection, Ancient  Accepted  Scottish  Rite  of  Hart- 
ford, Connecticut,  and  in  1883  of  Hartford  Council, 
Princes  of  Jerusalem  and  Cyrus  Goodell  Chapter  of 
Rose  Croix.  He  is  also  a  member  of  Lafayette 
Consistory,  of  Bridgeport,  Connecticut,  and  of 
Mecca  Temple  of  the  Mystic  Shrine  of  New  York. 
On  March  21,  1S82,  he  received  the  appointment 
of  warder  of  the  Grand  Commandery  of  Knight  Tem- 
plars of  Connecticut,  and  was  regularly  advanced 
until  the  annual  Conclave  of  1S89,  when  he  was 
elected  Grand  Commander.  In  1894  he  was 
elected  Grand  Inspector  of  the  Grand  Commandery 
of  Connecticut  for  the  term  of  five  years.  He  is 
now  a  Thirty-third  Degree  Mason.  He  is  also  a 
member  of  the  Grand  Army  of  the  Republic,  the 
Improved  Order  of  Red  Men,  the  Waterbury  Club, 
the  Masonic  Club,  the  Connecticut  Society  of  Sons 


of  the  American  Re\ulutii>n,  and  of  the  Loyal 
Legion  and  United  Service  and  Reform  clubs  of 
New  York. 


SPERRN,  Makk  Leavenworth,  Secretary  of  the 
Scovill  Manufacturing  Company,  Waterbury,  Con- 
necticut, was  born  at  Waterbury,  October  23,  1842, 
son  of  Corydon  Stillman  and  Catherine  (Leaven- 
worth) Sperry,  of  old  New  luigland  stock,  the  one 
tracing  his  ancestry  to  Richard  Sjjcrry  and  the  other 
to  Thomas  Leavenworth,  both  members  of  the 
New  Haven  Colony,   and  both   dying  in  the  same 


M.    L.   SPERRY. 


year, 


168; 


The    subject   of    this   sketch,    Mark 


Leavenworth  Sperry,  received  a  common  school 
education  and  when  only  fifteen  began  his  business 
career,  starting  in  the  office  of  the  Waterbury  Knit- 
ting Company  in  1857.  He  remained  there  five 
years.  In  1862  he  became  connected  with  the 
Scovill  Manufacturing  Company,  and  has  remained 
in  the  same  business  to  the  present  time.  In  1869 
he  became  Secretary  of  the  Company,  in  1877  he 
accepted  a  place  on  the  Board  of  Directors,  both  of 
which  positions  he  still  holds.  From  1881  to  1894 
he  held  the  office  of  Secretary  in  the  VVaterbury 
Club,  and  in  1895  '^^  became  President  of  the  same 
Club,  which  office  he  still  holds.      He  was  married 


6S 


MEN    OF    PROGRESS. 


on  March  14,  1S7S,  to  Julia  Sherman  Porter,  and  to 
them  have  been  born  the  following  children  :  Ethel 
Leavenworth,  Leavenworth  Porter,  Ruth  Sherman, 
Roger  Sherman,  Evelyn  Stillnian,  and  Mark  Leaven- 
worth Sperr)',  Jr. 

STANNARD,    RouKin    Rissf.i.l,  Secretary   and 
Treasurer    of    Hlake    &   Johnson    (incorporated), 


R.    R.    STANNARD. 

Waterbury,  Connecticut,  was  born  at  Clinton,  Con- 
necticut, April  25,  1847.  His  parents  were  Russell 
and  Julia  (Roberts)  Stannard.  The  Stannards 
came  from  Staffordshire,  England,  about  1640,  and 
settled  in  Newburyport,  Massachusetts,  afterwards 
joinng  the  Saybrook  Colony.  The  subject  of  this 
sketch  received  his  education  in  the  Academy  at 
Clinton,  the  Hudson  River  Institute  at  Claverick, 
and  the  business  college  at  New  Haven.  In  1866 
he  entered  the  employ  of  T.  P.  Merwin  &  Co.,  Dry- 
goods  Dealers,  of  New  Haven,  as  bookkeeper  and 
cashier,  which  position  he  held  for  three  years.  In 
1869  he  went  to  Waterbury  to  take  the  position  of 
bookkeeper  with  Blake  &  Johnson,  Builders  of  Ma- 
chinery, Piano  and  Organ  Hardware,  etc.,  which 
position  he  held  until  1880.  He  was  elected  Secre- 
tary of  the  Company  in  1873,  and  in  1878  became 
a  Director.  After  holding  the  position  for  a  few 
weeks    of    temporary   Treasurer,   he    was    elected 


Treasurer  on  January  2,  1895,  and  still  holds  that 
office.  Mr.  Stannard  is  a  member  of  the  Water- 
bury Club.  In  politics  he  is  a  Republican.  He 
was  married  May  14,  1874,  to  Martha  Elizabeth 
Bryan,  daughter  of  Edward  Bryan  of  New  Haven. 
They  have  a  daughter :  Grace  Bryan  Stannard,  born 
May  8,  1876. 


SULLIVAN,  Daniel  P.,  Physician,  Hartford, 
was  born  in  Connecticut,  March  26,  1867,  son  of 
Daniel  J.  and  Bridget  Sullivan.  His  family  came 
from  Ireland  in  1840,  and  was  one  of  the  first  of 
the  Irish  Catholic  families  to  settle  in  Hartford. 
He  received  his  early  education  at  the  Hartford 
High  School  and  finished  classics  with  high  honors 
at  the  Niagara  University,  Suspension  Bridge,  New 
York,  from  which  University  he  was  graduated  in 
medicine  with  highest  honor  in  1891.  In  April  of 
the  same  year  he  began  the  practice  of  medicine  in 


DANIEL  F.   SULLIVAN. 

Hartford.  He  was  elected  Town  Physician  in  1892, 
and  served  two  terms,  was  also  elected  (Major) 
Surgeon  by  the  Connecticut  Hibernian  Rifles  in 
1894,  and  serves  at  the  present  time.  He  is  a  mem- 
ber of  the  Board  of  Government  of  the  Catholic 
Club  which  he  was  most  active  in  organizing.  He 
was  appointed  one  of  a  committee  of  three  to  organ- 


M1'',N    OV    l'K(  ICRKSS. 


69 


ize  the  new  St.  Francis  Hospital,  incorporated  in 
February  1897,  and  was  elected  Secretary  of  the 
Board  of  Incorporators.  He  was  married  on  No- 
vember 9,  1895,  to  Elizabeth  Ryan  of  Lonsdale, 
Rhode  Island. 


S'l'RANCi,  CiiN'rox  W'uii'.iir,  Dentist,  Bridgeport, 
was  born  in  Jefferson  \'alley,  Westchester  county, 
New  York,  November  7,  1844,  son  of  Nelson  and 
Julia  (Wright)  Strang.  Tiie  family  were  of  French 
Huguenot  extraction,  the  name  originally  being 
De  Lestrange.  The  first  ancestor  came  to  America 
about  1656  and  settled  at  New  Rochelle,  New  York, 


C.    W.   STRANG. 

later  moving  to  I'eekskill.  Since  the  marriage  of 
Dr.  Strang's  parents  in  1835  there  have  been  but 
two  deaths  in  the  immediate  families,  the  last  one 
occurring  when  Dr.  Strang  was  eight  years  old. 
Young  Strang  studied  at  Amenia  Seminary,  New 
York,  and  at  Wesleyan  Academy,  Wilbraham,  Mas- 
sachusetts, taking  a  thorough  course  in  mathematics 
and  civil  engineering.  He  tlien  turned  liis  atten- 
tion to  dentistry  and  entered  the  Pennsylvania  Col- 
lege of  Dental  Surgery  in  Philadelphia,  where  lie 
was  graduated  in  1867.  He  began  his  professional 
career  in  Bridgeport,  where  he  still  continues  to 
reside,  and  where  he  has  built  up  an  extensive  prac- 
tice.     Dr.  Strang  has  led  a  quiet  life,  but  lias  kej)! 


u|)  with  the  times  in  his  profession.  He  has  the 
confidence  and  esteem  of  his  fellow  townsmen  and 
professional  brethren,  as  well  as  of  the  members  of 
the  Methodist  I'^piscojial  Church,  of  which  he  is  an 
official.  He  is  an  Ex- President  of  the  Connecticut 
Dental  Association.  In  politics  he  is  a  Republican 
with  strong  temperance  principles.  He  was  mar- 
ried in  Westfield,  Massachusetts,  October  21,  1868, 
to  I'^lla  Jane  Lewis,  daughter  of  Benjamin  Franklin 
and  Jane  Eliza  Lewis,  'i'he  Lewis  family  ancestors 
came  from  Ipswich,  iMigland,  and  settled  at  Lynn, 
Massachusetts,  in  1634.  Mrs.  Strang  is  also  a 
descendant  of  Thomas  Mayhew,  England's  Mission- 
ary in  America,  to  whom  the  islands  of  Nantucket 
and  Martha's  Vineyard  were  granted.  Three  chil- 
dren have  been  the  issue  of  this  marriage  :  Lewis 
Clinton,  Marion  Ella  and  Robert  Hallock  Wright 
Strang. 


TALCOTT,  John  Butler,  President  of  the  Amer- 
ican Hosiery  Company,  New  Britain,  was  born  in 
Enfield,  Connecticut,  September  14,  1824,  son  of 
Seth  and  Charlotte  S.  (Butler)  Talcott.  He  is  lin- 
eally descended  from  John  Talcott,  a  settler  of 
Hartford  in  1636  and  from  Rev.  John  Hooker. 
His  father  who  came  from  West  Hartford  lived  at 
the  time  of  his  son's  birth  in  that  part  of  Enfield 
which  is  now  Thompsonville,  and  carried  on  the 
cloth-dressing  business,  using  the  water  power 
there  which  was  afterwards  sold  to  Orrin  Thomp- 
son for  the  carpet  business.  He  returned  to  West 
Hartford  when  the  son  was  four  years  old,  the  son 
attending  the  iiublic  schools  of  West  Hartford  initil 
his  fourteenth  year.  Young  Talcott  next  attended 
the  Hartford  Grammar  School  where  he  prepared 
for  Yale  College  from  which  he  was  graduated  in 
1846.  He  was  teacher  in  the  Hartford  Grammar 
.School  in  1842  and  1846,  and  before  entering  col- 
lege and  during  his  senior  year  and  after  graduating 
in  1846,  taught  Latin  in  the  Hartford  Female  Sem- 
inary. He  was  tutor  in  the  Middlebury  College, 
Vermont,  in  1847-48,  and  from  1849  to  1851  was 
tutor  at  Vale.  Meanwhile  he  had  been  studying 
law  and  was  admitted  to  the  Bar  in  Hartford  in 
August  1848.  He  had  previously  studied  law  in 
the  office  of  Francis  Fellows  of  Hartford,  at  the 
same  time  acting  as  clerk  of  the  Court  of  Probate. 
In  1S51  he  came  to  New  Britain  and  became  a 
member  of  the  firm  of  S.  J.  North  &  Company, 
manufacturers  of  hooks  and  eyes  and  knit  un- 
derwear.      At   this    time    he   was   manager  of    the 


70 


MEN   OF   PROGRESS. 


untlerwear  department.  In  1853  he  was  elected 
Secretary  and  Treasurer  of  the  New  liritain  Knitting 
Company,  at  that  time  the  second  largest  establish- 
ment in  New  Britain.  He  continued  in  that  posi- 
tion imtii    1 868  when  he  organized  the  American 


JOHN   B.  TALCOTT. 

Hosiery  Company,  assmiiing  the  position  of  Treas- 
urer and  Manager  of  the  Company  and  later  its 
President  which  position  he  continues  to  hold.  He 
is  also  Director  in  the  P.  cS;  F.  Corbin  Company  of 
New  Britain,  the  Connecticut  General  Life  Insur- 
ance Company  of  Hartford,  and  the  Savings  Bank 
of  New  Britain.  He  is  President  of  the  Mechanics 
National  Bank  of  New  Britain  and  of  the  New 
Britain  Institute.  He  served  as  Councilman  of 
the  City  in  1876,  Alderman  in  1877-78-79,  and 
Mayor  in  1880-81.  He  was  the  first  President 
of  the  New  Britain  Club,  serving  from  1883  to  1888, 
and  is  at  present  Deacon  of  the  South  Congrega- 
tional Church.  His  politics  are  Republican.  Mr. 
Talcott  was  married  September  13,  184S,  to  Jane 
Croswell  Goodwin  (deceased).  Four  children 
were  born  to  them :  Ella  Jeannie,  John  Croswell, 
Samuel  Hooker  and  George  Sherman  Talcott,  of 
whom  the  latter  alone  survives.  He  again  mar- 
ried March  1880,  Fannie  Hall  Hazen,  by  whom  he 
has  two  children:  Florence  Hazen  and  Helen 
Hooker  Talcott. 


THOMSON,  Hiram  Benson,  Physician  and  Sur- 
geon, New  London,  was  born  at  Barrie,  Ontario, 
Canada,  January  i,  1864.  On  the  paternal  side  his 
ancestors  have  been  Canadians  for  several  genera- 
tions. His  great-grandfather,  Archibald  Thomson, 
came  from  Inverness,  Scotland,  and  was  one  of  the 
pioneer  settlers  of  the  city  of  Toronto  which  was 
then  called  Muddy  Vorke.  His  father  is  Archibald 
C.  'J'homson,  deceased,  the  grandson  of  the  last 
named ;  and  his  mother,  S.  Maria  Strohn,  is  a 
descendant  of  the  early  Dutch  settlers  that  occu- 
|)ied  Manhattan  Island,  and  many  of  her  relatives 
now  live  in  the  towns  along  the  Hudson  River. 
The  subject  of  this  sketch  obtained  his  education 
in  the  public  schools  and  Collegiate  Institute  of  his 
native  town.  At  about  sixteen  years  of  age  he  left 
school  and  was  employed  in  a  stationery  store  for  a 
year.  He  then  entered  a  wholesale  drygoods 
house  in  Toronto,  but  remained  there  only  a  short 
time.     After  this  he  continued  his  education  at  the 


HIRAM    B.  THOMSON. 

Barrie  Grammar  School  (now  the  Collegiate  Insti- 
tute), where  also  were  educated  Dr.  William  Osier 
of  Johns  Hopkins  University,  and  Dalton  McCarthy, 
the  eminent  Queen's  Counsel.  In  1882  and  1883 
he  attended  Pickering  College  at  Pickering,  On- 
tario, but  was  not  graduated.  He  matriculated  at 
Trinity  University,  Toronto,  where  he  graduated  in 


MEN    (^l'    PROGRESS. 


71 


18SS  with  the  clei;ree  of  Doctor  of  Medicine,  and 
Master  of  Surgery,  receiving  also  a  I'"ellowshiii 
diploma  from  Trinity  Meilical  College.  In  die 
same  year  he  took  the  degrees  of  M.  1).  and  C.  M. 
froin  Queen's  University  at  Kingston,  Ontario,  and 
became  a  Licentiate  of  the  College  of  Physicians 
and  Surgeons,  of  Ontario.  He  began  his  profes- 
sional career  also  in  this  same  year  at  Marquette, 
Michigan,  where  he  remained  until  1889,  when  he 
removed  to  Carbondale,  Pennsylvania,  where  he 
was  the  Assistant  Surgeon  of  the  Susquehanna 
Branch  of  the  Erie  Railroad.  In  the  spring  of 
1890  he  removed  to  New  London,  his  present  resi- 
dence, where  he  has  a  large  practice.  He  has  been 
First  Lieutenant  and  Assistant  Surgeon  of  the  Third 
Regiment,  Connecticut  National  Guards,  since  July 
12,  1892  ;  Post-Surgeon  for  the  county  of  New  Lon- 
don for  the  last  four  years.  Secretary  of  the  Board  of 
United  States  Examining  Surgeons  for  New  Lon- 
don county,  and  City  Physician  since  1895.  He 
is  a  member  of  Brainerd  Lodge  of  Masons,  and  the 
Thames  and  New  London  Athletic  clubs,  and 
belongs  to  the  Court  Nathan  Hale,  P'oresters  of 
America  ;  Beulah  Lodge,  N.  E.  O.  P. ;  Isis  Senate, 
Knights  Ancient  Essenic  Order ;  and  to  the  City, 
County  and  State  medical  societies.  In  pnlitics  he 
is  a  Republican. 


THRESHER,  Seneca  Howard,  Lawyer,  of  Nor- 
wich, was  born  in  Central  Falls,  Rhode  Island, 
April  12,  1855,  son  of  Seneca  Sanford  and  Susan 
Maria  (Edgarton)  Thresher.  His  maternal  an- 
cestors came  from  Rhode  Island,  his  paternal 
came  from  Rehciboth  in  the  Plymouth  Colony, 
where  they  fought  against  the  Indians.  Two  of  his 
great-grandfathers,  Aaron  Thresher  and  Thomas 
Handy,  his  father's  mother's  father,  fought  in  the 
Revolution  Voung  Thresher  was  educated  in  the 
public  and  private  schools  of  Norwich  and  Phila- 
delphia. He  was  preiiared  for  college  but  did  not 
enter.  He  spent  the  senior  year  in  the  Columbia 
Law  .School  under  Professor  Dwight,  passing  the 
examinations  without  taking  diploma.  He  was 
admitted  to  the  Bar  in  May  1876.  His  training 
for  his  profession  was  obtained  in  the  law  office  of 
his  father  and  he  has  been  in  practice  since  1876  at 
Norwich.  He  has  been  employed  in  several  noted 
criminal  cases,  was  counsel  in  the  case  of  M.  P. 
Gray  vs.  Connecticut  in  the  United  States  Supreme 
Court,  involving  the  question  of  the  sale  of  liquors 
by  pharmacists,  and  counsel  in  the  same  case  for 


the  Maine  Pharmacists  Association.  In  politics  he 
is  a  Democrat,  though  voting  for  McKinlcy  at  the 
last  election.  He  held  the  office  of  Clerk  of  the 
C^ity  ('ourt  of  Norwich  in  1S76,  and  is  now  .\ssis- 
tant  Judge  Advocate  Creneral  in  uniform  rank 
Knights  of  Pythias  of  Connecticut.  In  addition  to 
his  membership  in  the  Knights  of  Pythias,  he  also 
belongs  to  the  Improved  Order  of  Red  Men,  For- 
esters of  America,  New  England  Order  of  Protec- 
tion, and  the  Improved  Order  of  Heptasophs.  He 
was  married  July  29,  1880,  to  .Annie,  daughter  of 
Nathaniel  Hayward,  founder  of  the  Hayward  Rub- 
ber Company,  of  Colchester.     Eive   children  have 


SENECA   H.  THRESHER. 


been  born  to  them  :  Louise  Hayward,  Harold  Hay- 
ward, Marguerite  Amelie  Hayward,  Frank  Robin- 
son and  Gladys  Laura  Thresher. 


TINKER,  George  Frederick,  Meat  and  Pro- 
vision Merchant  and  Ex-Mayor  of  New  London, 
was  born  in  Marlow,  New  Hampshire,  February  13, 
1834,  son  of  Nathan  Tinker  and  Mary  Ann  ('Stone) 
Tinker.  His  grandfather,  Elijah  Tinker,  was  born 
in  Lyme,  Connecticut,  and  removed  when  a  young 
man,  to  Marlow,  New  Hampshire,  where  Nathan 
Tinker,  the  father,  was  born.     The  family  removed 


72 


MEN   OK    PROGRESS. 


to  New  London  in  1855,  and  have  there  resided 
ever  since.  Nathan  Tinker  died  July  4,  1894. 
George  Frederick  Tinker  was  educated  ni  the 
common  schools  and  at  the  Academy.  After  leav- 
ing school  he  worked  on  the  farm  until  eighteen 
years  old,  when  he  became  a  teacher  in  the  com- 
mon schools.  After  three  years  of  teaching  he 
removed  to  New  London  in  1855,  and  has  since 
been  engaged  in  the  meat  and  provision  business. 
He  is  also  the  proprietor  of  a  broom  factory  which 
he  started  in  1880.  In  the  year  1S73  he  became 
identified  with  the  City  Government  as  a  Council- 
man, and  continued  as  either  .Alderman  or  Coun- 


GEO.    F   TINKER. 

cilman  for  fifteen  years.  He  was  elected  Mayor  of 
New  London  in  1888  and  served  three  years.  In 
1879-80  he  was  a  member  of  the  Lower  House 
of  the  Legislature.  During  the  entire  eighteen 
years  of  his  service  as  a  public  officer  he  was  never 
absent  from  a  meeting  in  either  position,  whether 
for  committee  service  or  regular  sessions.  This 
remarkable  record  emphasizes  the  methodical  busi- 
ness habits  and  conscientious  attention  to  duty 
which  have  insured  for  him  respect  and  honors 
from  his  fellow  citizens  and  a  deserved  success  in 
his  business  career.  He  is  one  of  the  corporators 
of  the  New  London  Society  for  Savings,  Vice-Presi- 
dent  of   the  Union   Bank,   and    President   of   the 


Butchers'  Association.  He  is  a  member  of  the 
Executive  Committee  of  the  Memorial  Hospital, 
and  erected,  at  his  own  expense,  one  of  the  wards 
of  the  hospital.  His  liberal  gifts  for  other  chari- 
table purposes  are  well  known.  For  twenty-eight 
years  he  was  the  manager  and  proprietor  of  the 
Citizens  Course  of  Lectures,  the  proceeds  of  which 
were  annually  expended  for  bread  for  the  poor. 
Since  the  discontinuance  of  the  lectures  he  has  set 
aside  from  his  own  property  a  perpetual  fund,  the 
interest  of  which  is  to  be  annually  expended  for  a 
like  purpose.  He  also  gave  liberally  to  the  trustees 
of  the  Bulkeley  High  School  for  the  enlargement  of 
the  school  buildings.  He  is  President  of  the  Board 
of  Trustees  of  the  Bradley  Street  Mission,  Presi- 
dent of  the  Board  of  Trustees  of  the  Young  Men's 
Christian  Association,  and  for  thirteen  years  has 
been  Superintendent  of  the  First  Congregational 
Sunday  School.  He  was  married  to  Rebecca 
Augusta  Coombs  in  1856.  They  have  two  chil- 
dren :   Florence  Louise  and  Charles  Perley  Tinker. 


TUCKER,  J.'^MES  RiEDELL,  Principal  of  Bacon 
Academy,  Colchester,  Connecticut,  was  born  in 
Durham,  Connecticut,  December  14,  1855,  son  of 
Henry  and  Rosillah  (Riedell)  Tucker,  and  a  de- 
scendant of  James  Tucker  who  came  from  England 
in  1604.  He  was  educated  in  the  public  schools  of 
Durham  and  at  Durham  Academy  and  was  gradu- 
ated from  Yale  in  1878.  He  was  also  the  first 
graduate  of  Chautuaqua  University  in  1891  making 
specialties  of  history  and  political  science.  He 
began  teaching  in  South  Salem,  New  York,  in  1878, 
where  he  remained  one  year,  and  in  the  following 
year  was  Principal  of  a  school  in  Stafford  Springs, 
Connecticut.  From  1880  to  1885  he  was  principal 
of  the  Academy  at  Barre,  Massachusetts.  During 
this  period  the  Academy  increased  in  numbers  and 
standard  and  students  were  fitted  for  Harvard, 
Amherst,  Wellesley  and  various  scientific  schools. 
During  the  years  1885  and  1887  he  was  principal 
of  a  graded  school  at  Southington,  Connecticut. 
Since  1888  he  has  been  principal  of  Bacon  Academy 
where  his  best  work  has  been  accomplished.  A 
marked  change  in  the  school  has  been  brought 
about  by  the  establishment  of  regular  courses  of 
study  and  commencement  exercises,  and  a  decided 
increase  of  interest  on  the  part  of  the  people  and 
graduates  is  shown  during  commencement  week. 
Students  are  constantly  fitted  for  Yale  and  other 
colleges,   and    those    fitted    under    his   instruction 


Mr-:N    OF    I'ROGRRSS. 


73 


ha\e  usually  taken  a  liigh  rank  in  College.  This 
old  institution  because  of  recent  improvements 
brought  about  by  Mr.  Tucker  and  the  progressive 
spirit  of  the  recently  organized  Alumni  Association 

has  taken  on  a  new  lite,  and  lias  caught  the  spirit 


J.    R.  TUCKER. 

of  the  age  with  bright  prospects  for  the  future. 
Mr.  Tucker  was  President  of  the  Eastern  Connecti- 
cut Teachers  Association  in  1893  and  1894.  In 
l)olitics  he  is  a  Republican.  He  was  married  Nov- 
ember 27,  1883,  to  Martha  J.  Lawrence,  daughter  of 
Judge  Cyrus  Lawrence,  of  South  Salem,  New  York. 


UPSON,  Ch.arlf.s  Morris,  Merchant  of  Water- 
bury,  Connecticut,  was  born  June  15,  1850,  son  of 
Thomas  Clark  and  Harriet  (Morris)  Upson.  He  is 
a  direct  descendant  of  Stejihen  LTpson,  one  of  the 
original  settlers  and  proprietors  of  Waterbury  and 
one  of  the  signers  of  the  Plantation  agreement  in 
1674.  After  completing  his  eilucation  in  public 
and  private  schools  he  became  Assistant  to  his 
father  who  was  a  builder  and  contractor,  but  his 
health  failed  and  for  two  years  he  tried  farm  life. 
In  1870  he  formed  a  partnership  with  F.  \V.  Cid- 
ilings  of  New  Britain,  under  the  firm  name  of 
Giddings   &   Upson,  dealers  in  clothing,  hats  and 


furnishings.  He  sold  oiit  this  business  in  1877 
and  returning  to  Waterbury,  formed  a  jiartnership 
in  the  same  line  of  business  with  J.  V.  Singleton, 
under  the  firm  name  of  Upson  &  Singleton.  In 
1SS7  the  firm  purchased  a  store  in  New  York  city 
and  in  the  following  year  the  firm's  business  was 
incorporated  as  the  Upson,  Singleton  Company. 
Mr.  Upson  is  Secretary  and  Treasurer  and  General 
Manager  of  the  company.  He  is  also  Local  Treas- 
urer in  Waterbury  of  the  National  Mutual  Building 
and  Loan  Association  of  New  York.  He  was  one 
of  the  organizers  of  the  Waterbury  lioard  of  Trade 
and  its  second  President.  He  was  Treasurer  of  the 
Idlewild  Club  (since  disbanded),  and  is  a  member 
of  the  Waterbury  Club,  the  County  Club  of  Farm- 
ington   and    the  Knickerbocker    Athletic    Club   of 


CHAS.    M.    UPSON. 


New  York.  He  was  married  September  15,  1880, 
to  Jennie  Alice  Baldwin.  They  have  one  child,  a 
daughter,  Una  Upson,  born  December  12,  1883. 


WANDER,  Wii.i,i.\.M,  Piano  Dealer,  Hartford, 
was  born  in  Mainz-on-the-Rhine,  (Germany,  .April 
15,  1825,  son  of  August  and  Catherine  (Reid) 
Wander.  After  leaving  the  public  schools  he 
learned  the  cabinet  making  trade  at  Mainz  where 


MEN   OF    PROGRESS. 


he  continued  for  four  years.  In  1S46  he  sailed  on 
the  American  Post  ship  Iowa  (Capt.  Lewis),  for 
New  N'ork,  where  he  arrived  in  December  1846. 
There  he  found  work  witli  John  Buttikoffer,  piano 
maker,  with  whom  he  continued  until  1S51  when  he 
removed  to  Hartford.  In  that  year  he  commenced 
business   as   a   piano   maker,    tuner  and    repairer. 


WM.    WANDER. 

Twenty  years  later  he  took  in  his  son,  Emil  C  ,  as 
a  member  of  the  firm,  and  in  1893  his  son  Eugene 
was  also  admitted  to  the  firm,  under  the  style  of 
Wm.  Wander  &  Sons.  Their  warerooms  at  239  to 
243  Asylum  street,  Hartford,  comprise  six  floors  and 
are  among  the  largest  and  finest  in  New  England. 
The  firm  is  the  agent  for  Steinway  &  Sons,  A.  B. 
Chase,  J.  &  C.  Fischer,  Franklin  and  Sterling 
pianos,  and  is  the  oldest  Steinway  representative  in 
the  world.  Mr.  Wander  sang  tenor  in  Christ 
Church  Choir  from  the  time  of  his  coming  to  Hart- 
ford in  1851  until  1877,  twenty-iwo  years  of  which 
time  he  served  under  Henry  Wilson,  the  organist. 
In  1877  he  was  called  to  sing  at  Park  Church,  where 
he  continued  until  1884.  Mr.  Wander  was  one  of 
the  founders  of  the  New  York  Leiderkranz  in  1847, 
and  in  1852,  one  year  after  coming  to  Hartford,  he 
formed  the  Hartford  Leiderkranz  in  connection 
with  I^uis  Gundlach,  Herman  Maercklein  and  Mr. 
Koch,  who  with  Mr.  Wander  were  also  known  as 


the  Hartford  Quartette  Club.  He  was  married 
April  3, 1848,  to  Matilda  Niemann  of  Sa.vony.  Eight 
children  have  been  the  fruit  of  this  union ;  of  these 
there  are  four  living  :  John,  Richard  C,  Emil  C. 
and  Eugene  A.  Wander. 


WARREN,  Herbert  Cleveland,  Banker,  New 
Haven,  was  born  in  Derby,  Connecticut,  February 
S,  1843,  son  of  Henry  Warren  and  Mary  A.  (Clark) 
Warren.  His  mother  was  a  descendant  of  George 
Clark,  one  of  the  settlers  of  the  town  of  Milford  in 
1639,  and  of  Governor  Treat,  the  Governor  of  the 
Colony.  His  schooling  was  confined  to  such  instruc- 
tion as  the  public  schools  of  Derby  could  afford. 
He  acted  as  clerk  in  a  store  and  banking  house 
until  1868,  when  at  the  age  of  twenty-five  his  present 
banking  business  was  established.  Mr.  Warren  does 
a  general  banking  and  investment  brokerage  busi- 
ness, and  the  house  is  widely  and  favorably  known 
throughout    New  England.       He    has   successfully 


H.    C.  WARREN. 

handled  many  issues  of  Trolley  Railroad  and  other 
investment  bonds  and  has  the  confidence  of  a  large 
clientele.  He  has  been  a  member  of  the  New 
Haven  City  Government,  is  Treasurer  of  the  Cham- 
ber of  Commerce,  and  a  Director  in  the  Merchants' 
National  Bank,  New  Haven  Electric  Company,  and 


MEN    OF    PRDCRKSS. 


75 


other  corporations,  and  is  a  member  of  tlie  (Juini- 
piac  Club  and  the  Re]mbHcan  League.  He  was 
married  ()ctol)er  9,  1867,  to  Helen  I,.  I'erkins,  now 
deceased.  Two  children  were  bnrn  U>  lliem  : 
Louise  and  Harold  V.  Warren. 


WARREN,  Tracy  Bronson,  Hotel  Proprietor, 
Bridgeport,  was  born  in  W'atertown,  Connecticut, 
December  20,  iiS47,  son  of  David  Hard  and  I,ouisa 
(Bronson)  W^arren.  The  Warrens  trace  their  ances- 
try back    to  William  De    Warrenne.   I'".arl   of    Nor- 


T.    B.    WARREN. 

mandy,  who  died  in  1088,  and  Gundred,  daughter 
of  William  the  Conqueror  —  also  to  William  De 
Warren,  second  Earl  of  Warren  and  Surrey.  In 
this  country  the  first  Warren  was  Richard  Warren 
who  came  over  in  the  Mayflower  and  settled  at 
Plymouth.  'I'he  subject  of  this  sketch  received  his 
education  at  the  Collegiate  and  Commercial  Insti- 
tute at  New  Haven.  He  was  in  the  drygoods 
business  from  1876  to  1882  and  from  1890  until  the 
present  time  has  been  a  hotel  proprietor.  He  was 
a  Lieutenant  in  the  New  Haven  Grays  from  1872  to 
1874,  and  was  Adjutant  of  the  Fourth  Regiment 
Connecticut  National  Guards  in  1884,  and  in  1885- 
86  was  Aide-de  camp  on  the  staff  of  Governor  H. 
B.  Harrison.     He  was  C^ommissary  of  the  Old  Guard 


of  the  city  of  New  York  in  1893-97,  and  Alderman 
of  Bridgejiort  in  1883-84,  and  City  Treasurer  in  1885. 
He  is  a  Republican  in  politics.  He  is  a  member  of 
Hamilton  Commandery  Knights  Templars,  Corin- 
thian Lodge  of  Masons,  (^)ueriheag  Tribe  of  Red 
Men,  Nebo  Senate  Knights  of  the  Ancient  Essenic 
Order,  and  Pyramid  Temple,  Mystic  Shrine.  He 
belongs  to  the  Seaside  Club,  the  Seaside  Outing 
('lub,  the  Algonipiin  Club,  the  IJridgeport  Yacht 
Club,  the  Brooklawn  ( 'ountry  Club,  and  the  Hoboken 
Turtle  Club.  He  is  also  a  member  of  the  Connect- 
icut Society  of  the  Sons  of  the  Revolution,  the 
Bridgeport  Scientfic  Society,  the  Church  Club  of 
Connecticut,  and  the  Bridgeport  Board  of  Trade. 
From  this  notable  array  of  societies  and  clubs  the 
conclusion  is  warranted  that  Mine  Host  Warren  is 
a  man  of  social  and  clubable  parts,  and  if  there  exists 
any  other  societies  or  clubs  in  Bridgeport  of  which 
he  is  not  a  member  it  is  doulnless  a  matter  of  inad- 
vertence on  his  part.  He  was  married  October  22, 
1S74,  to  Clara  A.  Mills,  of  Boston,  Massachusetts. 
They  have  four  children  ;  John  Mills,  Louise  Bron- 
son, Bronson  Mills  and  Harvey  Tracy  Warren. 


WARREN,  Wii.i.AKi)  Ci.iNTox,  lulitor  of  the 
Commercial  Record  and  the  Connecticut  Industrial 
Journal,  New  Haven,  and  President  of  the  Record 
Publishing  Company,  was  born  in  New  Canaan, 
Connecticut,  January  g,  1866,  son  of  James  Daskam 
and  Mary  Elizabeth  (Smith)  Warren.  His  father 
was  a  native  of  Darien,  Connecticut,  son  of  Sands 
Warren  and  Margaret  Daskam,  and  a  descendant  of 
Richard  Waring  who  came  to  this  country  from 
England  in  1664  in  the  ship  Endeavor.  His 
mother  was  born  in  Stratford,  Connecticut,  the 
daughter  of  John  Smith  and  Abby  Vose  ;  the  latter 
was  a  descendant  of  Thomas  Sharpe  who  came  to 
Stratford  from  England  in  1700,  and  in  1706  was 
one  of  thirty-six  petitioners  to  whom  the  township 
of  Nevkftovvn  was  granted,  on  condition  that  they 
settle  there  within  four  years  and  remain  four  years, 
which  they  did.  The  subject  of  this  sketch  was 
educated  at  the  New  Canaan  School  and  by  a  pri- 
vate tutor  with  whom  he  prepared  for  Yale.  He 
was  obliged,  however,  to  give  up  his  course  at  Yale, 
and  in  1884  he  came  to  New  Haven  and  entered  a 
business  college.  After  this  he  was  engaged  for  a 
short  time  in  the  real  estate  business.  The  ])resent 
Commercial  Record  was  then  a  small  adjunct  of 
the  real  estate  business.     The  paper  was  gradually 


76 


MEN   OF   PROGRESS. 


extended  and  enlarged  until  it  now  circulates  in 
every  important  town  in  the  state,  and  is  the  recog- 
nized authority  on  matter  pertaining  to  real  estate, 
building,  contracting  and  kindwd  interests  in  Con- 
necticut.      In    January    1897    he    established    the 


WILLARD  C.   WARREN. 

Connecticut  Industrial  Journal.  The  Journal  gives 
a  monthly  review  of  the  progress  and  prosperity  of 
the  industrial  commercial  and  municipal  interests  of 
the  state.  He  has  also  published  various  other 
publications  relating  to  business  interests  and  his  is 
the  only  publishing  house  in  the  state  confining 
itself  to  the  state  and  commercial  interests.  In 
politics  he  is  a  Republican  but  has  never  been 
actively  interested.  He  is  a  Vestryman  in  Christ 
Church.  He  was  married  October  14,  1891,  to 
Lillian  Faulkner  of  Stamford.  They  have  one  son, 
Keith  I'aulkner  Warren. 


WILLIAMS,  Aaron  White  Cook,  Treasurer  and 
General  Manager  of  the  Capewell  Horse  Nail  Com- 
pany, Hartford,  was  born  in  Manchester,  Connecti- 
cut, August  29,  1833,  the  second  son  of  William 
Chauncey  Williams,  M.  D.,  and  his  wife,  Julia  White 
Cook.  Through  his  father  he  is  descended  from 
Robert  Williams,  who  emigrated  to  Roxbury,  Massa- 


chusetts, in  1637,  and  on  his  mother's  side  from  Major 
Aaron  Cook  who  settled  in  Dorchester,  Massachusetts, 
in  1630.  His  education  was  obtained  at  the  public 
schools  of  his  native  town,  and  he  took  up  business 
pursuits  while  still  a  boy.  His  early  experience  in 
business  was  varied  and  included  training  in  retail 
and  wholesale  mercantile  houses,  in  office  work  of 
large  manufactories  and,  later,  in  the  management 
of  manufacturing  enterprises.  'I'his  wide  practical 
experience  thoroughly  equipped  him  for  his  busi- 
ness career,  which  has  been  eminently  successful. 
In  i86g  he  went  to  Europe  in  the  interest  of  manu- 
facturing enterprises  which  he  controlled.  He  estab- 
lished factories  in  Manchester,  London  and  Paris, 
and  in  the  last  two  cities  mercantile  houses  which  still 
bear  his  name.  Here  he  was  engaged  in  the  manu- 
facture and  sale  of  lawn  mowers  and  other  American 
inventions.      His    remarkable    natural    aptitude   for 


A.  W.  C.    WILLIAMS. 

business  and  his  wide  experience  insured  the  bril- 
liant success  of  these  ventures,  and  in  a  few  years 
he  amassed  an  ample  fortune,  closed  out  his  foreign 
interests  and  returned  to  America  to  enjoy  in 
leisure  the  competence  which  had  been  won  by  his 
indefatigable  energy  and  pre-eminent  ability.  In 
1887,  however,  in  consequence  ot  the  precarious 
condition  of  the  Capewell  Horse  Nail  Company  of 
Hartford,    Connecticut,  in   which  he    had   a    large 


MEN    OF   PROGRESS. 


77 


interest,  he  was  called  to  the  management  ol  that 
concern.  Since  that  time  he  has  been  its  Treasurer 
and  General  Manager,  and,  under  his  able  and 
experienced  management,  the  company  lias  grown 
from  a  small  concern  struggling  for  a  bare  existence 
to  be  the  largest  establishment  of  the  kind  that  has 
ever  existed  in  this  country,  employing  over  sixty 
travelling  salesmen  and  having  branch  houses  in 
twelve  of  the  largest  cities  of  the  United  States.  He 
is  a  member  of  several  clubs,  social  and  political,  a 
director  in  various  business  corporations,  and  is 
widely  known  not  only  as  a  successful  business  man, 
but  also  as  a  generous  and  public  spirited  citizen. 
He  was  married  October  15,  1857,  to  Elizabeth 
Hannah  Starr,  daughter  of  Benjamin  M.  Starr,  of 
Brookfield,  Connecticut.  They  have  had  one  child, 
Arthur  Starr  Williams,  who  dietl  in  infancy. 


WOODRUFF,  George  Morris,  Lawyer  and  Rail- 
road Commissioner  of  Litchfield,  Connecticut,  was 
born  in  Litchfield  March  3,  1836,  son  of  George  C. 
and  Henrietta  (Seymour)  Woodruff.  His  mother 
was  a  sister  of  Chief  Justice  Seymour  of  Con- 
necticut. His  father  was  a  prominent  lawyer  of 
Litchfield  county,  a  graduate  of  Yale  1825.  His 
grandfather  Morris  Woodruff,  son  of  James,  was  a 
representative  man  of  Litchfield  county  and  largely 
interested  in  military  affairs.  He  was  commissioned 
Captain  by  Governor  Jonathan  Trumbull  in  1809, 
Major  by  Governor  Roger  Wolcott  in  181 2,  and 
Colonel  by  Go\ernor  John  Cotton  Smith  in  1816, 
was  Brigadier-General  in  1818  and  Major-General 
in  1824.  For  many  years  he  was  a  representative 
in  the  General  Assembly,  and  although  not  a  lawyer, 
was  Associate  Judge  of  the  County  Court.  The 
subject  of  this  sketch  was  prepared  for  college  at 
Phillips  .'\cademy,  Andover,  Massachusetts,  and  was 
graduated  from  Vale  in  1857.  He  studied  law  at 
the  Harvard  Law  School  and  was  admitted  to  the 
Litchfield  Coimty  Bar  in  1859.  In  the  following 
year  he  was  elected  Treasurer  of  the  town  of  Litch- 
field, and  has  ever  since  held  that  office.  In  1868 
he  was  elected  Judge  of  Probate  for  the  District  of 
Litchfield,  and  with  one  year's  exception,  has  also 
held  this  office  ever  since.  These  two  offices  of 
local  trust  held  continuously  for  thirty  years  and 
over,  well  illustrate  the  respect  and  confidence 
which  he  enjoys  from  his  fellow  citizens.  In  the 
larger  sphere  as  a  state  officer  he  has  proved  him- 
self equally  capable  and  faithful.  In  1874  he  was 
appointed  Railroad  Commissioner  of  the  State  by 


Governor  Ingersoll.  In  the  following  year  he  be- 
came Chairman  of  the  Board,  and  retained  that 
position  until  July  i,  1897.  His  services  on  this 
r.oard  have  been  of  especial  value.  I  le  represented 
Litchfield  at  Hartford  in  1863  and  1865,  serving  as 
member  of  the  Judiciary  Committee,  and  again  in 
1872  when  he  served  on  the  Committee  of  Claims. 
In  1863  he  was  commissioner  for  Connecticut  to  the 
Universal  Exposition  at  Hamburg.  From  1865  to 
1877  he  was  a  member  of  the  State  Board  of  Educa- 
tion. He  is  a  member  of  the  First  Congregational 
Church  of   Litchfield,  and   for  thirty  years   was  its 


GEO.    M.    WOODKUFF. 


Sunday  School  Superintendent.  He  was  married 
lune  13,  i860,  to  Elizabeth  F.,  daughter  of  James 
Bowne  and  Eliza  Ferris  (Cock)  Parsons,  of  Flush- 
ing, Long  Island.  The  following  children  have 
been  born  to  them:  George  C,  editor  of  the 
Litchfield  Enquirer,  James  P.  who  is  practising  law 
with  his  father,  and  Eliza  P.,  wife  of  Alexander 
McNeil,  of  New  York.  George  C.  and  James  P. 
Woodruff,  are  graduates  of  .\mherst  and  James  P. 
of  the  Yale  Law  School. 


WOO.STKK,  FkKiii'RKK  Lkwis,  Projirietor  of  the 
Winsted  Machine  Works  and  Iron  Foundry,  Win- 
sted,  was  born  in  Naugatuck,  Connecticut,  Decern- 


78 


MEN    OF    I'ROGRESS. 


ber  7,  1851,  son  of  Henjamin  Alden  and  Esther 
Wooster.  He  is  descenileil  in  the  ninth  generation 
from  John  and  Priscilia  Alden,  througii  his  paternal 
grandmother,  Almida  Alden  Wooster,  daughter  of 
Henjamin  Alden,  and  from  Edward  Wooster  who 
came  from  England  about  1636.  His  father's 
parents  were  Joseph  and  Almida  Wooster,  and  his 
mother  was  a  daughter  of  Jesse  Wooster,  son  of 
Walter  Wooster  of  Milford,  who  served  under  Put- 
nam and  Washington  in  the  Sixth  Connecticut 
Regiment  from  March  1777  to  February  1780. 
Young  Wooster  received  his  education  in  the  com- 
mon  schools  of    Naugatuck    and    at    Siiringfiekl, 


F.   L.   WOOSTER. 

Massachusetts.  At  thirteen  he  was  a  newsboy  in 
Springfield,  and  at  fifteen  was  thrown  entirely  on 
his  own  resources.  At  the  age  of  nineteen  he 
entered  the  employ  of  the  Farrell  Foundry  & 
Machine  Company  of  Ansonia,  Connecticut.  He 
removed  to  Winsted  November  15,  1873,  a"d  went 
to  work  for  the  Winsted  Foundry  and  Machine 
Company,  with  whom  he  remained  for  sixteen 
years.  For  eleven  months  of  this  time,  from  July 
I,  1879,  to  June  I,  18S0,  he  was  in  partnership  with 
J.  B.  Riggs  under  the  firm  name  of  Wooster  & 
Riggs,  in  the  machine  business,  but  at  the  end  of 
that  time  the  business  was  bought  by  the  old  com- 
pany to   whom    he   returned.     On    December    15, 


1891,  he  formed  another  partnership,  this  time  with 
G.  C.  Wilcox,  under  the  firm  style  of  Wooster  & 
Wilcox.  On  April  i,  1895,  the  partnership  was 
dissolved,  and  the  business  has  since  been  con- 
tinued alone  by  Mr.  Wooster,  under  the  name  of 
the  Winsted  Machine  Works  and  Iron  Foundry. 
They  make  a  specialty  of  derricks  and  winches,  and 
also  manufacture  hangers,  pulleys,  castings  and 
shafting.  Mr.  Wooster  works  with  accuracy  and 
exactness,  and  his  success  has  come  from  persis- 
tent, honest  and  conscientious  endeavor.  He 
joined  the  Methodist  Episcopal  Church  in  1876, 
and  has  always  taken  an  active  part  in  church  work 
and  the  various  obligations  arising  therefrom.  He 
joined  the  Sons  of  Temperance  in  1868,  the  Good 
Templars  in  1869,  the  Rechabites  in  1892,  and  has 
been  a  delegate  to  nearly  every  state  convention  of 
the  Prohibition  party  since  1884,  casting  his  first 
vote  with  that  party  in  1873.  He  was  the  Prohibi- 
tion candidate  for  Congress  in  1896,  Presidential 
elector  in  1884,  and  delegate  to  the  Prohibition 
National  Conventions  at  Indianapohs  in  1888,  and 
at  I'ittsburg  in  1896.  He  has  been  a  Worthy  Chief 
Templar  of  Monitor  Lodge  No.  36,  Independent 
Order  of  Good  Templars,  Worthy  Patriarch  of  Win- 
chester Division  Sons  of  Temperance,  and  is  also  a 
member  of  St.  Andrew's  Lodge  No.  64,  Ancient 
Free  and  Accepted  Masons,  Winchester  Council  No. 
755  Royal  Arcanum,  Highland  Lodge  No.  13  New 
F^ngland  Order  of  Protection,  Winsted  Lodge  No. 
7  Ancient  Order  of  United  Workmen,  Lodge  No.  i 
Connecticut  Workman's  Benefit  Association,  and 
the  Grand  Division  Sons  of  Temperance.  He  takes 
an  active  interest  in  the  Young  Men's  Christian 
Association,  and  is  Secretary  of  the  Official  Board 
and  Recording  Steward  of  the  Methodist  Episcopal 
Church.  He  was  married  December  7,  1S77,  to 
Ellen  Elizabeth  Harvey.  Three  children  have  been 
born  to  them  :  Harvey  Alden,  Esther  Lovina,  and 
Julia  Ethel  Wooster. 


ALLEN,  Nathan  Henrv,  Organist  and  Com- 
poser, Hartford,  was  born  in  Marion,  Massachu- 
setts, April  14,  1848,  son  of  Henry  Manley  and 
Matilda  (Clark)  Allen.  His  father  was  a  Com- 
mander of  packet-ships  plying  between  New  York 
and  Liverpool.  On  his  mother's  side  he  is  de- 
scended from  Henry  Butler  Bridgman,  an  Irish 
gentleman  whose  estate  was  located  near  Limerick, 
and  also  from  Thomas  Clark,  who  gave  the  name  to 
Clark's  Island  in  Plymouth  harbor.     After  attending 


MEN    OF    PROGRESS. 


79 


the  common  schools  he  attended  Pliillips  Academy, 
Andover,  Massachusetts,  and  then  a  further  two- 
years  at  Providence,  Rhode  Island,  chielly  in  mus- 
ical studv.  In  1S67  lie  went  tn  lierlin,  (lerniany, 
and   there   devoted  three  years  to  the  study  of  his 


N.   H.   ALLEN. 

chosen  profession.  He  returned  to  America  in 
1870,  and  settling  at  New  Bedford,  Massachusetts, 
was  at  once  appointed  Organist  of  the  Unitarian 
Church  of  that  city,  at  the  same  time  being  active 
as  a  teacher  of  music.  In  1878  he  accepted  the 
position  of  Organist  of  the  Park  Church,  Hartford, 
where  he  remained  two  years.  He  subsequently 
had  charge  for  three  years  of  the  music  at  the 
undenominational  services  in  Cheney  Hall,  South 
Manchester,  teaching  meanwhile  in  Hartford.  In 
1883  he  was  chosen  as  Organist  of  the  Center 
Church,  Hartford,  which  position  he  still  holds. 
The  success  of  his  concerts  and  organ  recitals  has 
been  marked.  Among  his  pupils  have  been,  R.  P. 
Paine,  S.  Clark  Lord,  W.  C.  Hammond,  A.  L. 
Towne  and  W.  A.  Gaylord.  He  w^as  for  two  years 
Vice-President  of  the  National  Music  Teachers' 
Association,  and  in  1890  founded  the  Connecticut 
State  Music  Teachers'  Association.  In  1891  he 
started  the  Musurzia  Club,  and  is  also  one  of  the 
original  members  of  the  New  Vork  Manuscri])! 
Society  and  of   the  American  Guild    of    Organists. 


He  is  also  a  member  of  the  New  York  Clef  Club. 
He  was  married  in  1876  to  Elizabeth  Mitchell 
Macy.  They  have  had  two  children;  Henrietta 
(deceased)  and  Henry  Manley  Allen.  His  pub- 
lished compositions  number  more  than  a  hundred. 
Of  these  a  cantata,  "St.  Dorothy,"  is  the  most 
noted. 


HACON,  John  Watson,  Civil  Engineer,  Danbury, 
Connecticut,  was  born  in  Hartford,  Connecticut, 
June  9,  1827,  son  of  Leverett  Ward  and  Sarah 
(Watson)  Bacon.  His  early  education  was  ob- 
tained in  tl'.e  public  schools  and  in  a  private 
academy  where  he  was  fitted  for  college.  He 
graduated  at  Trinity  College  in  1846,  valedictorian 
of  his  class.  He  became  soon  after  Principal  of  an 
academy  in  Essex,  Connecticut,  but  soon  resigned 
to  commence  the  study  of  law  with  Hon.  Isaac 
Toucey,  of  Hartford,  with  whom  he  remained  until 


JOHN    W.    BACON. 

1848,  when  he  decided  to  adopt  the  profession  of 
Civil  Engineering.  In  this  capacity  he  made  the 
first  surveys  of  the  present  New  England  Railroad 
between  Hartford  and  Willimantic,  and  had  charge 
among  other  important  work  of  the  building  of  the 
Connecticut  River  bridge  and  Union  Depot  at 
Hartford.      He  then  spent  two  years  on  the  surveys 


8o 


MEN    OF   PROGRESS. 


and  construclion  of  the  nanbury  &  Norwalk  Rail- 
roiul,  and  on  its  completion  returned  to  Hartford, 
and  assumed  the  position  of  Superintendent  of  the 
present   New    England   Railroad,   then   completed 
between  Waterbury,  Connecticut,  and  I'rovidence, 
Rhode  Island,  where  he  remained   for   five   years. 
He  then  to<ik  charge  of  the  operation  and  develop- 
ment of  extensive  coal  mines  and  salt  works  at  West 
Columbia,  on   the  Ohio   River  in   West   Virginia. 
.•\fter  remaining  there  two  years  he  removed,  in  1859, 
to  Danbury,  Connecticut,  and  became  Superinten- 
dent and  Chief  Engineer  of  the  Danbury  &  Nor- 
walk Railroad  which  position  he  held  until  1877. 
He  was  then  appointed  one  of  the  General  Railroad 
Commissioners  of  Connecticut  by  Governor  R.  D. 
Hubbard,  to  which  position  he  was  reappointed  by 
succeeding  governors  until   1887.     He  has  been  a 
member  of  the  American  Society  of  Civil  Engineers 
since  1877,  and  for  some  years  past  one  of  the  State 
Commissioners  of  the  topographical  survey  of  Con- 
necticut, under  whose  supervision  an  elaborate  and 
correct  map  of  the  whole  state  has  been  completed 
and  published.     He  has  also  always  taken  an  active 
interest  in  local  affairs.      He  originated  and  con- 
structed   the    water    works    system    of     Danbury, 
organized  the  Danbury  Agricultural  Society  which 
conducts  the  celebrated  "  Danbury  Fair,"  and  has 
always  been  connected  with  it  in  an  official  capac- 
ity, for  several  years  its  President,  and  always  its 
Treasurer.     He  is  President  of  the  Savings  Bank  of 
Danbury,  which  has  over   three    million  dollars  of 
assets ;  President  of  the  Danbury  Mutual  Insurance 
Company;    President   of    the    Danbury   Cemetery 
Association;    Director   in    the     Danbury    National 
Bank ;  and  Trustee  of  the  Danbury  Library.     On 
December  20,  1852,  he  was  married  to  Caroline  E., 
daughter  of  Russell  B.  Botsford,  M.  D.,  for  many 
years  the  leading  i)hysician  of  Danbury.     He  has 
three   children :    Sarah  Watson ;    Eliza  Whittlesey, 
wife  of  Ex-Mayor  G.  M.  Rundle  ;  and  John  Russell 
Bacon. 


year.  He  entered  business  in  1879  with  Beach  & 
Company,  where  he  still  continues.  He  was  a  mem- 
ber of  the  City  Council  of  Hartford,  in  1890.  In 
College  he  was  a  member  of  I.  K.  A.  He  is  a 
member  of  the  Connecticut  Historical  Society  and 
the  Connecticut  Sons  of  the  American  Revolution, 
and  of  the   Reform  and   Arkwright  clubs  of  New 


BEACH,  Gkorge  Watson,  Merchant,  Hartford, 
was  born  in  Hartford,  February  i,  1858.  He  is  the 
son  of  J.  Watson  and  Josephine  E.  (Coffing)  Beach. 
He  traces  his  ancestry  back  to  Governor  Bradford 
and  to  John  Steele,  the  pioneer  of  Hartford.  His 
early  education  was  obtained  in  the  South  School  at 
Hartford,  and  at  the  Episcopal  Academy  at  Che- 
shire, Connecticut.  He  entered  Trinity  College 
with  the  class  of   1880,  but  left  college  in  his  junior 


GEO.   WATSON    BEACH, 

York.  Mr.  Beach  was  married  October  3,  1883,  to 
Elizabeth  Colt  Jarvis.  They  have  two  children  : 
Hart  Jarvis  and  George  Beach. 


BEECHER,  William  Skinner,  State  Senator, 
also  the  Director  of  Public  Works  of  the  City  of 
New  Haven,  was  born  in  Plymouth,  Connecticut, 
October  8,  1839,  son  of  Anson  and  Nancy  (Ben- 
ton) Beecher.  His  ancestors  were  of  English 
descent  on  both  sides.  His  paternal  grandfather 
was  born  in  Bethany,  Connecticut,  and  his  grand- 
father on  his  mother's  side,  in  Litchfield,  Connecti- 
cut. Mr.  Beecher's  educational  advantages  were 
confined  to  such  as  the  country  district  school 
afforded.  His  business  record  is  the  uneventful 
history  of  a  reliable,  capable  man  of  affairs.  For 
thirty  years,  and  until  the  summer  of  1896,  he  was 
Superintendent    of    the    Westville    match    factory. 


MEN    OF    PROGRESS. 


8l 


formerly  owned  by  A.  Beecher  &  Sons,  but  for  the 
past  few  years,  the  property  of  the  Dianiond  Match 
Company.  He  served  three  years  in  tlie  Civil  War 
as  a  non-commissioned  officer  in  Company  E,  Fif- 
teenth   Resriment  of  Connecticut  Volunteers.     He 


West.  .After  getting  quite  a  trade  started  they 
opened  a  store  at  54  Lake  street,  Chicago,  in  the  fall 
of  1863.  The  firm  of  Balding  Brothers  was  then 
composed  of  iM.  M.,  H.  IT.  and  A.  N.  Belding.  In 
1865  they  began  manufacturing  at  Rockville,  Con- 
necticut, in  a  small  way.  At  this  time  a  New  N'ork 
store  was  opened  at  323  Broadway,  M.  M.  Belding 
moving  East  to  take  charge  of  the  store.  In  1866  a 
store  was  opened  at  Cincinnati,  and  soon  afterwards 
stores  were  started  at  Philadelphia,  lioston,  St. 
I.ouis,  San  Francisco,  St.  Paul,  Baltimore  and  Mon- 
treal, mitil  at  the  present  time  the  firm  have  ten 
stores  in  the  largest  cities  of  the  I'nited  States  and 
Canada.  In  1869,  Alvah  N.  Belding  left  New  York 
to  take  charge  of  the  silk  manufacturing  at  Rock- 
ville. A  mill  was  rented  until  1S71,  when  the  pres- 
ent mill  was  purchased.  Three  additions  have 
since  been  built,  the  firm  now  giving  employment 
to  five  hundred  hands  in  Rockville.  In  1876  a 
brick  mill  one  hundred  and  ten  feet  by  thirty-eight 


WM.   S.    BEECHER. 

was  a  Selectman  for  the  Town  of  New  Haven 
during  a  period  of  ten  years.  In  politics  he  is  a 
Republican,  and  is  a  member  of  the  Republican 
League  and  of  the  Young  Men's  Republican  Club, 
also  of  the  Grand  Army  of  the  Republic.  He  was 
married  July  31,  1862,  to  Fannie  Charlotte  Hop- 
kins.    They  have  no  children. 


BELDING,  .\lvah  Norton,  Silk  Manufacturer, 
Rockville,  was  born  in  Ashfield,  Massachusetts, 
March  27,  1838,  son  of  Hiram  and  Mary  (Wilson) 
Belding.  His  father  was  a  merchant  and  farmer, 
coming  from  Scotch  ancestry.  Young  Belding  was 
educated  at  the  ]jublic  schools,  and  in  1856,  at  the 
age  of  seventeen  moved  with  his  father  to  Michi- 
gan. His  father  purchased  a  farm  of  wild  land 
where  the  city  of  Belding  now  stands.  Alvah  N. 
Belding  cut  the  first  brush  and  helped  clean  the 
land,  working  on  the  farm  until  the  age  of  twenty. 
Then  in  connection  with  his  brother,  H.  H.  Beld- 
ing, he  commenced  selling  silk  on  the  road  in  the 


/" 


A.   N.    BELDING. 

feet  was  purchased  at  Northampton,  Massachusetts. 
To  this  has  since  been  added  a  three  hundred  by 
forty-five  foot  addition.  Six  hundred  hands  are 
given  employment  in  the  Northam])tou  mill.  In 
1873  the  firm  rented  a  mill  in  Montreal,  Canada. 
Their  success  induced  them  to  purchase  a  mill  in 
Montreal  in   1880,  to  which  additions  have  subse- 


MEN   OF   PROGRESS. 


lucntly  been  made  until  its  capacity  now  equals  the 
Northamiiton  mill.     In  1S96  a  brick  mill  three  hun- 
.Ireii  and  twenty-five  by  forty-five  feet,  three  stories, 
was  erected  at  Balding,  Michigan,  and  in  the  follow- 
ing year  a  mill  one  hundred  and  sixty  by  forty-five 
loet   was   erected   at    Petahmia,   California.      This 
i;ives  the  firm  five  large    manufacturing   establish- 
uients,   giving  employment  to  twenty-five  hundred 
iiands,  using  more  than  a  ton  of  raw  silk  daily,  with 
an  annual  product  valued  at  nearly  five  million  dol- 
lars.    The  city  of  Belding,  Michigan,  has  four  thou- 
sand inhabitants,  numbers  eight  large  manufacturing 
establishments,  and  is  a  growing   modern   city   of 
which  its  namesakes  can  well  be  proud.     The  Beld- 
ing brothers  own  six  hundred  acres  of  land  in  and 
adjoining  the  city,  and  are  identified  with  the  best 
interests  of  the  place.     Mr.  Belding  is  a  Director 
and   Secretary   of  the  Belding  Brothers  Company, 
President   of  the  Belding  land  and  Improvement 
Company,  of  Belding,  Vice-President  of  the  Belding 
Savings  Bank,  and  Director  in  the  Spencer  Electric 
Light  and  Power  Company,  of  Belding.     He  is  a 
Director  in  the  .American  Mills  Company  of  Rock- 
ville,  and  in  the  Rockville  National  Bank,  and  the 
People's  Savings  Bank  of  Rockville.     He  is  also  a 
Director  in  the  Belding  Paul  Company,  Limited,  of 
Montreal,  and  in  the  Carlson  Currier  Company,  of 
San  Francisco.     He  owns  a  one-twelfth  interest  in 
seventy-five  thousand  acres  of  choice  timberland  in 
North  Carolina,  and  has  a  fine  stock  farm  at  Elling- 
ton,   Connecticut.        His    admirable    residence    at 
Rockville  is  built  of  St.  Lawrence  marble,  and  com- 
mands one  of  the  finest  views  in  the  state.     In  pol- 
itics  he  is  a  Republican.     He  was  elected  to  the 
Legislature  of  Connecticut  in   18S2  by  the  largest 
majority  ever  given  in  Rockville,  and  served  on  the 
Committee  of  Corporations.     He  was  married  Jan- 
uary 6,  1870,  to  Lizzie  S.  Mersick ;  they  have  two 
children  :  Florence  May  and  Fred  Norton  Belding. 


BILL,  Cuuiis  Harvey,  Physician  and  Surgeon, 
Bridgeport,  was  born  in  Albany,  Vermont,  July  2, 
1835,  son  of  Dr.  Dyer  and  Ruth  (Coburn)  Bill. 
He  comes  of  good  English  ancestry,  nearly  every 
generation  of  which  has  furnished  one  or  more 
respected  members  to  the  medical  profession.  Dr. 
Bill  is  a  direct  descendant  of  Thomas  Bill,  M.  D., 
who  was  born  about  1490  in  Bedfordshire,  England, 
and  as  a  physician  was  an  attendant  of  the  Princess 
Elizabeth  in   1549.     He  was  entitled  to  a  B.  A.  in 


1524,  was  afterward  elected  Fellow  of  Pembroke 
Hall,  in  1558  had  conferred  upon  him  the  degree 
of  M.  A.,  and  took  the  degree  of  M.  D.  at  the  cele- 
brated LTniversity  at  Pavia,  Italy,  founded  by  the 
Emperor  Charlemagne.  He  became  one  of  the 
physicians  of  Henry  VIII.  and  of  Edward  VI.,  and 
from  the  latter  he  received,  March  26,  1546-47,  a 
grant  of  one  hundred  pounds  sterling  per  annum. 
The  Princess  Elizabeth  wrote  in  1549  the  following 
letter  of  thanks  to  the  Duke  of  Somerset,  in  which 
she  gratefully  alludes  to  Dr.  Bill :  — 

Mv  Very  Good  Lord  : 

Many  lines  will  not  serve  to  render  the  least  part  of  the 
thanks  that  your  grace  hath  deserved  of  me,  most  especially 
for  that  you  have  been  careful  of  my  health,  and  sending  unto 
me,  not  only  your  comfortable  letter,  but  also  physician,  as 
Dr.  Bill,  whose  diligence  and  pains  have  been  a  great  part  of 
my  recovery  ;  for  whom  I  do  most  heartily  thank  your  grace, 
desiring  you  to  give  him  thanks  for  me,  who  can  ascertain  you 
of  mine  estate  of  health,  wherefore  I  will  not  write  it.  And 
although  I  be  most  bounden  to  you  in  this  time  of  my  sick- 
ness, yet  I  may  not  be  unthankful  for  that  your  grace  hath  made 
such  expeditions  for  my  patent ;  with  my  most  hearty  thanks 
and  commendation  to  you,  and  to  my  good  lady,  your  wife, 
most  heartily  fare  you  well. 

Your  assured  friend  to  my  power,  Elizabeth. 

From  Cheshurst,  the  present  Friday, 
To  my  Lord  Protector's  Grace. 

The  first  American  ancestors  of  our  subject  were 
John  and  Dorothy  Bill  and  from  them  Dr.  Bill  is  in 
the  seventh  generation,  namely:  (2)  Philip  and 
Hannah  Bill;  (3)  John  and  Mercy  (Fowler)  Bill; 
(4)  Benejah  and  Mary  Bill;  (5)  Eliphalet  and 
Dorothy  (Marsh)  Bill.  Dorothy  was  the  daughter 
of  John  Marsh  and  Dorothy  Mason,  who  was  fifth 
in  descent  from  Major  John  Mason,  the  conqueror 
of  the  Pequots;  (6)  Dr.  Dyer  and  Ruth  (Coburn) 
Bill,  parents  of  our  subject.  Dr.  Dyer  Bill,  who 
was  born  at  Hartford,  Vermont,  April  7,  1 793,  was 
a  prominent  man  both  as  a  physician  and  as  a 
politician.  He  settled  in  Albany,  Vermont,  in 
1819,  where  he  practiced  his  profession  for  fifty- 
seven  years,  acquiring  an  enviable  reputation,  and 
consequently  an  extensive  practice  ;  he  also  served 
as  Postmaster  and  Justice  of  the  Peace  many  years. 
He  represented  the  town  of  Albany  in  the  State 
Legislature  several  times.  The  subject  of  this 
sketch  was  educated  in  the  public  schools  of  his 
native  town,  and  in  Barre  Academy.  In  1854  he 
commenced  the  study  of  medicine  with  Dr.  Charles 
B.  Chandler,  of  Montpelier,  Vermont,  attending  two 
courses  of  medical  lectures  at  Dartmouth  College, 
one  at  the  LTniversity  of  Vermont,  and  one  at  the 


MKN    OF    I'ROGRRSS. 


83 


University  Medical  College,  city  of  New  York.  At 
the  last  of  these  he  graduated  in  March  1859,  with 
the  degree  of  M.  D.  At  his  final  examination  in 
anatomy  and  surgery  he  was  highly  commended  by 
the  faculty.  The  young  physician  and  surgeon 
settled  at  Clarksville,  Tennessee,  and  there  begun 
his  eventful  practice.  He  was  at  Clarksville  in 
April  1861  when  the  firing  on  Fort  Sumter  roused 
the  whole  country.  In  May  1861  he  was  tendered 
a  Surgeon's  commission  in  the  Confederate  .^rmy. 
This  he  declined  and  in  consequence  was  driven 
within  twenty-four  hours  from  the  state.  The  fol- 
lowing war  service  of  Dr.  Bill  is  from  the  records  : 
Having  declined  a  Surgeon's  commission  in  the 
rebel  army,  he  was  driven  from  Tennessee  by  a 
Vigilance  Committee ;  reported  to  Ceneral  W.  T. 
Sherman,  at  Louisville,  Kentucky,  and  was  appointed 
Acting  .Assistant  Surgeon  October  i,  1861,  and 
assigned  to  duty  in  the  Fifteenth  I'nited  States 
Infantry  ;  serve<l  with  that  command  in  the  Fourth 
Brigade,  Seconil  Division,  Army  of  the  Ohio,  until 
September  1862;  Fourth  Brigade,  First  Division 
(Center)  .Army  of  the  Cumberland,  until  January 
1863 ;  Third  Brigade,  First  Division,  Fourteenth 
.'\rmy  Corps,  Army  of  the  Cumberland,  until  June 
1 863,  and  participated  in  the  Battle  of  Shiloh,  Tennes- 
see, April  7,  1S62,  siege  of  Corinth  April  30  to  May 
30,  Perryville  Campaign,  October  i  to  October  15, 
Dog  Walk,  October  9,  Relief  of  Nash\ille,  November 
5  to  November  9,  Murfreesboro  Campaign,  Novem- 
ber 26,  1862,  to  January  1863,  Stone  Ri\er,  Decem- 
ber 31,  iS62,to  January  3,  1863,  and  Stewarts  Creek, 
January  i,  1863.  He  was  especially  complimented 
for  gallant  and  faithful  service  on  the  battlefield  by 
General  John  H.  King,,  commanding  the  regular 
brigade,  Fourteenth  Army  Corps,  on  detached  ser- 
vice, headquarters  department  of  the  Cumberland, 
as  a  member  of  the  examining  board  which  passed 
upon  seven  thousand  applications  for  discharge  dur- 
ing July,  August  and  September  1862;  detailed  as 
Surgeon-in-Chief  of  "Howard  Hospital"  No.  4, 
Nashville,  Tennessee,  November  1862  until  .\ugust 
1863,  where  he  had  the  care  of  many  sick  and 
wounded  soldiers,  and  performed  many  successful 
operations.  On  the  request  of  Andrew  Johnson, 
then  the  Military  Governor  of  Tennessee,  he  was 
commissioned  Surgeon  of  the  Fifth  Tennessee  Cav- 
alry to  rank  from  November  8,  1S64,  and  served 
with  that  regiment  until  mustered  out  August  14, 
1865.  Dr.  Bill  remained  in  the  south  five  years 
after  the  war,  practicing  his  profession  and  cultivat- 
ing  a  large    cotton    plantation    near    Fayetteville, 


Tennessee.  Coming  to  Bridgeport  in  the  fall  of 
187 1,  he  immediately  began  the  practice  of  his  pro- 
fession, which  he  has  since  followed,  building  up, 
during  these  twenty-five  years,  a  large  and  extensive 
practice  among  the  best  families.  He  is  a  member 
of  the  American  Medical  Association,  the  State 
Medical  Association,  the  County  Medical  Associa- 
tion, of  which  he  was  President  in  1880  and  1881, 
and  also  of  the  Bridgeport  Medical  Association  of 
wliich  he  was  President  in  1879.  He  has  been 
connected  with  the  Bridgeport  Hospital  since  its 
organization  in  1884.  He  inaugurated  the  medical 
and  surgical  visiting  service  of    that  hospital,  and 


CURTIS   H.    BILL. 

served  on  the  visiting  staff  for  ten  years,  when  he 
resigned,  but  has  ever  since  served  on  the  consulting 
staff.  Dr.  Bill  has  also  for  many  years  served  as 
Medical  Examiner  for  several  of  the  largest  life 
insurance  companies,  including  Mutual  Life  of 
New  York,  Penn  Mutual  of  Philadelphia,  Trav- 
elers of  Hartford,  Manhattan  of  New  Vork,  Home 
of  New  York  and  Bay  State  of  Massachusetts.  He 
has  also  written  a  number  of  professional  papers, 
among  which  are  "  Monographs  on  Treatment  of 
Hospital  Gangrene  with  Bromide "  and  "  Exsec- 
tion  of  Joints,"  etc.,  with  cases.  In  politics  Dr. 
Bill  is  a  Republican,  casting  his  first  ballot  for 
General  John  C.  Fremont  for  President.     He  is  a 


84 


MEN    OF   PROGRESS. 


nienilier  of  the  Post  No.  3  Elias  Howe,  Jr.,  Grand 
.Vrniy  of  the  Republic,  the  Hrooklawn  Country  Club, 
the  Contemporary  Club,  the  Scientific  Society  and 
the  .American  Art  Society.  On  September  20, 
1 865 ,  he  was  married  to  Mary  J .  Worcester,  daughter 
of  T.  G.  Worcester,  of  Mollis,  New  Hampshire,  and 
niece  of  Dr  Joseph  E  Worcester,  LL.  D.,  author 
of  Worcester's  Dictionary.  She  isseventh  in  descent 
from  Rev.  William  Worcester,  the  first  minister 
settled  in  Salisbury,  Massachusetts,  and  a  Daughter 
of  the  American  Revolution,  through  Captain  Noah 
Worcester,  who  commanded  a  company  at  the  Battle 
of  Bunker  Hill  Dr.  and  Mrs.  Bill  have  now  living 
three  children  :  Mary  E.,  Philip  W.  and  Harold  C. 
Bill.  The  family  are  attendants  at  the  Episcopal 
Church.  Though  one  of  the  busiest  professional 
men  in  the  city,  Dr.  Bill  does  not  neglect  the  social 
side  of  life,  but  contributes  freely  of  his  time  and 
talents  to  the  occasions  which  make  life  worth 
living,  and  he  can  always  be  depended  upon  to 
cordially  support  every  measure  that  promises  to 
promote  the  prosperity  of  Bridgeport,  or  the  welfare 
and  happiness  of  her  citizens. 


BROOKER,  .Albert  Frederick,  Torrington,  was 
born  in  Torrington,  Connecticut,  March  10,  1837, 
son  of  Samuel  Brooker,  Jr.,  and  Julia  (Seymour) 
Brooker.  John  Brooker,  a  settler  of  Guilford,  Con- 
necticut, in  1695,  '^  *he  first  of  the  name  of  which 
there  is  any  record.  The  family  is  traced  down  to 
.Abraham  Brooker,  whose  son  Samuel,  the  grand- 
father of  Major  Brooker,  settled  in  Torrington. 
The  subject  of  this  sketch  attended  the  common 
schools,  and  afterwards  the  Academy  in  Norfolk, 
under  William  B.  Rice's  tutorship.  On  leaving  the 
Academy  he  went  to  the  Waterbury  Brass  Com- 
pany, where  he  remained  two  years,  and  then 
returning  to  Torrington,  engaged  in  the  meat 
business,  which  he  was  successfully  continuing  when 
the  war  broke  out.  He  had  previously,  at  the  age 
of  eighteen,  enlisted  as  a  private  in  Company  G, 
Fourth  Regiment,  State  Militia,  and  had  been  pro- 
moted through  different  grades  to  First  Lieutenant, 
but  as  the  captain  of  the  company  lived  in  Ansonia, 
Lieutenant  Brooker  really  had  command  of  the 
company  for  some  time,  and  was  drilling  men 
when  Fort  Sumter  was  fired  on.  He  enlisted  in 
April  1 86 1,  was  appointed  First  Lieutenant  in 
Company  I,  Fourth  Regiment,  Connecticut  Volun- 
teers, which  later  was  changed  to  the  First  Connect- 


icut Heavy  Artillery,  and  was  mustered  in  at  Hart- 
ford, May  22,  1861.  His  regiment,  the  Fourth, 
is  said  to  be  the  first  that  enlisted  for  three  years 
or  until  the  war  closed.  For  four  years  he  was  in 
active  service,  participating  in  many  of  the  severe 
engagements  of  the  war,  and  in  all  of  which  he 
acquitted  himself  with  honor.  He  assisted  in  the 
defence  of  Washington  on  the  south  side  of  the 
Potomac,  went  through  the  Peninsula  Campaign  in- 
cluding the  siege  of  Yorktown ;  the  seven  days  fight 
under  McClellan,  and  at  Malvern  Hill  bore  a  par- 
ticularly prominent  part.  On  May  26,  1862,  he  was 
made  Captain  of  Company  B.     Later  this  company 


ALBERT   F.   BKOOKER. 

and  Company  M  were  ordered  to  Fredericksburg, 
Virginia,  to  serve  under  General  Burnside,  and 
they  were  then  for  eighteen  months  virtually  with 
the  Army  of  the  Potomac.  Among  the  many  other 
engagements  in  which  he  participated  were  Chan- 
cellorsville  and  Petersburg,  and  at  the  latter  he  was 
promoted  to  the  rank  of  Major.  In  May  1864,  the 
two  batteries  B  and  M  were  ordered  to  Washington, 
and  there  joined  the  ten  companies  under  com- 
mand of  General  Abbott,  who  fitted  out  the  siege 
train,  and  was  ordered  to  report  to  General  Butler 
in  the  Army  of  the  James,  which  later  was  merged 
into  the  Army  of  the  Potomac.  Major  Brooker 
resigned   from    the  army  in   May  1865.     The  two 


MF.N    OF   PROGRESS. 


85 


following  letters  illustrate  the  value  of  his  services 
in  the  estimation  of  his  superior  officers  :  — 

nE.\l)'jUAKTERS    1ST   CoNNECriCUT   ARTU.I.KKY, 

Fort  Drury,  Va.,  May  4,  1S65. 
Major  A.  F.  Brooker, 

1st  ConiiectiiUt  ArlilUry: 
Major:     I   enclose  the  order   accepting   your   resignation. 
The  following  is  a  copy  of  my  endorsement  upon  the  paper. 

"  Respectfully  forwarded  approved  —  Major  Brooker  has 
been  in  the  service  about  four  years,  and  has  most  gallantly 
and  Ltficicntly  performed  his  duties.  I  regret  greatly  his  loss, 
but  think  that  lie  is  entitled  to  have  his  wishes  considered  in 
the  matter,  and  therefore  rei|uest  that  his  resignation  be 
accepted." 

I  need  not  express  to  you.  Major,  what  you  know  so  well 
already :  that  it  really  grieves  me  to  part  with  an  officer  who 
so  fully  possesses  my  esteem  and  regard.  As  Commander  of 
Company  B,  when  serving  one  of  the  two  Siege  Batteries 
detached  with  the  Army  of  the  Potomac  during  the  period 
when  the  Regiment  was  in  the  Defences  of  Washington,  you 
added  largely  to  the  high  reputation  won  on  the  Peninsula. 
During  the  past  Campaign  —  whether  commanding  a  battery 
or  a  battalion  peculiarly  difficult  to  successfully  administrate, 
owing  to  our  anomalous  position,  you  performed  your  duties 
to  my  entire  satisfaction. 

You  now  leave  the  service  after  the  war  seems  to  be  over, 
and  1  sincerely  hope  that  you  may  be  as  successful  in  civil  as 
you  have  been  distinguished  in  military  life. 

I  am,  Major,  very  truly,  your  friend, 

HENRY   L.  ABBOT, 
Colonel  1st  Coniitrtifti/  ArlilUry 
Bull.  Brig.-Gen.  Vohiuteers. 

Artillery  Headquarters,  A.  P. 
May  10,  1865. 

Kespt'ctfitlly  lrtj}ismilled  lo  Major  Brooker:  I  fully  concur 
in  the  commendation  bestowed  by  General  Abbot  on  Major 
Brooker,  ist  Connecticut  Artillery.  I  have  known  him  for  the 
last  three  years,  the  greater  portion  of  which  time  he  has 
served  under  my  orders. 

After  leaving  the  Peninsula,  he  commanded  one  of  the  two 
movable  siege  batteries  acquired  to  accompany  this  army.  So 
thoroughly  and  carefully  did  he  manage  and  instruct  his  com- 
mand, that  his  heavy  guns  were  made  almost  as  movable  and 
manageable  as  field  artillery,  and  in  all  cases  where  their 
services  were  required  —  even  on  the  open  field  they  were 
perfectly  efficient,  and  placed  in  any  position  where  they  were 
needed,  and  moved  from  point  to  point  as  readily  as  field 
batteries.  His  battery  was  transferred  to  the  siege  train  in 
April  1864,  and  Captain  Brooker  promoted  to  the  Majority  of 
the  Regiment,  and  in  the  lines  of  Richmond  and  Petersburg 
he  rendered  gallant,  efficient  and  arduous  service,  with  the 
same  excellent  effect  as  in  his  previous  service.  Major 
Brooker's  services  in  the  various  campaigns  of  this  army  have 
always  been  valuable,  and  his  gallantry  and  excellent  conduct 
entitle  him  lo  the  thanks  of  his  country. 

HENRY   J.    HUNT, 

Afajor-  General,  Commanding. 

On  returning  North  he  again  engaged  in  the  meat 
business   for   two  years.      He   then   bought   what 


was  known  as  the  Pine  Grove  property,  and  from 
the  lumber  that  was  cut  from  it  erected  several 
houses  to  rent,  an  uncommon  thing  at  that  period. 
In  September  1869  he  accepted  a  position  in  the 
Coe  Brass  Manufacturing  Company,  and  was  Super- 
intendent of  that  company  for  nine  years.  He  is 
one  of  the  large  realty  holders  of  Torrington,  and 
since  resigning  from  the  brass  company,  has  given 
his  attention  largely  to  the  care  of  his  tenement 
])roperties  and  to  farming.  His  own  residence  is 
one  of  the  most  conspicuous  in  Torrington,  occupy- 
ing a  triangular  piece  of  ground  at  the  intersection 
of  Litchfield  and  Albert  streets.  The  house  is  of 
noble  ]iroportions  and  excellent  architectural  lines, 
and  from  its  pleasant  piazzas  commands  far-reaching 
\iews.  In  politics  Mr.  Brooker  is  a  staimch  Repub- 
lican. He  was  married  December  10,  1873,  to 
.'Mice  M.  Cooper.  They  have  a  daughter,  Julia 
Edna  Brooker. 


BUCKLYN,  John  Knight,  Jr.,  Physician,  Mystic, 
Connecticut,  was  born  in  Mystic,  July  31,  1865,  son 


JOHN    K.    BUCKLYN,   JR. 

of  John  K.  and  Mary  Mackie  (Young)  Bticklyn. 
His  father  was  a  native  of  Rhode  Island,  in  which 
state  he  was  born,  March  15,  1834.  He  was  edu- 
cated at  Smithville  Seminary  and  at  Brown  Univer- 
sity.    On    his  mother's  side  he   is  descended  from 


86 


MEN   OF   PROGRESS. 


the  Youngs  of  Providence,  Rhode  Island,  and  from 
the  Coggshalls  of  Rhode  Island.  His  early  educa- 
tion was  obtained  at  the  Mystic  Valley  Institute, 
Mystic,  Connecticut,  where  he  was  graduated  in 
1884,  and  of  which  his  father  is  President  and 
Principal.  Later  he  studied  medicine  at  the  New 
York  Homceopathic  Medical  College  and  Hospital, 
graduating  with  the  class  of  1887.  His  experience 
was  largely  supplemented  by  attendance  at  the 
Hahnemann,  Ward's  Island,  and  the  Ophthalmic 
Hospitals.  In  April  1887  he  commenced  the  prac- 
tice of  medicine  in  his  native  town,  and  has  resided 
there  ever  since.  In  politics  he  is  a  Republican. 
Dr.  Hucklyn  was  married  at  Mystic,  June  25,  1891, 
to  Mary  Emma  Hall,  daughter  of  Nathan  S.  Hall. 


CHAPIN,  Charles  Frederic,  Editor  of  the 
Waterbury  American,  was  born  in  South  Hadley 
Falls,  August  3,  1852,  son  of  Enoch  C.  and  Harriet 
(Abbe)  Chapin.  He  is  eighth  in  descent  from 
Samuel  Chapin  who  took  the  Freeman's  oath  in 
Boston,  June  2,  1641,  and  settled  in  Springfield, 
Massachusetts,  in  1642.  His  early  education  was 
received  in  the  common  schools  of  South  Hadley, 
in  the  Lowville  Academy  at  Lowville,  New  York, 
and  at  Wilbraham  Academy,  where  he  was  gradu- 
ated in  1873.  He  was  graduated  from  Yale  in  1877 
in  the  same  class  with  Henry  S.  Chase  and  Arthur 
Reed  Kimball.  He  served  an  apprenticeship  as 
])rinter  on  the  l.owville  Democrat  and  the  Lowville 
journal  and  Republican.  In  college  he  received  the 
highest  journalistic  honor  of  the  course  in  his  elec- 
tion as  the  Chairman  of  the  Board  of  Editors  of  the 
Yale  Literary  Magazine.  On  graduating  he  came 
to  Waterbury  and  became  at  once  connected  with 
the  Waterbury  American.  Having  learned  in  the 
counting  room  the  practical  side  of  the  newspaper 
business,  he  assumed  the  editorial  management  and 
in  a  brief  period  imparted  to  the  paper  a  character 
for  ability,  independence,  firmness  and  breadth  which 
it  had  not  heretofore  possessed,  and  which  few 
papers  in  New  England  can  claim.  By  a  self-asser- 
tion which  was  persistent  but  not  obtrusive,  good- 
natured  and  considerate,  he  made  his  personality 
felt  throughout  the  establishment,  and  the  same 
f|ualities  pervading  the  columns  of  his  paper, 
secured  for  him  an  unsuspected  mastery  in  the 
minds  of  a  steady  increasing  constituency.  His 
style  has  been  well  described  as,  "always  forceful, 
always  temperate.  The  hardest  blows  are  given,  it 
is  said,  in  i|uiet,  clean  cut  sentences.     Every  word 


tells  because  it  is  driven  home  by  the  hammer  of  a 
cold  fact."  Mr.  Chapin  is  well  equipped  for  liter- 
ary work  of  a  more  permanent  kind  than  the  news- 
paper calls  for,  but  he  has  nevertheless  confined 
himself  closely  to  the  newspaper  field,  and  his  only 
venture  outside  of  it  are  an  essay  or  two  on  journal- 
ism, a  paper  on  the  Life  and  Character  of  Uncas, 
and  a  few  chapters  in  the  History  of  Waterbury. 
He  is  a  member  of  the  Waterbury  Club,  and  the 
Society  of  Colonial  Wars.  In  College  he  was  a 
member  of  Skull  and  Bones,  and  Delta  Kappa 
Epsilon.  In  politics  he  is  an  Independent.  He 
was    married    October    12,  1877,  to    Katherine   A. 


1 

1 

PSl 

P 

L 

TW»    ,   . 

™ 

C.   F.   CHAPIN. 

Mattison,  of  Shaftesbury,  Vermont.  They  have 
three  children  :  Carl  Mattison,  born  July  30,  1879, 
and  Barbara  and  Marjorie  Chapin  (twins),  born 
June  9,  1886. 

CHASE,  Irving  Hall,  Secretary  of  the  Water- 
bury Clock  Company,  was  born  in  Waterbury,  May 
13,  1858,  son  of  Augustus  Sabin  and  Martha  C. 
(Starkweather)  Chase.  His  grandfather  was  Seth 
Chase,  the  latter  son  of  Slade  Chase,  son  of  Seth 
Chase,  son  of  Elisha  Chase,  all  of  whom  were 
descendants  of  William  Chase  who  came  from  Eng- 
land in  1630  and  settled  at  Yarmouth.  His  great- 
grandmother  was  Lavinia  Sabin,  daughter  of  Elihu 


MEN    OF    PROGRESS. 


87 


Sabin,  a  soldier  of  the  Revolution.  He  was  edu- 
cated first  at  a  private  school  in  W'aterhiiry,  then  at 
the  Waterbury  High  School,  then  at  the  Cunnery 
School  at  Washington,  Connecticut,  and  later  at  Pliil- 
lips  .Academy,  .-Vndover,  Massachusetts,  where  he  was 


IhVlNG   H.    CHASE. 

graduated  in  [S76.  He  was  graduated  from  Vale 
in  June  1880  and  in  November  of  the  same  year 
entered  the  employ  of  the  ^Vaterbury  Clock  Com- 
pany as  shipping  clerk.  March  31,  1885,  he  was 
elected  Secretary  of  the  company,  which  position 
he  still  holds.  'I'he  following  year  he  was  made 
Director  of  the  company,  and  in  i8g6  a  Director  of 
the  Waterbury  Manufacturing  Company,  and  in 
1S97  its  Vice-President.  He  is  also  a  Director  in 
the  .American  Printing  Company  and  in  the  Starr 
Brothers  Bell  Company  of  East  Hampton,  Connect- 
icut. In  politics  he  is  a  sound  money  Indepen- 
dent with  Republican  tendencies.  He  is  a  member 
of  the  Waterbury  Club,  and  at  Phillips  Ac:ademy 
was  a  member  of  the  K.  O.  A.  Society,  and  at 
Vale  a  member  of  Delta  Kappa,  Hay  Boulay,  Delta 
Kappa  Epsilon  and  Wolf's  Head.  He  was  married 
February  28,  1889,  to  Elizabeth  Hosmer  Kellogg, 
daughter  of  Hon.  S.  W.  Kellogg.  They  have  three 
daughters  :  Marjorie  Starkweather,  born  October  9, 
1892  ;  Eleanor  Kellogg,  born  January  30,  1894,  and 
Lucia  Hosmer  Chase,  born  March  24,  1897. 


CHESEBRO,  Samukl  Hknrv,  Grocer  and  Presi- 
dent of  the  Board  of  Directors  of  the  Stonington 
Building  Company,  was  born  in  Stonington,  Con- 
necticut, December  8,  1838,  son  of  Samuel  and 
Harriet  (Haskell)  ('hescbro.  He  is  the  seventh 
generation  from  William  Chesebrough,  the  first 
white  settler  of  Stonington  and  who  was  born  in 
I'.ngland  in  1594.  I'Vom  this  ancestor  the  line  runs 
as  follows  ;  Sanuiel  Chesebro,  born  April  i,  1627; 
Samuel,  born  November  20,  1660;  Joseph,  born 
April  12,  1703  ;  Samuel,  born  March  25,  1743  ;  and 
Samuel,  his  father,  born  November  25,  1788.  On 
the  maternal  side  he  is  a  descendant  of  John  Has- 
kell of  Preston,  Connecticut,  who  was  born  Decem- 
ber 13,  1764.  The  subject  of  this  sketch  was  edu- 
cated in  the  common  schools  of  Stonington,  and 
his  early  training  for  active  life  was  received  in  his 
father's  store.  He  has  been  in  the  grocery  busi- 
ness since  September  29,  1859,  and  is  now  the 
oldest  grocer  in  the  borough  of  Stonington.     He  is 


% 


S.    H.    CHESEBRO. 

Presi<ient  of  the  Hoard  of  Directors  of  the  Stoning- 
ton Building  Company,  which  position  he  has  held 
since  the  formation  of  the  company  in  1891.  The 
company  owns  the  factory  occupied  by  the  Ameri- 
can Velvet  Company,  employing  over  one  hundred 
and  twenty-five  men  and  women,  and  is  one  of  the 
chief    industries    of   the    borough.       The    Building 


88 


MEN   OF    PROGRESS. 


Company  lioiibled  the  size  of  their  plant  the  last 
season.  In  politics  he  is  a  Democrat.  He  served 
as  Borough  Clerk  from  1866  to  1870,  Selectman  in 
1 87 1,  Representative  to  the  General  Assembly  in 
1874,  First  Selectman  in  1877,  Selectman  in  1878, 
and  Warden  of  the  Borough  from  August  1892  to 
August  1894,  declining  a  re-election.  He  was  mar- 
ried September  26,  1S65,  to  Lucretia  Maria  Bab- 
cock.  Pauline,  their  only  child,  was  born  August 
3.  'S79- 


COFFIN,  Owen  Vincent,  President  of  the 
Middlesex  Mutual  Fire  Insurance  Company  of 
Middletown,  and  Ex-Governor  of  Connecticut,  was 
born  in  I'nion  \'ale.  New  York,  June  20,  1836,  son 
of  Alexander  Hamilton  and  Jane  (Vincent)  Cofifin. 
The  family  seat  of  the  Cofifins  in  Devonshire,  Eng- 
land, has  been  owned  and  occupied  by  those  of 
the  name  and  line  for  seven  hundred  years.  Sir 
Richard  Cofifin  came  from  the  Continent  with 
William  the  Con(|ueror.  The  first  of  the  name  in 
America  was  Tristram  Cofifin  who  came  from  Eng- 
land in  1642.  Among  his  Revolutionary  ancestors 
Governor  Cofifin  numbers  :  Colonel  James  Vande- 
burgh,  the  personal  friend  of  Washington,  and  Cap- 
tain Israel  Vail,  his  mother's  great-great-grandfather 
who  participated  in  the  Battle  of  White  Plains. 
He  was  educated  in  the  common  schools  and  at 
Cortlandt  Academy,  Homer,  New  York,  and  Char- 
lotteville  Seminary,  Charlotteville,  New  York.  He 
remained  at  home  on  the  farm  until  he  was  sixteen, 
afterwards  teaching  in  the  district  school.  At  the 
age  of  seventeen  he  came  to  New  York  city  where 
he  remained  for  eleven  years  acting  in  various  capac- 
ities as  clerk,  salesman  and  secretary.  He  came  to 
Connecticut  in  February  1864,  where  he  has  since 
been  engaged  in  fire  insurance,  railroad  and  bank- 
ing interests.  For  many  years  he  has  been  Presi- 
dent of  the  Middlesex  Fire  Insurance  Company,  a 
local  company.  His  wise  and  conservative  man- 
agement of  this  company  is  deservedly  recognized 
in  insurance  circles.  He  is  a  Director  in  the 
Farmers'  and  Mechanics'  Savings  Bank,  and  inter- 
ested in  many  other  local  enterprises.  In  politics 
Governor  Coffin  was  born  and  reared  a  Democrat, 
but  became  a  Republican  in  1855,  before  he  was  of 
age,  during  the  Kansas  agitation,  and,  with  the 
exception  of  the  Greeley  campaign  of  1872,  has 
ever  since  been  a  staunch  Republican.  His  first 
public  service  was  as  Mayor  of  the  city  of  Middle- 
town,  Connecticut,  in  1872  and  1873.     He  was  for 


two  terms,  1887-88  and  1889-90,  State  Senator 
from  the  Twenty-second  District.  The  ability  dis- 
played by  him  in  the  discharge  of  his  duties  as 
Senator,  his  uniform  courtesy,  unflinching  integrity 
and  strong  common  sense  attracted  attention  to 
him  throughout  the  state,  and  he  became  Middle- 
sex county's  favorite  candidate  for  the  Governor- 
ship at  each  successive  State  Convention.  He 
received  the  nomination  in  1894,  and  was  elected 
Governor  in  November  of  that  year,  Middlesex 
county  thus  receiving  the  honor  of  the  selection  of 
a  Governor  from  among  the  citizens  for  the  first 
time  in  her  history.     Governor  Coffin  gave  to  the 


O.    V.    COFFIN. 

state  a  clean,  business-like  administration,  and  he 
retired  on  January  6,  1897,  with  the  well-deserved 
praise  of  his  fellow  citizens.  In  private  life  Gov- 
ernor Cofifin  has  always  taken  an  active  interest  in 
all  the  social,  moral  and  elevating  influences  of  his 
community.  Both  in  Brooklyn,  New  York,  and  in 
Middletown  he  has  been  President  of  the  Young 
Men's  Christian  Association,  President  of  the  local 
Evangelical  Alliance,  and  for  twelve  years  has  been 
a  Sunday  School  Superintendent.  He  was  a  mem- 
ber of  the  New  York  Committee  of  the  United  States 
Christian  Commission  during  the  war,  was  Vice- 
President  of  the  First  National  Bank,  President  of 
the  Middletown  Young  Republican  Club,  and  many 


MF.N    OF   PROGRESS. 


89 


other  more  or  less  public  organizations.  He  was 
married  June  24,  1858,  to  Ellen  Kli/.abeth  Coe. 
They  ha\e  had  two  children:  Jennie  I'llizabeth, 
deceased  in  1870;  and  Seward  Vincent  Coffin,  now 
Secretary  and  Treasurer  of  the  I..  D.  Brown  &  Son 
Company,  manufacturers  of  silk  goods,  of  Middle- 
town. 


COMINGS,  Benjamin  Nkwton,  Physician  and 
Professor  in  Physiology  and  Chemistry  in  the  State 
Normal  School,  New  Britain,  Connecticut,  was  born 
in  Cornish,  New  Hampshire,  November  2,  1816,  son 
of  Benjamin  Comings  and  .-Mathea  (Ripley)  Wellman. 
His  grandfather  was  the  first  minister  in  Cornish 
and  his  father  a  farmer  there.  Dr.  Comings  is  a 
descendant  of  Elder  Brewster,  the  Pilgrim  Father, 
and  also  of  Governor  William  Bradford.  He  received 
a  common  school  education  and  was  fitted  for  col- 
lege at  Kimball  Academy  at  Meriden,  New  Hamp- 
shire, from  which  he  graduated  in  1837.  He  was 
graduated  at  Dartmouth  College  in  1842,  having 
dropped  out  one  year  on  account  of  poor  health. 
After  graduation  he  went  to  Waterford,  New  York, 
and  studied  medicine  with  Dr.  Hart,  teaching 
school  at  the  same  time.  I-ater  he  went  to  Lan- 
singburgh,  teaching  in  the  Academy  and  pursuing 
medical  studies  with  Doctors  Leonard  and  Bunon. 
In  September  1845,  he  went  to  the  Medical  College 
at  Castleton,  Vermont,  where  he  completed  his 
medical  education.  For  two  years  he  practiced 
medicine  at  Troy,  New  York,  in  company  with 
Dr.  Brinsmade.  He  then  removed  to  Rockville, 
("onnecticut,  where  he  practiced  medicine  and  sur- 
gery until  1853.  In  that  year  he  was  called  to  New 
Britain,  where  he  accepted  the  position  of  Professor 
of  Physiology  and  Chemistry  in  the  State  Normal 
School,  at  the  same  time  continuing  the  practice  of 
medicine.  In  1897  he  gave  up  his  practice  owing 
to  the  infirmities  of  age.  Dr.  Comings  was  ap- 
pointed Surgeon  of  the  Thirteenth  Connecticut 
Volunteers  in  November  1861.  The  following  quo- 
tation is  taken  from  the  printed  history  of  the 
Regiment :  "  Surgeon  Benjamin  Newton  Comings 
had  practiced  medicine  and  surgery  with  success 
for  many  years.  He  completed  a  i)opular  te.xt  book 
on  Physiology  and  was  lecturer  on  that  science  in 
the  State  Normal  School.  He  had  obtained  rejni- 
tation  as  a  temperance  advocate,  giving  especial 
attention  to  the  effect  of  alcohol  on  the  brain.  On 
the  6th  of  August  1862,  he  nearly  lost  his  life  by 
the  sinking  of  the  steamer  Whiteman  on  the  Missis- 


sip|)i  with  a  load  of  wounded  soldiers  of  whom  he 
w:is  in  charge,  from  the  battle-field  of  Baton  Rouge. 
.An  inlhited  rubber  pillow  buttoned  beneath  his 
coat  kept  him  afloat.  The  doctor  was  a  close  stu- 
dent of  natural  history,  especially  of  ornithology. 
Many  a  hapless  wild  fowl  attestc<l  his  accuracy  as  a 
marksman  in  the  woods  around  Thibodaux  until  our 
waggish  quartermaster  made  the  officers  believe 
that  guerrillas  infested  the  neighborhood.  On  all 
occasions  he  showed  himself  a  skilful  surgeon.  He 
resigned  his  commission  in  January  1863,  and  has 
since  resided  in  New  Britain  where  he  is  greatly 
esteemed."     Dr.    Comings  has  been  Chairman  of 


v<, 


i  w» 


"\'V 


B.    N.  COMINGS. 

the  School  Board  for  ten  years,  President  of  the 
American  Basket  Company  in  1866,  and  for  many 
years  has  been  Examining  Surgeon  for  the  coroner 
of  New  Britain.  He  was  Chairman  of  the  City 
Board  of  Health  for  twelve  years,  and  has  been 
President  of  the  State  Medical  Society  as  well  as 
the  City  Medical  Society.  He  was  President  of 
the  Good  Samaritan  Society  in  1872,  and  for  many 
years  lectured  on  temperance.  In  politics  he  is  a 
Republican,  and  has  been  actively  interested  in 
every  good  work  among  his  fellow  citizens.  He 
was  married  to  Betsy  Maria  Righter,  of  Parsipenny, 
New  Jersey,  on  July  22,  1847,  by  whom  he  had 
three  children  :  John  Righter,  born  August  5,  died 


90 


MEN   OF   PROGRESS. 


March  20,  1855  ;  and  Emma  Shugard  and  William 
Kighter  Comings,  twins, born  March  24,  1S52  ;  Emma 
Shugard  died  Kebniary  6,  1876.  Mrs.  Comings 
dieti  November  22,  1872.  His  second  marriage 
was  on  lanuary  n,  1877,  to  Mrs.  Helen  Maria 
Lewis, of  Farmington,  Connecticut.  William  Righter 
Comings  is  a  successful  manufacturer  of  London, 
England,  residing  there  for  the  past  twenty  years. 


COOLEV,  Fkancis  Rkxiori),  Banker  and  Broker, 
Hartford,  was  born  in  New  York  city,  November 
21,  1863.     His  father  is  Hon.   Francis  B.  Cooley, 


School  t:ommittee  in  1S96  and  1897.  He  takes  an 
active  interest  in  athletics  and  has  been  the  winner 
of  a  few  tennis  tournaments  He  was  for  five  years 
Secretary  of  the  Hartford  Lawn  Club,  and  is  now 
its  President ;  is  also  a  member  of  the  Golf  Club 
and  Colonial  Club  of  Hartford,  and  of  the  Univer- 
sity Club,  New  York.  In  college  he  was  elected  a 
member  in  the  Hay  Boulay,  Delta  Kappa  Epsilon, 
and  Scroll  and  Keys  societies.  On  October  15, 
1890,  he  was  married  to  Alice  Cleveland  Browne. 
They  have  one  child  :  Francis  Browne  Cooley. 


FRANCIS    R.   COOLEY. 

one  of  Hartford's  most  prominent  citizens.  His 
mother's  maiden  name  was  Clarissa  A.  Smith.  He 
was  educated  at  the  grammar  school  and  the  Hart- 
ford High  School,  and  in  1886  graduated  from 
Yale  Ihiiversity.  His  business  career  began  with  a 
clerkship  in  a  wholesale  house  where  he  remained 
during  1887  and  1888.  He  then  formed  a  partner- 
ship with  Charles  E.  Wilson,  as  dealers  in  commer- 
cial paper  and  bonds.  After  three  years,  on  the 
expiration  of  the  partnership,  January  i,  1892,  he 
started  in  business  for  himself,  doing  a  general 
banking  and  brokerage  business,  and  has  been  suc- 
cessful from  the  start.  In  politics  he  is  a  Republi- 
can,  and    was    a    member    of    the    Hartford    High 


CURTIS,  Theodore  Alden,  Supervising  Archi- 
tect, Hartford,  was  born  in  Sharon,  Massachusetts, 
lanuary  23,  183 1,  son  of  Reverend  Jonathan  and 
Betsey  (Barker)  Curtis,  daughter  of  Lemuel  Barker 
of  Concord,  New  Hampshire.    He  traces  his  ances- 
try in  direct  line  from    John  and    Priscilla   Alden 
who  came  over  in  the  Mayflower.     His  father  and 
ancestors  were  natives  of  Braintree,  Massachusetts, 
and  the  links  in  the  family  chain  are  as  follows  : 
His  father.  Rev.  Jonathan  Curtis,  son  of  Jonathan 
and    Eunice   (Thayer)   Curtis,  the   latter    daughter 
of   Joseph   Thayer   and    Eunice    Ludden ;    Joseph 
Thayer  was  son  of  Ephraim  Thayer  and  Sarah  Bass, 
the  latter,  daughter  of  John  Bass  and  Ruth  Alden ; 
Ruth  Alden,  daughter  of  John  Alden  and  Priscilla, 
his  wife,  completes  the  ancestral  chain.     Theodore 
Alden  Curtis,  the  subject  of  this  sketch,  attended 
the    common    school   and    Academy    at    Pittsfield, 
New  Hampshire,  and  in  1847  was  graduated  from 
the  Academy  at  Woodstock.     In   1850  he  entered 
the  studio  of  Andrews  &  Wagstaff,  of  Boston,  as  a 
student  of  historical  engraving,  but,   in    185 1,  was 
obliged    to    abandon    the    study    of    engraving   on 
account  of   a   serious   affection   of   the    eyes  from 
which    he   has   never   entirely   recovered.     In    the 
same  year  he  entered  the  office  of  Theodore  Atkin- 
son to  study  constructional  engineering.     In  1853 
he  went  to  Hartford  and  took  charge  of  the  erec- 
tion of  Colt's  works,  then  about  being  commenced, 
and  remained  about  three  years  until  the  work  was 
substantially  completed.     In   1857    he  received  an 
appointment  in  the  office  of  the  Government  Super- 
vising Architect  at  Washington,  where  are  prepared 
the  plans,  specifications  and  contracts  for  the  erec- 
tion  of   all   Government   buildings.      In    1865    he 
accepted  a  position  with  a  manufacturing  establish- 
ment at  Springfield,  Massachusetts,  to  take  charge 
of    important    business    matters    for    them    in    the 
Departments  at  Washington.     From   1867  to  1883 


MEN    OI'    PROGRESS. 


91 


he  was  a  ])ractitioiUT  before  the  raletU  (  )rtiie,  and 
for  three  years  thereafter  was  in  Florida.  He  came 
to  Hartford  again  in  1S87,  and  in  1888  took  charge 
of  the  construction  of  the  improvements  at  the  new 
Union  Railroad  depot.  Since  1890  he  has  been 
engaged  in  extensi\e  building  operations  for  a  large 
estate  in  Hartford,  and  has  been  connected  with 
the  erection  of  some  of  the  most  important  public 
buildings  in  the  city.  In  1892  he  entered  into  a 
l)artnership  with  \\  illiam  1).  Johnson,  a  graduate  of 
Vale  and  a  former  associate  on  the  work  of  the 
Union  Railroad  depot  in  architectural  practice, 
which   partnership   still   exists.       He   has   been   a 


T.  ALDEN   CURTIS 

Mason  and  a  Knight  Templar  for  thirty-six  years 
and  a  Scottish  Rite  Mason  for  thirty-two  years. 
He  was  married  November  20,  1861,  to  Ellen  Ells- 
worth Hall,  of  Washington,  D.  C.  Their  children 
have  been  :  Frederick  Ellsworth,  born  January  16, 
1863,  died  April  16,  1S87  ;  (leorge  Varnum,  born 
October  6,  1865  ;  and  Ruth  .'\lden  Curtis,  born 
December  31,  1878. 


DAVIDSON,  Charles  SMnii,  Superintendent  of 
the  Hartford  Division  of  the  New  Vork,  New  Haven 
&  Hartford  Railroad,  was  born  in  East  Ha\cn, 
Connecticut,    November    9,    1829,    son    of   .Abijah 


llradley  ami  Harriet  (Smith)  Davidson.  He  re- 
ceived a  common  school  education,  and  graduated 
from  the  Lancasterian  .School,  New  Haven  (John 
E.  Lovell,  Principal),  in  1845.  He  ranked  second 
in  scholarship,  receiving  a  silver  medal,  and  it  is 
retained  as  one  of  the  pleasing  souvenirs  of  boyhood. 
After  leaving  school  he  assisted  his  father  in  busi- 
ness two  years,  then  commenced  work  in  the  brass 
and  silver  plating  establishment  of  Judson,  Cornwall 
&  Cowles,  New  Haven.  In  1848  he  went  to  Spring- 
field, Massachusetts,  and  served  three  years  as  an 
apprentice  to  learn  the  machinist's  trade,  at  the 
American  Machine  Works  (Philos  B.  Tyler,  Presi- 
dent) ;  on  completion  of  which,  in  November  1851, 
he  went  to  Hartford,  Connecticut,  and  entered  the 
employ  of  the  Hartford  &  New  Haven  Railroad 
C'ompany,  in  the  repair  shop,  under  the  charge  of 
!•;.  M.  Reed,  Master  Mechanic.  He  has  been  con- 
nected with  the  railroad  ever  since,  passing  through 
the  various  grades  of  mechanic,  Eocomotive  Engi- 
neer, in  special  charge  of  rolling  stock,  conductor. 
Supervisor  of  Construction,  and  Assistant  Superin- 
tendent. He  was  appointed  Superintendent  of  the 
Hartford  Division,  when  the  Hartford  &  New  Haven 
and  the  New  York  &  New  Haven  Railroad  com- 
panies were  consolidated,  in  1872,  which  position  he 
holds  at  the  present  time.  In  1854  he  was  raised 
to  the  Sublime  Degree  of  Master  Mason,  in  Wor- 
cester Lodge  Number  Seventy-nine,  New  Haven ; 
was  exalted  to  a  Royal  Arch  Mason  in  Pythagoras 
Chapter,  Hartford  ;  created  a  Sir  Knight  in  Washing- 
ton Commandery  Knights  Templar,  Hartford  ;  and 
after  filling  the  respective  offices  in  the  Commandery, 
was  elected  and  served  as  Eminent  Commander. 
He  is  also  a  member  of  Pyramid  Temple,  Ancient 
Order  of  Nobles  of  the  Mystic  Shrine,  Bridgeport. 
He  attained  the  Thirty-second  degree  of  Masonry 
at  Norwich,  Connecticut.  He  is  Past  Dictator  of 
Pioneer  L.odge  Knights  of  Honor,  Hartford,  and  a 
member  of  the  Order  of  Red  Men.  He  belongs  to 
the  \'eteran  Association  First  Company  Governor's 
F'oot  (iuard,  to  the  Hartford  Club,  is  an  Honorary 
Member  of  the  City  Guard,  a  member  of  the 
F>anklin  Rifle  Club,  and  one  of  the  Trustees  of  the 
Dime  Savings  Bank.  During  the  administration  of 
Mayor  Sumner  in  1878  he  was  appointed  a  mem- 
ber of  the  Hartford  Board  of  Fire  Commissioners, 
and  rendered  valuable  service  to  the  city  in  that 
capacity.  He  was  ai)pointed  by  Mayor  Dwight  in 
1890  a  member  of  the  Board  of  Street  Commission- 
ers, and  to  (|uote  from  papers,  it  is  said  "  that  the 
wisdom   of   the  appcjintment  was   universally  con- 


92 


MKN    OF   PROGRESS. 


cetled."  By  Mayor  Myde  in  1S9.5  he  was  appointed 
a  member  of  the  Board  of  Police  Commissioners. 
In  [xilitics  he  is  an  Independent  Democrat,  and  an 
ardent  supporter  of  sound  money.  In  religious 
matters  he  is  a  member  of  the  Park  Ecclesiastical 
Society.  A  newspaper  clipping  reads :  "  There  is 
not  a  railroad  manager  in  New  England  who  pos- 
sesses more  fully  than  Superintendent  Davidson  the 
confidence  of  the  public,  and  for  the  best  reasons. 
He  has  had  abundant  and  varied  experience  in  all 
departments  of  practical  railroading,  managing  with 
consummate  judgment  and  skill  the  most  difficult 
situations ;  a  man  of  absolute  fidelity,  and  courage 


C.    S.    DAVIDSON. 

which  amounts  to  heroism."  It  was  during  the  war 
that  he  was  appointed  Assistant  Superintendent,  and 
placed  in  charge  of  the  transportation  of  troops.  So 
important  was  this  service,  that  he  was  looked  upon 
with  special  favor  by  the  state  officials  and  United 
States  officials  in  this  department.  He  was  engineer 
of  the  train  that  transported  the  six  Massachusetts 
troops  through  Connecticut  on  their  way  to  Wash- 
ington, and  only  a  few  hours  prior  to  the  attack  on 
the  regiment  at  Baltimore.  Thousands  of  volunteers 
were  transported  through  Connecticut  under  his 
charge  during  the  war  and  not  a  life  was  lost  or  a 
soldier  injured  in  transportation.  'I'he  record  is  a 
proud  one,  and  he  looks  back  to  it  with  satisfaction. 


It  was  at  that  time  a  hazardous  situation,  on  account 
of  the  enemies  of  the  Government  in  Connecticut 
who  would  not  hesitate  to  wreck  a  train  carrying 
troops  to  the  front,  and  the  utmost  secrecy  prevailed 
as  to  the  movement  of  troop  trains.  He  was  mar- 
ried in  December  1857  to  Catherine  Anne  Barthol- 
omew (sister  of  the  late  Edward  S.  Bartholomew, 
sculptor)  by  the  Reverend  Nathaniel  J.  Burton. 
Three  children  were  the  fruits  of  the  marriage,  but 
one  of  whom  is  living :  William  B.  Davidson,  Teller 
in  the  United  States  Bank  at  Hartford. 


DAVENPORT,  Reverend  John  Gavlord,  D.  D., 
Pastor  of  the  Second  Congregational  Church  of 
Waterbury,  was  born  in  Wilton,  Connecticut,  Nov- 
ember 24,  1840,  the  only  son  of  Charles  Augustus 
and  Sarah  Maria  (Gaylord)  Davenport.  The  Dav- 
enports trace  their  ancestry  back  to  the  Norman 
invaders  of  England.  The  first  whose  name  is 
known  was  Ormus  de  Daunporte  who  was  born  in 
Chester,  England,  in  1086.  Sixteen  generations 
after  him  was  the  Reverend  John  Davenport,  the 
patriarch  of  New  Haven.  From  him  the  line  runs 
as  follows  :  Rev.  John  Davenport,  John  Davenport, 
of  New  Haven,  Rev.  John  Davenport,  of  Stamford, 
John  Davenport,  of  North  Stamford,  Deodate  Dav- 
enport, Sr.,  Deodate  Davenport,  Jr.,  and  Samuel 
Davenport,  the  grandfather  of  the  subject  of  this 
sketch.  His  mother's  grandfather,  the  Rev.  Wil- 
liam Gaylord,  was  pastor  of  the  church  in  Wilton 
from  1733  'o  1766.  The  present  pastor  of  the 
Second  Congregational  Church  of  Waterbury,  re- 
ceived his  early  education  at  the  district  school  of 
Wilton,  and  at  Wilton  Academy  under  Professor 
Edward  Olmstead,  Yale  1844.  He  was  graduated 
from  Williams  College  in  1863,  giving  as  his  com 
mencement  appointment  the  salutatory  oration. 
He  studied  for  one  year,  1864-65,  in  Union  Theologi- 
cal Seminary,  and  while  a  tutor  at  Williams  College, 
1865-67.  continued  his  theological  studies  under  the 
Rev.  Dr.  Mark  Hopkins.  He  had  already  taught 
for  a  year,  1863-64,  in  a  classical  academy  at  Jewett, 
New  York.  On  July  i,  1868,  he  was  ordained  and 
installed  Pastor  of  the  Park  Street  Congregational 
Church  of  Bridgeport.  Here  he  remained  for 
thirteen  years  during  which  time  the  young 
church  developed  in  numbers  and  efficiency,  taking 
its  place  among  the  foremost  churches  of  the  city. 
He  was  dismissed  July  20,  1881,  and  November  9, 
1 88 1,  was  installed  in  the  church  at  Waterbury  of 
which  he  is  still  Pastor.     Under  the  pastoral  care  of 


Mi:\    OI'    I'ROC.RESS. 


93 


Dr.    Davenport    the    Secoml    Cliurch    has   enjoyed      college    class    in    1878,  he  was  in    1883  re-elected 


great  ]irosperitv,  amoni;  the  evidences  of  which  are 
its  erection  of  a  beautiful  sanctuary  of  brown  stone, 
costing  with  lurnishini^s  and  parsonage  one  hundred 
and  sixtv  thousand  dollars,  and   the  ra]>id   increase 


S.   «5^ 


"for  twenty-five  years."  In  this  capacity  he  in 
1S83  iniblished  a  somewhat  voluminous  report  of 
the  class,  entitled,  "  After  Twenty  Years."  Mr. 
Davenport  has  always  been  interested  in  moral 
reform  mi)\ements,  and  in  1874  was  Grand  W'orthy 
Patriarch  of  the  Sons  of  Temperance  of  Connecti- 
cut. In  politics  he  is  a  Republican,  but  has  exer- 
cised the  liberty  of  bolting  on  occasion.  He  was 
married  November  29,  1866,  to  Miss  Alice,  daugh- 
ter of  Cicorge  B.  \Vestcott,  of  Wilton.  Three  chil- 
dren have  been  born  to  them  :  Clarence  Gaylord, 
connected  prominently  with  the  (leneral  Electric 
Co.,  in  New  N'ork,  Lilian  Louisa  and  Mary  Lindley 
Davenport. 


J.   G.   DAVENPORT. 

of  its  membership  until  it  has  become  the  large^t 
church  in  Connecticut  with  o\  er  a  thousand  com- 
municants. Its  Pastor  has  three  times  been  sent 
as  a  delegate  to  the  National  Council  of  Congrega- 
tional Churches,  and  in  1897  was  elected  Modera- 
tor of  the  General  Association  of  the  Congrega- 
tional Ministers  of  Connecticut.  He  is  also  a 
corporate  member  of  the  American  lioard  of  Com- 
missioners for  Foreign  Missions;  is  a  member  of 
the  Society  of  Founders  and  Patriots,  and  since 
1896  has  been  its  Chaplain  for  Connecticut.  Wil- 
liams College  conferred  upon  him  the  degree  of 
Doctor  of  Divinity  in  1893  Mr.  Daven])ort  was  a 
member  of  the  Board  of  Education  of  Bridgeport 
in  1879,  3"'^  from  1878  to  1881  was  one  of  the 
Alumni  Visitors  of  Williams  College,  giving  the 
report  of  that  body  at  the  commencement  in  1S81. 
He  was  Class  Day  poet  at  his  graduation  and  since 


VAX,  \\'ii,i.i.\M  Henry,  Corporation  Counsel  of 
New  Haven,  was  born  in  Hartford,  November  27, 
1859,  son  of  William  Brewster  and  Elizabeth  Smith 
(Morgan)  Ely.     He  is  a  descendant  of  Nathan  L'.ly, 


WM.    H.    ELY. 


one  of  the  first  settlers  of  Hartford,  and  to  whom 
with  others,  was  allotted  a  piece  of  land  in  the  orig- 
inal distribution.  He  is  also  descended  from  Elder 
then  has  written  many  poems,  not  a  few  of  which  William  ISrcwster,  through  his  father's  grandmother 
have  been  published.  \'arii)us  prose  articles  of  Drusilla  Brewster.  On  the  maternal  side  he  is 
his,  sermons,  sketches,  etc.,  have  found  a  place  descended  'rom  the  Morgans  of  Stonington  who 
in  the  public  press.     Elected  the  Secretary  of  his      figured  in  the  war  of  the  Revolution,  and  Thomas 


94 


MEN   OF   PROGRESS. 


Seymour  who  was  King's  Attorney  before  the  Revo- 
hition  anil  from  the  €he\  enards,  a  Huguenot  family. 
He  attended  the  Hartford  High  School  where  he 
graduated  in  1S73,  and  then  entering  .Vniherst  Col- 
lege, graduated  with  the  class  of  1877  ;  following  this 
he  studied  law  in  the  office  of  Briscoe  &  Maltbie  of 
Hartford,  and  was  admitted  to  the  Bar  in  that  city, 
May  27,  1879.  He  commenced  the  practice  of  law 
in  Winsted,  Connecticut,  in  September  of  the  same 
year,  and  there  remained  until  June  28,  18S4,  when 
he  moved  to  New  Haven.  Here  he  has  continued 
in  the  practice  of  his  profession  in  connection  with 
William  C.  Case.  In  politics  he  is  a  Republican. 
In  January  1895  he  was  elected  to  his  present  office 
as  Corporation  Counsel  of  New  Haven,  and  in  Jan- 
uary 1897  was  re-elected  for  a  period  of  two  years. 
He  is  a  member  of  the  Quinnipiac  Club,  the  Sons 
of  the  American  Revolution,  the  Republican 
League  and  the  Young  Men's  Republican  Club  of 
New  Haven.  He  was  married  October  18,  i88r,  to 
Mary  Gertrude  Little,  of  Sheffield,  Massachusetts. 
Their  son,  William  Brewster  Ely,  was  born  October 
19,  18S2. 


FOSTER,  John  Pierrepunt  Codrington,  M.  1),, 
New  Haven,  was  born  in  New  Haven,  March  2, 
1847,  son  of  Eleazer  Kingsbury  and  Mary  (Codring- 
ton)  Foster.  On  his  father's  side  he  is  descended 
from  James  Pierpont,  Thomas  Hooker  and  a  long 
line  of  Colonial  celebrities.  His  family  still  occupy 
the  land  on  which  they  settled  in  1685.  'I'he 
present  house  was  built  by  his  great-grandfather 
John  Pierpont,  and  there  has  never  been  a  deed 
for  the  property.  His  father,  a  graduate  of  Vale, 
1834,  was  conspicuous  in  political  and  social  life, 
was  Speaker  of  the  House  of  Representatives  in 
1865,  and  for  a  quarter  of  a  century  attorney  for  the 
state  in  New  Haven.  His  grandfather  was  a  prom- 
inent lawyer,  a  graduate  of  Vale  1802.  The  first 
ancestor  of  the  name  was  Samuel  Foster,  who  came 
from  England  in  1630  and  was  a  member  of  the 
General  Court  of  Massachusetts.  His  eighth  great- 
grandfather was  Thomas  Willette,  of  Plymouth,  who 
commanded  the  Plymouth  Colony,  and  who,  after 
defeating  the  Dutch,  was  the  first  Mayor  of  New 
York  city.  His  mother  was  a  member  of  the 
ancient  Codrington  family  of  England,  and  only 
came  to  this  country  shortly  before  her  marriage. 
The  subject  of  this  sketch  prepared  for  college  at 
Russell's  Collegiate  and  Commercial  Institute,  New 
Haven,  and  was  graduated  from  Yale  in  1869,  and 


from  the  Yale  Medical  School  in  1875.  He  began 
the  practice  of  medicine  in  New  Haven  in  the  fall 
of  1876.  He  has  a  large  general  practice,  and  for 
many  years  has  had  the  bulk  of  the  university  prac- 
tice. On  December  3,  1890,  he  was  the  first  in 
America  to  administer  the  famous  Tuberculin  of 
Professor  Koch.  In  connection  with  Professor  R. 
II.  Crittenden  of  the  Yale  Biological  Laboratory  he 
conducted  for  se\eral  months  a  series  of  experi- 
ments upon  tuberculous  ])atients,  the  results  of  which 
were  subsecpiently  published.  He  has  been  Sur- 
geon in  the  United  States  Marine  Hospital  service 
since   1880,  and  in  T897  was  appointed  Instructor 


JOHN    p.  C.   FOSTER, 

in  .\natomy  at  the  Yale  .-^rt  School.  He  is  a  mem- 
ber of  the  American  and  the  State  Medical  Associa- 
tion and  of  the  Society  of  American  Anatomists. 
He  was  married  July  i,  1875,  to  Josephine  Bicknell. 
Their  children  have  been  :  Margaret  Codrington, 
John  Pierrepont  Codrington,  Jr.,  Josephine  Bick- 
nell, Allen  Evarts,  and  William  Edward  Foster. 


GREENE,  WiNTHROP  Benton,  Pastor  of  the  F^irst 
Congregational  Church  of  Pomfret,  was  born  in 
Cambridge,  Massachusetts,  February  19,  1869,  son 
of  Edward  Winthrop  and  Mary  Eliza  (Benton) 
Greene,    now  residents  of   Newtonville,  Massachu- 


MEN    OK    PROGRESS. 


95 


setts.  His  paternal  grandfathci,  Wintliiciii  ()slco(>iI 
Greene  (1807-64),  of  I'omfret,  was  a  tlirect  de- 
scendant of  Thomas  Greene  who  came  from  Eng- 
land in  i6_;s  and  settled  in  Maiden,  Massachusetts. 
His  maternal  grandfather,   Austin   W.    llenton,  was 


WINTHROP   BENTON  GREENE. 

for  many  years  a  resident  of  Brookline,  Massacliu- 
setts,  and  is  now  living  at  Newton  Centre,  Massa- 
chusetts. Winthrop  B.  Greene  received  his  early 
education  in  the  public  schools  and  High  School  of 
Newton,  Massachusetts,  then  entering  Williams 
College,  he  was  graduated  in  the  class  of  1892. 
He  pursued  his  theological  studies  at  Union  Theo- 
logical Seminary,  New  York  city,  where  he  was 
graduated  in  the  class  of  1895.  On  November  12, 
1895,  he  was  ordained  to  the  ministry  at  Pomfret, 
and  has  been  Pastor  of  the  First  Congregational 
Church,  of  Pomfret,  since  that  date.  He  is  one  of 
the  rising  young  ministers  of  the  state  and  his 
future  will  be  followed  with  confidence.  He  was 
one  of  the  Commencement  Speakers  at  College, 
and  in  the  Seminary  won  a  prize  scholarship  and 
was  President  of  his  class  throughout  the  course. 
In  College  he  belonged  to  the  Delta  Upsilon  Fra- 
ternity. He  is  now  a  member  of  the  Society  of 
Biblical  Literature  and  Exegesis.  He  was  married 
December  11,  1895,  to  Edith  Winship  Brinckerhoff, 
of  Brooklyn,  New  York. 


II  \\\  ll'^Y,  SiDNKv  llnwiN,  of  Bridgeport,  Sheriff 
of  Fairlield  county,  was  born  in  Brookfield,  Con- 
necticut, November  29,  1844,  son  of  the  late 
Charles  and  .\nna  (Merwin)  llauK'v.  His  ances- 
try is  traced  in  a  direct  line  to  Joseph  Hawley,  born 
in  Parwick,  County  of  Derby,  I'.ngland,  in  1603, 
who  settled  in  Boston  in  1629  and  moved  to  Strat- 
ford, Connecticut,  about  the  middle  of  the  seven- 
teenth century,  lienjamin  Hawley  of  the  fourth 
generation  moved  to  Newtown,  Connecticut,  giving 
his  name  to  the  northern  portion  of  the  town  since 
known  as  Hawleyville.  The  lineal  descendants  for 
the  next  three  generations,  William,  Daniel  and 
Charles,  the  latter  the  father  of  the  subject  of  this 
sketch,  were  born  in  Newtown,  Daniel  Hawley  and 
his  family  removing  to  Brookfield  in  the  early  jjart 
of  the  ])resent  century.  Through  his  grandmother 
on  the  father's  side,  Joanna  Seeley,  he  traces  his 
ancestry  through  an  honored  line  back  to  Colonial 
times.     His   three  older  l)rotlicrs  made  homes  for 


S.    E.    HAWLEY. 

themselves  in  Hartford,  New  Haven  and  New  York, 
and  Sidney  E.  the  youngest,  having  received  his 
education  in  the  public  and  jirivate  schools  of 
Brookfield,  assumed  the  charge  of  the  farm  and  the 
care  of  his  ])arents  during  his  early  manhood.  For 
twenty-five  years  he  was  a  hard  working  farmer  and 
from  1878  to  1888  was  also  engaged  in  the  packing 


96 


MEN   OF    PROGRESS. 


of  leaf  tohaiio.  He  has  always  been  interested  in 
politics  and  was  an  active  worker  for  the  Republi- 
can party  even  before  he  attained  his  majority. 
He  was  elected  Representative  from  the  town  of 
HrookfieKl,  naturally  Democratic,  in  i8S6,  and  re- 
elected in  tS88.  In  1889  he  was  appointed  by 
C'lovernor  Bulkeley  member  of  the  State  Board  of 
.•\griculture  and  in  the  same  year  was  appointed 
Deputy  Collector  of  Internal  Revenue  for  four 
years,  under  Collector  John  A.  Hutchinson,  with 
hcadijuarters  at  Briilgeport.  In  November  1894, 
he  was  elected  Sheriff  of  Fairfield  county,  succeed- 
ing a  Democratic  official.  He  has  proved  an  excel- 
lent officer  and  has  received  praise  irrespective  of 
party.  He  has  reduced  expenses,  improved  the 
sanitary  condition  of  the  jail  buildings  and  made 
many  improvements.  His  motto  has  been  "  to 
fight  for  the  right  regardless  of  consequences." 
Mr.  Hawley  is  active  in  social  life  and  a  member 
and  Trustee  of  the  Brookfield  Congregational 
Church,  also  a  member  of  Brookfield  Grange  No. 
141,  St.  Peter's  Lodge  of  Masons  of  New  Milford, 
and  Pequonnock  Lodge  of  Odd  Fellows  No.  4, 
Nebo  Senate  No.  58,  K.  A.  E.  O.  Konckapotanan 
Tribe  Order  of  Red  Men,  and  of  the  Seaside, 
Algonquin  and  Country  clubs  of  Bridgeport.  He 
was  married  June  7,  187  i,  to  Sarah  Ann  Roe. 


HOAG,  Clhus  Si'URZHeim,  Homoeopathic  Physi- 
cian, Bridgeport,  was  born  in  Gaysville,  Vermont, 
January  31,  1855,  son  of  Albert  Alvah  and  Charlotte 
(Cunningham)  Hoag.  His  father  was  a  Scotch 
Quaker  coming  from  the  North  of  England.  The 
family  settled  in  Weare,  New  Hampshire,  where 
the  father  of  Dr.  Hoag  was  born.  They  after- 
wards moved  to  "Quaker  City"  or  Unity,  a  part 
of  the  town  of  Charlestown,  New  Hampshire.  His 
mother's  father  was  among  the  early  settlers  of 
Windsor  county,  Vermont,  coming  thither  from 
Windham,  Connecticut.  Dr.  Hoag  was  educated 
in  the  public  schools  of  Vermont  and  at  Goddard 
Seminary  at  Barre,  Vermont.  During  a  part  of 
1873  and  1874  he  taught  school  in  his  native  state. 
He  studied  medicine  with  Dr.  C.  H.  Chamberlain 
of  Barre,  and  in  1877  was  graduated  from  the 
Hahnemann  Medical  College  in  Philadelphia.  In 
the  spring  of  the  same  year  he  began  the  practice 
of  medicine  at  Bradford,  Vermont,  in  connection 
with  Dr.  J.  H.  Jones.  In  the  fall,  following,  he  was 
admitted  to  the  Metropolitan  Hospital,  New  York 
city,  as  House  Physician  and  .Surgeon.     In  January 


1879  he  located  at  Waterbury,  Vermont.  After  a 
two-years  practice  there  his  health  broke  down  and 
he  went  South.  Returning  North  he  located  at 
Bridgeport,  Connecticut,  in  February  1882,  and 
became  the  associate  of  Dr.  L.  H.  Norton.  After 
the  death  of  the  latter  in  1885,  Dr.  Hoag  located  on 
Lafayette  street,  Bridgeport,  taking  in  his  brother 
Dr.  A.  A.  Hoag  as  associate.  LTnder  the  name  of 
Drs.  C.  S.  &  A.  A.  Hoag  they  have  continued  in  suc- 
cessful practice  until  the  present  time.  Dr.  Hoag 
has  served  as  President  of  the  Connecticut  Homceo- 
pathic  Medical  Society  and  for  several  years  was 
Registrar  of  the  American  Institute  of  Homoeopathy. 


\ 


C.  S.  HOAG. 

He  also  belongs  to  the  Fairfield  County  Honuco- 
pathic  Medical  Society,  to  the  Seaside  Club  and  the 
Bridgeport  Board  of  Trade.  He  is  a  thirty-second 
degree  Mason  and  belongs  to  all  the  local  Masonic 
bodies.  In  politics  he  is  a  Republican.  He  was 
married  at  Waterbury,  Vermont,  January  22,  1879, 
to  Dora  E.  Abbott.     They  have  no  children. 


HODGE,  George  Washington,  Paper  Manu- 
facturer and  Ex-Treasurer  of  the  State  of  Con- 
necticut, Rainbow,  was  born  in  Seymour,  July  5, 
1845,  son  of  George  L.  and  Hannah  M.  fPelton) 
Hodge.      His  grandfather  W^illiam  Hodge,  a  Baptist 


MEN    OK    PROGRESS. 


97 


Minister,  came  to  this  countiy  in  1S23  from  Scot-  1895-96.  He  is  a  Mason,  a  member  of  the  Royal 
land  with  liis  family  of  eight  children  and  lived  Arcanum  and  of  the  Republican  Club  of  Hartford, 
in  Long  Islanil  and  Connecticut.  His  mother's  He  is  a  regular  attendant  of  the  Baptist  church, 
parents  were  settlers  of  Western  Massachusetts,  Mr.  Hodge  was  married  August  31,  1865,  to  Miss 
moving  from   there  to  Central   New  York.      They      Jennie  A  Clark.     Their  only  child,  deceased,  July 

28,  186S,  was  Clarence  H.  Hodge. 


GEORGE  W.   HODGE. 

were  connected  with  the  Peltons,  of  the  early  settle- 
ment of  Saybrook  and  East  Windsor.  He  was  edu- 
cated at  the  common  schools,  the  Connecticut 
Literary  Institute  at  Sufifield  and  the  Business 
College  at  Poughkeepsie,  New  York.  .After  leav- 
ing school  at  eighteen,  he  learned  the  business  of 
paper  making  in  the  mills  of  his  father  at  Rainbow, 
Connecticut.  He  became  a  member  of  the  firm  in 
1866,  the  firm  name  being  Hodge,  Son  &  Company, 
and  thus  continued  until  1874  when  he  retired,  and 
in  1876  became  a  member  of  the  firm  of  House  & 
Company  in  the  same  business.  He  bought  out  the 
business  of  one  partner  in  1880  and  of  the  other  in 
1890,  and  has  since  owned  and  run  the  business 
under  the  old  name  of  House  &  Company.  Since 
May  1895  he  has  been  Treasurer  of  the  Connecticut 
Building  and  Loan  Association  of  Hartford.  He 
has  always  been  a  Republican.  He  was  Selectman 
of  the  town  of  Windsor  1876-81,  member  of  the 
Connecticut  House  of  Representatives  1881-2, 
member  of  State  Senate  from  the  Third  District  in 
1889,  and  Treasurer  of  the  state  of  Connecticut  in 


ll\l)i;,  Ki'iiK.AiM  lliNKV,  Jr.,  .Mlorncy  at  Law, 
Hartford,  was  born  in  Stafford,  Connecticut,  October 
5,  1S48.  He  is  the  son  of  I':phraim  Henry  and 
Hannah  Converse  (Young)  Hyde.  His  father  is 
an  E.\- Lieutenant  Ciovernorof  Connecticut  and  well 
known  throughout  the  State  as  a  breeder  of  blooded 
cattle  and  for  his  devotion  to  agricultural  interests. 
The  son  received  his  early  education  in  the  common 
schools  of  Stafford,  and  at  the  Wesleyan  Academy 
at  Wilbraham,  Mass.,  and  the  Monson  Academy,  at 
Monson,  Mass.     He  entered  Yale  College  with  the 


E     H,    HYDE,  JR. 

class  of  1871  but  left  at  the  end  of  his  Freshman 
year  to  commence  the  study  of  law  in  the  office  of 
Waldo,  Hubbard  &  Hyde  at  Hartford.  He  was 
admitted  to  the  Bar  in  1871  and  until  1875  was 
associated  with  Samuel  L.  Jones,  Esq.  In  April 
1875  he  formed  a  partnership  with  Charles  M. 
loslyn  under  the  firm  name  of  Hyde  et  Joslyn  and 


98 


MEN   OF   PROGRESS. 


so  continued  until  1S94  when  George  H.  Gilnian 
was  ailmittetl  to  the  firm  and  the  style  was  Hyde, 
Joslyn  &  Gilman,  till  September  i,  1897,  when 
Frank  I..  Hungerford,  of  New  Britain,  was  admitted 
to  the  finn  since  which  date  the  firm  name  has  been 
Hungerford,  Hyde,  Joslyn  &  Gilman.  The  firm  is 
counsel  for  many  important  corporations  and  is 
well  known  throughout  the  State.  In  1873  he  was 
Assistant  Clerk  of  the  Connecticut  House  of  Repre- 
sentatives, in  1874  Clerk,  and  in  1875  Clerk  of  the 
Senate.  He  was  Prosecuting  .Attorney  of  the  city 
of  Hartford  from  October  i,  1875,  to  April  i,  1877, 
and  again  from  Ajiril  i,  1879,  to  April  i,  1880. 
He  was  api)ointed  a  member  of  the  Commission  on 
Uniform  State  Legislation  by  Governor  Morris. 
He  still  holds  this  office  and  his  services  in  this 
connection  have  been  of  special  value.  He  is 
President  of  the  Hartford  Hoard  of  Charity  Com- 
missioners. In  1896  he  was  candidate  for  Congress 
in  the  First  Congressional  District  on  the  Gold 
Democratic  ticket.  He  is  Past-Master  of  St. 
John's  Lodge  of  Masons  of  Hartford,  a  member  of 
the  Hartford  Club  and  of  the  Manhattan  Club  of 
New  York  city.  He  was  married  June  2,  188 1,  to 
Clara  Pearce  Tuttle. 


JACQUES,  Eugene  Leslie,  Proprietor  of  Jacques 
Opera  House,  Waterbury,  was  born  in  Plymouth, 
Connecticut,  April  30,  1855,  son  of  John  J.  Jacques, 
M.  D.,  and  Susan  M.  (Marsh)  Jacques.  On  the 
maternal  side  he  is  descended  from  Roger  Williams. 
His  father's  ancestors  were  French  Huguenots. 
His  great-great-grandfather  was  a  criminal  lawyer 
of  Rhode  Island  and  served  thirteen  successive 
terms  in  the  Rhode  Island  State  Legislature.  The 
subject  of  this  sketch  was  educated  in  the  common 
schools  of  Waterbury  and  at  the  Ellington  Academy 
at  Ellington,  Connecticut,  where  he  remained  three 
years.  At  the  age  of  eighteen  he  left  school  and 
went  into  partnership  with  his  father  in  the  drug 
busmess.  There  he  remained  sixteen  years  until 
the  death  of  his  father  when  he  sold  out  the  busi- 
ness to  J.  W.  Cone  who  still  continues  it.  At  this 
time  he  started  in  the  theatrical  business  in  the  old 
City  Hall.  After  four  years  the  former  manner  of 
conducting  the  business  was  changed.  Instead  of 
the  company  hiring  the  hall  in  which  to  play,  they 
shared  their  profits  with  the  local  manager  and  in 
this  manner  Mr.  Jacques  made  considerable  money. 
He  remained  about  ten  years  in  the  City  Hal!  and 


then  in  18S6  built  the  Jacques  Opera  House.  This 
Opera  House  has  since  been  remodeled  and  is  now 
one  of  the  finest  in  the  state.  He  also  built  the 
.Auditorium  in  1892  and  remodeled  it  1897.  This 
building  is  used  for  large  gatherings  and  amusement 
enterprises.  As  a  local  manager  he  is  known  to 
the  profession  and  the  public  under  the  name  of 
"  Jean  Jacques  "  Mr.  Jacques  also  owns  and  man- 
ages the  Diamond  ISottling  Works  of  Waterbury. 
lie  makes  his  own  syrups  and  manufactures  the 
well  known  brand  of  Naugatuck  Ginger  Ale.  He 
is  a  member  of  the  Waterbury  Club.  He  is  also  a 
thirty-second  degree   Mason,  and  a  Member  of  the 


EUGENE   L    JACQUES 

Mystic  Shrine,  Uniform  Rank  Odd  Fellows,  Inde- 
pendent Order  of  Red  Men  and  Knights  of  Pythias. 
He  was  married  in  1891  to  Annie  Louise  Ames  of 
Boston.  Their  children  have  been  :  Marie  Mercedes 
Jacques,  born  July  1894,  and  one  son  who  died  in 
infancy. 


JACKSON.  Edward,  Architect,  South  Manches- 
ter, was  born  in  County  Armagh,  Ireland,  May  12, 
i860,  son  of  Thomas  and  Mary  (Cordner)  Jackson. 
His  great-grandfather  was  Joseph  Jackson  who 
lived  at  Church  Hill  and  held  the  position  of  sur- 
veyor and  land  steward  under  Colonel  Vernor  until 


MEN    (M'    PROGRESS. 


99 


his  death.  His  grandfather,  John  Jackson,  married 
Mary  Port,  of  County  Derry,  Ireland,  and  moved 
from  Church  Hill  to  Ballinary,  to  the  homestead 
where  the  subject  of  this  sketch  was  born.  His 
early  education  was  obtained  in  the  elementary 
public  schools.  He  then  attended  the  Belfast 
Royal  Academy  of  Engineering  and  .•\rt  where  he 
was  graduated  July  6,  1877.  He  was  a  pupil  for 
two  years  of  Henry  Shillington,  city  engineer  for  the 
corporations  of  Lurgan  and  Fortadown,  with  whom 
he  had  a  thorough  training  in  engineering  and 
office  work.  In  March  1880  he  emigrated  to 
.Australia  and  secured    a  position  as  assistant  sur- 


II  is  work  was  confined  to  Belfast  and  surrounding 
towns  and  comprises  a  fine  example  of  a  Masonic 
'I'emple  and  a  Public  School.  His  work  shows 
much  originality  and  with  the  knowledge  derived 
from  his  extensive  travels  he  is  able  to  adapt  his 
style  to  a  wide  variety  of  subjects.  He  sailed  for 
.America  in  October  1895,  and  crossing  the  Rocky 
Mountains,  visited  all  of  the  large  cities.  Mr.  Jack- 
son has  taken  first  prizes  in  architectural  competi- 
tions and  is  associate  member  of  the  Institute  of 
.Architects  and  Civil  Engineers  of  Ireland.  He 
is  unmarried. 


veyor  under  the  Queensland  Government.  After 
three  years  he  left  Brisbane  and  sailed  to  \"ictoria 
where  he  secured  a  position  with  .Allen  iv:  Tuxon, 
architects  of  Melbourne.  In  1886  he  sailed  to 
.Aucklan<l,  New  Zealand,  where  he  found  employ- 
ment from  the  Government  in  bridge  and  station 
construction,  where  he  remained  two  years.  The 
next  fi\e  years  he  spent  in  travel,  visiting  and 
making  a  study  of  the  architecture  of  India,  Italy 
and  Greece.  He  made  a  study  of  the  details  of 
the  cathedrals  of  Rome  and  Genoa,  and  of  the 
classical  monuments  of  Greece,  visiting  St.  Peters- 
burg in  his  travels,  finally  returning  to  Ireland 
where    he    practiced    architecture    for    two    years. 


KELLOGG,  Stephen  Wrigmi',  Ex-member  of 
Congress,  and  Altorney-at-Law,  Waterbury,  was 
born  in  Shelburne,  Massachusetts,  April  5,  1822. 
He  is  the  son  of  Jacob  Pool  and  Lucy  (Wright) 
Kellogg.  His  great-grandfather,  Lieutenant  Jacob 
Pool,  belonged  to  the  little  band  of  patriots  under 
the  command  of  General  Arnold,  who  in  1775  left 
Cambridge,  and  after  marching  from  the  coast  of 
Maine  through  the  wilderness  of  intervening  terri- 
tory, climbed  the  Heights  of  Abraham  and  attacked 
the  strongly  fortified  citadel  of  Quebec,  before 
whose  walls  he  afterwards  died.  The  grandfather 
also  of  Mr.  Kellogg,  although  then  but  a  boy  of  six- 
teen, served  during  the  last  year  of  the  Revolution- 
ary struggle.  The  subject  of  this  sketch  spent  his 
early  years  upon  his  father's  farm,  where  he  worked 
in  the  summer  until  he  was  twenty  years  of  age. 
He  taught  school  in  the  winter  months,  and 
attended  at  an  academy  at  Shelburne  Falls  for  a 
short  time.  At  the  age  of  twenty  he  entered  .Am- 
herst College  where  he  remained  two  terms  and 
then  entered  Vale  the  third  term  of  Freshman  year. 
He  graduated  from  Yale  in  1846,  taking  one  of  the 
three  highest  honors  of  his  class.  In  the  autumn 
after  his  graduation  he  became  principal  of  an 
academy  at  AVinchendon,  Massachusetts,  but  in  the 
following  winter  he  returned  to  New  Haven,  and 
entered  the  Vale  Law  School.  He  was  admitted  to 
the  New  Haven  Bar  in  June  1848,  and  immediately 
opened  a  law  office  at  Naugatuck,  Connecticut, 
where  he  remained  until  1854.  He  was  then 
elected  Judge  of  Probate  for  the  Waterbury  district, 
in  which  Naugatuck  was  included,  and  in  the  same 
year  removed  to  Waterbury  where  he  has  since 
remained.  He  has  had  a  large  and  important 
practice  in  the  higher  state  and  in  the  United 
States  courts.     In   1851   he  served  as  clerk  of  the 


lOO 


MEN    OF   PROGRESS. 


Senate  and  two  years  later  represented  the  Water- 
bur>'  District  as  Senator.  In  1S56  he  was  a  mem- 
ber of  the  House  from  Waterbury,  and  was  offered 
the  nomination  as  speaker,  but  declined  in  favor  of 
an  older  colleague.  Mr.  Kellogg  was  a  delegate  to 
the  Republican  National  Convention  of  i860,  and 
was  a  member  of  the  committee  which  drew  up  the 
platfornj  on  which  Abraham  Lincoln  was  first 
elected  President.  He  was  also  a  delegate  to  the 
Republican  National  Conventions  in  1868  and 
1S76.  He  sened  as  Colonel  of  the  Second  Regi- 
ment of  the  Connecticut  National  Guard  from  1863 
to    1866,   and  as  Brigadier-General  from    1866  to 


S.  W.  KELLOGG. 

1870.  He  took  a  leading  part  immediately  after 
the  War  in  organizing  the  National  Guard  to  take 
the  place  of  the  Stale  Militia,  and  prepared  and 
procured  the  passage  of  the  bill  which  secured  this 
result.  The  term  National  Guard  and  the  system 
first  introduced  by  him  in  Connecticut  have  since 
been  adopted  by  a  large  number  of  states  of  the 
Union.  He  resigned  his  office  as  Brigadier-Gen- 
eral on  account  of  the  absorbing  nature  of  his  Con- 
gressional duties.  His  resignation  was  reluctantly 
accepted  by  the  state  authorities,  who  thoroughly 
appreciated  the  value  of  his  labors  in  connection 
with  the  state  troops.  He  was  first  elected  to  Con- 
gress in  1869  and  was  re-elected  in  1871  and  1873. 


The  fact  that  on  each  occasion  it  was  necessary  to 
overcome  a  natural  Democratic  majority  of  fully 
twenty-live  hundred  votes  in  the  district  attests  his 
great  personal  popularity  and  the  high  appreciation 
in  which  his  services  were  held  by  the  public  at 
large.  During  the  three  terms  at  Washington  he 
was  conceded  to  be  one  of  the  best  representatives 
the  district  had  ever  had.  He  took  an  important 
part  in  the  tariff  legislation  of  1870  and  1872,  and 
performed  effective  work  on  a  number  of  important 
committees,  notably  those  on  the  Judiciary,  Patents, 
War  Claims,  Pacific  Railroads,  Naval  Expenditures 
and  Civil  Service  Reform.  He  was  Chairman  of 
the  Committee  on  Naval  Expenditures  in  the  Forty- 
second  Congress,  and  of  that  on  Civil  Service  Re- 
form in  the  Forty- third.  His  successful  efforts  in 
behalf  of  improving  the  harbors  of  Connecticut 
which  had  long  been  neglected  by  Congress,  won 
him  the  gratitude  of  the  people  of  the  state  irre- 
spective of  party.  He  was  one  of  the  first  to  see 
the  necessity  of  reorganizing  the  War  and  the 
Treasury  Departments  at  Washington  after  the  War, 
and  the  Treasury  Department  is  still  carried  on  by 
enactments  as  prepared  by  him.  Shortly  before 
his  third  election  to  Congress  the  Waterbury  Ameri- 
can thus  referred  to  him  :  "  It  is  not  otten  that  a 
Congressman  at  the  end  of  four  years  of  service 
receives  so  many  testimonials,  frank  and  business- 
like in  their  tone,  from  his  constituents  without 
reference  to  locality  or  party.  The  truth  is  that 
Mr.  Kellogg  perceives  more  clearly  than  most  Con- 
gressmen what  are  the  real  duties  of  a  representa- 
tive and  honestly  endeavors  to  fulfil  them.  He  has 
kept  himself  free  from  Congressional  corruption, 
and  at  the  same  time  he  has  done  a  large  amount 
of  valuable  work  for  the  district  and  state  which  he 
represents."  He  declined  the  nomination  for  Gov- 
ernor in  1878,  while  President  of  the  convention 
that  made  the  nomination ;  and  when  for  the  first 
time  in  five  years  the  Republicans  had  elected  a 
majority  of  the  Legislature  he  publicly  withdrew  his 
name  as  a  candidate  for  United  States  Senator. 
Since  his  retirement  he  has  devoted  himself  to  the 
practice  of  his  profession,  but  has  never  lost  inter- 
est in  public  affairs  and  has  frequently  written  arti- 
cles for  the  press  upon  political  and  other  subjects. 
In  1 88 1,  two  days  after  President  Garfield  was  shot, 
he  prepared  an  article  on  the  presidential  succes- 
sion, that  was  given  wide  publicity  in  the  papers  of 
the  country,  and  attracted  great  attention.  At  that 
time  there  was  but  a  single  life,  that  of  Vice-Presi- 
dent Arthur,  between   organized    government    and 


MEN    OF    I>ROGRESS. 


lOl 


anari  liy.  Tlie  House  of  Re]iresentalives  had  not 
organized,  and  there  was  no  Speaker  lor  tlie  next  in 
succession.  In  the  article  referred  to,  Mr.  Kellogg 
proposed  and  advocated  the  exact  system  of  presi- 
dential succession,  that  was  afterwards  adopted  by 
Congress  after  long  debates  on  the  subject.  Mr. 
Kellogg  is  and  has  been  one  of  the  agents  of  the 
Bronson  Library  since  its  organization  in  iS6S,  and 
while  in  Congress  succeeded  in  making  it  one  of 
the  si.\  depositories  in  the  .State  for  the  valuable 
pul)lications  of  the  United  States  Covernment. 
He  was  married  September  lo,  185  i,  to  Lucia  Hos- 
mer  .\ndrews,  a  granddaughter  of  Stephen  Titus 
Hosmer,  formerly  Chief  Justice  of  the  Connecticut 
Supreme  Court,  and  a  great-granddaughter  of  'I'itus 
Hosmer,  member  of  the  Continental  Congress  and 
Judge  of  the  L^nited  States  Maritime  Court,  and  of 
Gen.  Samuel  Holden  Parsons,  of  the  War  of  the 
Revolution.  Seven  children  are  the  fruit  of  this 
marriage  :  Sarah  Andrews,  Lucy  Wright,  Frank 
Woodruff,  a  Lieutenant  in  the  Navy,  John  Prescott, 
associated  with  his  father  in  the  practice  of  law, 
under  the  name  of  Kellogg  &:  Kellogg,  Elizabeth 
Hosmer,  Stephen  Wright,  Jr.,  who  died  in  1868,  and 
Charles  Poole  Kellogg,  now  Secretary  of  the  Con- 
necticut State  Board  of  Charities. 


METCALF,  William  Henrv,  Dentist,  New 
Haven,  was  born  in  Nantucket,  Massachusetts, 
October  4,  1846,  son  of  John  Trumbull  and  Mary 
Mitchell  (Myrick)  Metcalf .  He  is  a  direct  descend- 
ant of  Michael  Metcalf  who  emigrated  to  this 
country  from  Tatterford,  England,  in  1637  ^^'^ 
settled  in  Dedham,  Massachusetts ;  also  of  James 
Metcalf,  and  James  Metcalf,  Jr.,  both  of  whom  were 
in  the  Colonial  War  and  the  War  of  the  Revolution. 
He  inherits  longevity  from  a  long  line  of  English 
ancestors  on  both  sides  extending  back  to  Kings 
Egbert  and  Pepin.  He  was  prepared  for  Yale  Col- 
lege in  the  Hopkins  Grammar  School,  New  Haven, 
but  did  not  take  the  course.  For  a  while  he 
attended  a  business  college  in  New  Haven,  then 
learned  to  be  a  tea  taster  for  a  New  York  Tea 
House,  for  whom  he  traveled  in  the  West  for  several 
years.  He  studied  for  the  dental  profession  in 
Philadelphia  and  was  graduated  from  the  Philadel- 
phia Dental  College  in  1884,  and  he  has  been  in  the 
successful  practice  of  dentistry,  at  New  Haven,  smce 
that  date.  In  addition  to  his  regular  professional 
duties  he  has  taken  out  several   patents  for  useful 


articles.  He  has  written  occasionally ,for  New  York 
jiaj^ers,  and  is  the  author  of  a  novel  entitled  "A 
Summer  in  Oldport  Harbor,"  published  by  Lippin- 
cott  in  1887.  In  ])olitics  he  has  always  been  a 
Rc|niblican.  He  is  a  member  of  the  Connecticut 
State,  Connecticut  Yalley  and  American  Protective 
Dental  Associations ;  and  is  also  a  member  of  the 
"  United  Society  "  of  the  Congregational  Church,  of 
New  Haven.  He  was  married  April  25,  1888,  at 
.Albany,  New  York,  to  Grace  Rutherford  Boyd. 
Three  children    have    been    born    to    them  :    lohn 


WM.   H.    METCALF. 


Trumbull,  born  March  21,  1889;  Anna  Rutherford, 
born  March  18,  1890;  and  Arthur  Boyd  Metcalf, 
born  May  3,  1892. 


MARKLEY,  Philip  Joseph,  Attorney-at-Law, 
New  Britain,  was  born  in  New  Ijritain,  F"ebruary2i, 
1855.  He  comes  of  Irish  ancestry,  and  is  the  son 
of  Thomas  and  Ann  (Brady)  Markley.  His  early 
education  was  obtained  at  the  public  schools  and 
the  High  School  of  New  Britain.  He  next  attended 
the  Holy  Cross  College  at  Worcester,  iNLassachusetts, 
where  he  was  graduated  in  1877  with  the  degree  of 
A.  B  ,  and  received  the  degree  of  A.  iM.  from  the 
same  college  in  1884.  He  studied  law  at  the 
Columbia  Law  School,  New  York  city,  and  in  the 


102 


MEN    OF    PROGRESS. 


office  of  Mitchell  &  Hungerford,  of  New  Britain. 
In  December  iSSo,  he  was  admitted  to  the  Bar, 
and  has  practiced  law  at  New  Britain  since  that 
date.  He  was  a  member  of  the  Common  Council 
of  New  Britain  in  i88.?,  of  the   Board  of  Aldermen 


PHILIP    I.   MARKLEY. 

in  1884  and  1885,  and  was  City  Attorney  from  1886 
to  1890,  and  again  in  1892.  From  1885  to  1890  he 
served  as  Chairman  of  the  Board  of  Sewer  Commis- 
sioners, as  Town  Auditor  from  1885  to  1897,  and  as 
Chairman  of  the  Board  of  Education  from  1893  to 
1897.  Since  1886  he  has  been  an  officer  and  Attor- 
ney for  the  Knights  of  Columbus.  In  1891  he  was 
New  Britain's  Representative  in  the  General  Assem- 
bly. He  was  married  in  New  York  city,  September 
9,  1885,  to  Williamanna  E.  Dunne.  They  have 
three  children:  Eileen  A.  C,  Beatrice  M.  and 
Rosalie  Markley. 


MOSS,  Ernest  Bartholomew,  City  Engineer, 
Meriden,  was  born  in  Cheshire,  Connecticut,  Octo- 
ber 8,  1867,  son  of  Julius  and  Emerett  A.  (Barthol- 
omew) Moss,  and  a  descendant  of  John  Moss  who 
came  to  New  Haven  from  England  in  1638  with 
Hopkins,  Eaton  and  Davenport,  the  founders  of 
New  Haven,  and  also  was  made  a  member  of  the 
General  Court  of  New  Haven  in    1639   and  lived 


there  thirty  years.  From  this  ancestor  the  links  in 
the  ancestral  chain  are  :  John,  Benjamin,  Titus,  Joel 
and  Joel  Moss,  the  latter  the  grandfather  of  the  pres- 
ent City  Engineer.  His  mother's  father  was  William 
Bartholomew,  and  from  him  the  line  runs  back 
through  Timothy,  Samuel  and  Andrew,  to  William 
Bartholomew  who  was  born  in  Ipswich,  Massachu- 
setts, about  1640  and  coming  to  Branford,  Connecti- 
cut, in  1678  became  a  man  of  prominence  in  church 
and  state.  lamest  Bartholomew  Moss  was  graduated 
from  the  Episcopal  Academy  at  Cheshire,  Connecti- 
cut, in  1885  and  completed  under  private  instruction 
the  special  engineering  course  of  the  Sheffield  Scien- 
tific School  of  Yale  in  March  1887.  In  the  following 
month  he  secured  a  position  on  the  engineering 
corps  of  the  Meriden  &  Waterbury  Railroad  and 
there  remained  until  the  completion  of  the  road  in 
1889.  In  March  of  that  year  he  accepted  a  position 
as  resident  engineer  with  the  Confluence  and  Oakland 
Railroad   Company,   during   the    construction  of   a 


E.    B.    MOSS 

road  from  Confluence,  Somerset  county,  Pennsyl- 
vania, into  Garrett  county,  Maryland.  In  the  fall 
of  the  same  year  he  resigned  his  position  from  the 
Confluence  and  Oakland  Railroad  Company  to  ac- 
cept a  position  as  Assistant  Engineer  in  the  Con- 
struction Department  of  the  Pennsylvania  Railroad, 
in    which    position    he    remained    until    the    fall   of 


MI'.N    (IK    I'ROC.RRSS. 


103 


1893.  While  with  the  Pennsyhania  Comjiany  he 
had  charge  of  the  prehminary  surveys,  location  and 
construction  of  some  of  the  heaviest  work  then  being 
constructed  by  the  Company.  During  the  winter 
of  1S93  and  1894  he  was  employed  by  the  Meriden 
Electric  Railroad  as  constructing  engineer.  From 
the  spring  of  1894  to  February  1S95  he  had  the 
charge  of  the  construction  of  eighteen  miles  of 
additional  track  for  the  Hartford  Street  Railroad. 
In  February  1895  he  was  elected  to  his  present 
position  of  City  Engineer  of  Meriden.  In  politics 
he  is  a  Republican.  Mr.  Moss  is  a  member  of 
the  Meriden  Home  Club  and  the  .Vlfred  II.  Hall 
Council,  Royal  Arcanum.      He  is  unmarried. 


his  charge  as  well  as  of  his  medical  associates,  by 
his  skill  and  success  as  a  physician  and  surgeon,  and 
endeared  himself  to  all  by  his  uniform  kindness,  his 
genial  and  social  qualities  as  a  gentleman,  and  by 
his  unfailing  fund  of  wit  and  humor  that  never  re- 
quired a  victim."  After  the  close  of  the  war  he 
practiced  medicine  at  Clifton  Springs  and  Cornwall- 
on-the- Hudson  until  1871,  when  he  removed  to 
Hartford  where  he  continues  in  active  practice. 
He  has  been  a  most  successful  physician  and  sur- 
geon and  is  widely  known  throughout  New  England. 
He  is  the  writer  of  important  medical  articles  pub- 
lished in  the  periodicals  botli  in  this  country  and 


PELTIER,  PiKRKK  Desnovkrs,  M.  1),  Hartford, 
was  born  in  Fort  Gratiot,  Michigan,   November  15, 
1835,  son  of  Charles  and  Emily  (Parmely)  Peltier. 
He   traces    his  ancestry  back  to    Michel    Pelletier, 
Sieur  de  la   Prade,    Seigneur   de    Gentilly,   and   to 
Francois  Pelletier  who  was  one  of  the  founders  of 
Detroit.     His  grandfather  Charles  Peltier  was  Adju- 
tant in  the  War  of  1812,  and  afterwards  Post  Trader 
at  Fort   Wayne,   Indiana.       He    was   murdered   by 
the    Indians.       His    son    Charles  Peltier   was   Post 
Trader  at  Fort  Gratiot  and  afterwards  Comptroller 
and  Justice  of  the   Peace  in  Detroit,  holding  office 
through  several  administrations.    Dr.  Peltier's  mother 
married    for    her    second  husband    Simri     Collins, 
and  under  the  name  of    Emily  Parmely  Collins  is 
widely  known  as  a  woman  suffragist  and  writer  on 
economics.     She  is  the  daughter  of  James  Parmely, 
a  Revolutionary  soldier.     Dr.   Peltier's  early  educa- 
tion was  obtained  at  Macedon  Academy,  New  York. 
He  was  graduated  from  the  University  of  Michigan 
in  1S56  and  from  the   Medical   Department  of  the 
University  of  Buffalo  in  i860.     After  some  hospita) 
practice,  he  was  commissioned  as  Assistant  Surgeon 
of  the  One  Hundred  Twenty-sixth  New  York  Volun- 
teers, August  II,  1S62.     He  was  Post  Surgeon  at 
Martinsburg,    West    Virginia,   during   the   summer 
of  1864,  and  retired  from  the  army  in  October  of 
the  same  year.     While  stationed  at  Martinsburg  he 
was  able  to  save  General  Averill's  command  from 
capture  by  giving  him  warning  of  a  proposed  rebel 
raid.     For  this  service  he  received  the  written  per- 
sonal acknowledgment  of   General  Averill.      In   a 
history  of  the  war  his  services  while  with  the  regi- 
ment are  thus  mentioned  :    "Surgeon    Peltier  won 
the  full  confidence  of  the  officers  and  men  under 


PIERRE   D.    PELTIER. 

abroad.  He  is  Medical  Director  of  the  National 
Life  Association  of  Hartford  and  has  been  President 
of  the  Board  of  Pension  Examiners  for  the  last 
six  years,  has  been  a  member  of  the  Robert  O. 
Tyler  Post,  Grand  Army  of  the  Republic,  since 
its  organization,  and  at  the  reunion  of  the  One 
Hundred  Twenty-sixth  New  York  Volunteers  at 
Gettysburg,  Dr.  Peltier  delivered  the  commemo- 
rative address.  He  is  a  member  of  the  Army  of 
the  Potomac,  the  Army  and  Navy  Club,  and  the 
Masonic  and  other  fraternal  organizations.  He  is  a 
member  of  the  American  Association  of  Orificial 
Surgery,  of  the  American  Institute  of  Homoeopathy 
and  of  the  State  Homoeopathic  Association  of  which 


I04 


MEN   OF   PROGRESS. 


he  has  been  Presklenl.  He  was  married  August  i6, 
1859,  to  Maria  Reed.  She  is  a  great-granddaughter 
of  George  Reed,  a  Revolutionary  soldier,  and  is  a 
descendant  of  Joseph  Mygatt,  one  of  the  f^rst 
settlers  and  one  of  the  founders  of  the  Center 
Church  of  Hartford.  They  have  three  children  : 
Florence  Perry,  Frank  Hastings  Peltier,  M.  P.,  and 
Frederic  n.Mun.is  Peltier. 


PHILLIPS,  .Ai.hf.rt  Wiu.iam,  M.  D.,  Derby,  Sur- 
geon-General on  Governor  Cook's  Staff,  was  born  in 
Marcellus.  New  Vork,  July  26,  1S38,  son  of  English 


close  of  the  war  he  located  in  Derby,  Connecticut. 
He  is  a  member  and  Past-Commander  of  the  Kel- 
logg Post  No.  26,  Department  of  Connecticut,  a 
member  of  the  military  order  of  the  Loyal  Legion 
of  the  United  States,  of  the  Army  and  Navy  Club, 
of  the  Society  of  the  Army  of  the  Potomac,  and  of 
the  Society  of  the  Army  of  the  Cumberland.  In 
politics  he  is  a  Republican.  He  is  Surgeon-Gen- 
eral on  Governor  Cook's  staff.  Mr.  Phillips  is 
President  of  the  Homceopathic  Medical  Society  of 
Connecticut  and  a  member  of  the  American  Insti- 
tute of  Homceopathy  ;  and  is  also  a  member  of  the 
Derby  and  Sheldon  Board  of  Trade.  He  was  mar- 
ried at  Syracuse,  New  York,  October  16,  1862,  to 
Nancy  P.  Owen.  They  have  had  three  children  : 
Harry  Bowdish ;  Ellen  Pauline,  now  wife  of  Frank 
E.  Bradley,  Attorney,  of  Chicago;  and  Albert  Wil- 
liam Phillips,  who  died  at  six  years  of  age. 


ALBERT  W.  PHILLIPS. 

parents,  George  and  Betsy  (Clegg)  Phillips.  His 
early  education  was  obtained  in  the  public  schools. 
In  early  life  he  began  the  study  of  medicine,  and 
was  graduated  from  the  Hahnemann  Homoeo- 
pathic Medical  College  of  Chicago,  in  186 1.  He 
responded  to  Lincoln's  first  call  for  troops  and 
enlisted  as  private  in  Company  A,  Twelfth  New 
York  Infantry.  He  was  made  Hospital  Steward  of 
the  regiment  and  served  as  such  in  the  Army  of 
the  Potomac  until  after  the  Peninsula  Campaign, 
when  he  was  promoted  to  Assistant  Surgeon  of  the 
One  Hundred  and  Forty-ninth  Regiment,  New 
York  Volunteers,  and  so  served  in  the  Army  of  the 
Potomac  and  the  Army  of  the  Cumberland.     At  the 


PIERCE,  Edward  Napoleon,  Manufacturer, 
Plainville,  was  born  at  Bristol,  Connecticut,  April  16, 
1815,  son  of  Noble  Abraham  and  Lydia  (Gridley) 
Pierce.  Upon  his  father's  side  he  is  descended 
from  Deacon  John  Pierce  who  removed  from 
Wethersfield  to  South  Britain,  in  the  town  of  Wood- 
bury, Connecticut,  in  1731.  Abraham,  the  grand- 
father of  the  subject  of  the  present  sketch,  removed 
from  Woodbury,  Connecticut,  to  Bristol,  Connecti- 
cut, in  1797  and  purchased  the  homestead  where 
Mr.  Pierce  was  born  and  which  is  still  in  the  family. 
Upon  his  mother's  side  he  is  descended  from  Thomas 
Gridley,  one  of  the  original  settlers  of  the  town  of 
Farmington,  Connecticut,  thus  representing  good 
New  England  stock  on  both  sides  of  the  family. 
At  the  age  of  twenty  years  he  went  South  and 
engaged  in  merchandising  in  Montgomery,  Alabama ; 
he  returned  to  Connecticut  in  1846  and  opened  a 
lumber  and  coal  business  at  Plainville,  Connecticut. 
Later  he  removed  to  New  Haven  where  he  resided 
for  seven  years  engaging  in  the  same  business  but 
continuing  at  the  same  time  his  business  at  Plain- 
ville. In  1862  he  returned  to  Plainville  making  his 
permanent  home  there  since.  He  was  one  of  the 
original  stockholders  of  the  Plainville  Manufacturing 
Company,  and  has  been  a  Director  of  the  company 
since  1850.  In  1850  he  was  elected  Secretary  and 
Treasurer  and  has  been  such  and  Manager  of  the 
corporation  since  that  time  ;  he  was  one  of  the 
original  incorporators  of  the  Bristol  Savings  Bank 
and  has  been  a  Director  therein  since  its  incorpora- 
tion ;   he  is  a  Director  of  the   Bristol  &  Plainville 


MEN    OF   PROGRESS. 


105 


Tramway  Company  and  one  of  its  incorporators  ; 
he  was  one  of  tiie  original  stockholders  and  for 
many  years  a  Director  in  the  Bristol  Manufacturing 
Company.  Shortly  after  the  close  of  the  Civil 
War,  through  the  accidents  of  business,  Mr.  Pierce 
became  the  owner  of  a  large  plantation  at  Mt. 
Meigs  near  Montgomery  in  the  State  of  Alabama, 
and  as  a  result  became  deeply  interested  in  the  edu- 
cational work  for  the  colored  people.  He  was  one 
of  the  original  corporators  and  Trustee  of  the 
Colored  Institute  atMt.  Meigs  and  the  organization 
of  that  institute  was  largely  due  to  his  efforts  and 
that  of  liis  family  who  took  a  \ery  deep  interest  in 


E.    N      PIERCE. 

the  work.  Mr.  Pierce  is  quiet  and  domestic  in  his 
habits,  broad  and  liberal  in  his  business  dealings, 
attaining  success  by  good  judgment  and  practical 
common  sense.  Firm  in  his  political  convictions, 
always  a  Democrat,  but  always  declining  to  accept 
office  — the  only  political  office  ever  held  by  him  is 
that  of  Postmaster  at  Pierce  Hill,  Alabama.  Mr. 
Pierce  has  always  been  popular  with  his  fellow 
townsmen  because  of  his  kindly  nature,  and  partic- 
ularly has  received  during  nearly  half  a  century  that 
he  has  been  connected  with  the  Plainville  Manu- 
facturing Company,  the  cordial  esteem  and  good- 
will of  its  large  force  of  employees.  He  was  mar- 
ried in   1837,  to  Henrietta  Lydia  Thompson,  who 


died  in  1847.  They  had  two  daughters,  one  still 
living  :  Mrs.  R.  C.  Usher,  of  Plainville.  His  second 
marriage  was  in  185010  Pamelia  Frances  Thompson, 
who  died  in  1895.  By  his  second  wife  he  had 
seven  children  :  Frank  Noble  Pierce  (deceased), 
Mrs.  Henrietta  Frances  Pierce  Rogers;  Minnie 
Louise  Pierce,  Mrs.  Bertha  Pierce  Peck,  Harriet 
I'^dna  Pierce,  Helen  May  Pierce,  and  Edward  N. 
Pierce,  Jr.  (deceased). 


PKI'.N'l'ISS,  Rkm.kfm)  (Ikokgk  Foster,  Pastor 
of  the  l*'irst  Congregational  Church  of  Winsted,  was 
born  at  Windham.  Vermont,  September  20,  1858, 
the  son  of  Cod-fearing  parents,  Asahel  Omer  and 
Hannah  Silsby  (Johnson)  Prentiss.  On  the  pater- 
nal side  he  traces  his  ancestry  back  to  Henry  Pren- 
tice who  came  to  Cambridge,  Massachusetts,  from 
England,  before  1640.  From  him  the  line  de- 
scended through  Solomon,  Solomon,  Jr.,  and  Stephen 
Prentice,  all  of  Cambridge,  to  Reuben  Prentice, 
born  at  Crafton,  Massachusetts,  in  1751,  and  a 
Revolutionary  soldier.  Reuben  Prentiss,  grand- 
father of  the  present  pastor,  was  the  son  of  the  last- 
named  Revolutionary  patriot  and  was  born  in  1790. 
His  son,  Asahel  Omer  Prentiss,  was  born  in  West- 
minster West,  Vermont,  in  1830.  On  the  mater- 
tial  side  Mr.  Prentiss's  family  is  kin  to  the  famous 
Dr.  Samuel  Johnson,  his  mother  being  the  daughter 
of  Cyrus  and  Hepzibah  Hunt  (Page)  Johnson. 
Mr.  Prentiss's  early  education  was  received  in  the 
district  schools  of  Vermont.  He  prepared  himself 
for  college,  first  at  Oberlin,  Ohio,  and  finally  at 
Monson  Academy,  Monson,  Massachusetts,  from 
which  institution  he  was  graduated  with  the  honor 
of  the  valedictory  in  1880.  He  next  entered  Am- 
herst College  where  he  entered  heartily  into  under- 
graduate life  ;  was  a  member  of  the  Glee  Club,  one 
of  the  editors  of  the  Amherst  Student,  and  a  mem- 
ber of  the  Beta  Theta  Pi  fraternity.  (Graduating 
with  honor  in  1884  he  immediately  entered  the 
Vale  Divinity  School  from  which  he  was  graduated 
in  1887.  Before  graduation  he  had  received  a  call 
to  the  West  End  Congregational  Church  of  Bridge- 
port, organized  in  February  1887  and  to  which, 
while  still  a  mission,  he  had  ministered  most  accept- 
ably. He  was  ordained  and  installed  June  14, 
1887.  The  church  edifice  was  built  during  his 
[lastorate,  and  its  membership  has  grown  from 
twenty  in  1887  to  two  hundred  and  twelve  in  1896. 
Less  than  two  years  after  his  ordination  he  received 
a  unanimous  call  to  the  pastorate  of  the  old  First 


io6 


MEN    OF   PROGRESS. 


Congregational  Church  of  New  Milford,  which  such 
eminent  divines  as  Doctor  Noah  Porter,  Ex-Presi- 
ilent  of  Yale,  Doctor  Murdock  and  Doctor  Bonar 
had  filled.  Mr.  Prentiss,  however,  decided  it  his 
duty  to  decline  the  call,  deeming  the  work  of  build- 
ing up  the  West  End  Church  of  paramount  impor- 
t.-ince.  There  he  remained  until  December  i,  1893, 
when  he  resigned  to  accept  the  call  to  his  present 
pastorale  over  the  First  Congregational  Church  of 
Winsted,  where  he  was  installed  February  21,  1894. 
While  in  Bridgeport,  Mr  Prentiss  was  President, 
in  1893,  of  the  Bridgeport  Christian  Endeavor 
I'nion.     He    is   now  Vice-President  for    Litchfield 


GEORGE  FOSTER   PRENTISS, 

county  of  the  Connecticut  Music  Teachers'  Asso- 
ciation ;  while  in  Winsted  he  has  been  Secretary  of 
the  Board  of  l^iucation  since  1894,  and  a  Director 
of  the  Gilbert  School  Choral  Society,  organized  in 
1896.  In  politics  he  is  a  Republican.  He  has 
been  a  successful  lecturer  on  "  The  Wit  and  Wis- 
dom of  the  Genial  Autocrat"  and  "The  Child's 
Poet  laureate."  Nature  has  endowed  him  with 
the  gift  of  music  which  he  devotes  to  the  service  of 
his  master,  and  not  a  little  of  the  proficiency  of  the 
church  choir  is  due  to  the  pains-taking  training  and 
leadership  of  the  pastor.  The  gift  of  poetry  is  his 
also;  he  has  produced  most  excellent  anniversary 
and  memorial    poems,  and   his   verses  written  for 


periodicals  have  been  warmly  commended.  His 
preaching  is  remarkable  for  its  earnestness ;  while 
it  is  far  removed  from  sensationalism  it  is  always 
forceful  and  often  eloquent.  He  stated  in  his 
examination  preliminary  to  his  ordination  ;  "  I  can- 
not recall  the  time  when  I  did  not  feel  that  I  was  a 
Christian."  To  this  earnestness  of  conviction  he 
adds  a  wonderful  voice  and  a  clearness  and  con- 
ciseness in  the  ])resentation  of  Gospel  truth.  He 
is  a  pastor  in  the  true  sense  of  the  word.  He 
makes  more  calls  than  the  average  pastor,  goes  in 
and  out  familiarly  among  the  people  with  a  kind 
and  sympathetic  word  for  everyone.  A  member  of 
his  church  recently  said  :  "The  secret  of  his  influ- 
ence is,  we  love  him."  He  thus  seems  the  model 
clergyman  and  under  the  blessing  of  God  a  brilliant 
future  awaits  him.  Soon  after  his  installation  in 
June  1887,  he  was  married  to  Sarah  A.  Gilbert,  a 
teacher  of  Latin  and  Greek  in  the  High  School  of 
Derby,  of  which  town  she  is  a  native.  She  has 
proved  herself  an  earnest  sympathizer  and  efficient 
coadjutor  in  her  husband's  work. 


rice;,  Frederick  Benjamin,  Real  Estate  Opera- 
tor, Waterbury,  was  born  September  30,  1843,  ^^ 
Hudson,  Ohio,  to  which  place  his  parents  had  re- 
moved from  Waterbury,  and  is  son  of  Archibald  and 
Susan  (Bronson)  Rice,  both  of  whom  are  descend- 
ants of  the  original  settlers  of  Connecticut.  The 
family  returned  to  Connecticut  having  spent  but  a 
few  years  in  Ohio,  and  Mr.  Rice's  early  education 
was  received  in  the  public  schools  of  Waterbury. 
Later  he  entered  the  Eastman  Business  College  at 
Poughkeepsie.  After  leaving  the  college  he  became 
clerk  in  the  flour  and  feed  store  of  L.  D.  Smith  & 
Company,  in  which  his  father  possessed  an  interest. 
He  afterwards  occupied  a  position  with  the  Apothe- 
caries Hall  Company.  In  1862  he  enlisted  among 
the  nine  months'  men  in  the  War  for  the  Union. 
He  served  for  thirteen  months,  passing  most  of  his 
time  in  Louisiana  under  General  Banks.  On  his 
return  from  the  war  he  first  filled  the  position  of 
Secretary  for  the  Apothecaries  Hall  Company.  He 
then  entered  the  Lumber  Yard  of  the  Waterbury 
Lumber  &  Coal  Company,  where  he  remained  as 
clerk  for  several  years.  After  a  brief  interval  spent 
at  Bangor,  Maine,  he  returned  to  the  Company  and 
there  occupied  the  position  of  Secretary.  His 
father  and  himself  having  acquired  a  controlling 
interest  in  the  business,  they  sold  out  to  a  New 
Britain  Syndicate   represented  by  F.   G.  Piatt  and 


MEN    OF    PROGRESS. 


107 


F.  H.  Humphrey.  Wliile  still  connected  with  the 
Company,  Mr.  Rice  began  his  present  business  of 
building  houses  and  selling  them  on  the  instalment 
plan.  He  has  liuiltover  four  hundred  houses,  stores 
and  business  blocks,  ranging  in  \alue  from  ;!Soo  to 


FREDERICK    B.    RICE. 

5ioo,ooo.  His  plan  enables  persons  of  moderate 
means  to  become  owners  of  comfortable  homes. 
He  has  been  President  of  the  Board  of  Aldermen, 
has  served  three  terms  in  the  Common  Council,  and 
five  terms  as  Assessor,  in  which  position  his  expert 
knowledge  of  real  estate  has  lent  great  weight  and 
value.  Mr.  Rice  is  now  President  of  the  Apothe- 
caries Hall  Company  and  Vice-President  of  the 
Connecticut  Indemnity  Insurance  Company.  He 
has  also  served  on  the  Water  Supply  Committee, 
the  Committee  on  Sewage,  and  on  the  Finance 
Committee  of  the  Center  District.  He  was  married 
May  25,  1S66,  to  Helen  McCullough  Mintie, 
daughter  of  Alexander  and  Helen  (Kenyon)  Mintie. 
They  have  had  two  children;  Helen  Susan,  who 
died  in  infancy,  and  Archibald  Ernest  Rice,  born 
June  26,  i<S77. 


Robinson  who  was  born  in  I.incohishire,  England, 
in  157s,  and  became  the  founder  of  I'nritanism. 
Dr.  Robinson  recei\ed  an  academic  education  at 
the  Ellington  High  School  and  commenced  the 
study  of  medicine  at  Hebron,  Connecticut,  with 
Dr.  .Vdam  (I.  Craig,  as  preceptor.  He  also  attended 
lectures  at  the  Berkshire  Medical  College  at  I'itts- 
field,  Massachusetts,  where  he  received  his  medical 
diploma  in  1.S61.  He  entered  the  army  in  1862, 
and  served  a  few  months  in  the  regular  army  in 
1S63.  On  .'Xpril  11,  1863,  he  was  commissioned 
.Assistant  Surgeon  of  the  Sixth  Regiment  Connecti- 
cut Volunteers.  On  December  16,  1864,  he  was 
promoted  to  Surgeon  of  the  same  Regiment.  He 
was  discharged  August  21,  1865,  having  assisted  at 
the  last  exchange  of  prisoners  during  the  war.  He 
established  the  Hill-house  Hospital  at  \Vilniington, 
North  Carolina,  and  was  Surgeon  in  Charge  during 
an  epidemic  of  typhus  fever  in  1865.  At  the 
close  of  the  war  he  took  a  post-graduate  course  at 


ROBINSON,  MvRON  Winslow,  M.  D.,  Colchester, 
was  born  in  Lebanon,  Connecticut,  May  4,  1839, 
son  of  William  and  Sophia  (Robbins)  Robinson. 
He    is    in    the  eighth  generation  from    Rev.  John 


M.   W.   ROBINSON. 

the  Bellevue  Hospital  Medical  College,  New  York. 
He  has  been  in  the  active  practice  of  his  profession 
in  Colchester  ever  since  the  war  with  the  excep- 
tion of  a  part  of  the  year  of  1871-72  when  he  was 
Superintendent  in  charge  of  the  Monte  Christo 
Cold  and  Silver  Mining  Company's  mills  and  mines 
on  the  Pacific  coast.     Dr.  Robinson  is  a  member 


loS 


MEN    OF   PROGRESS. 


or  the  American  Medical  Association,  the  Connecti- 
cut Meilical  Society  and  the  New  Ix)ndon  County 
Medical  Society,  having  served  as  President  of  the 
latter  in  1S96.  He  is  a  member  and  has  passed 
through  the  different  chairs  in  the  Masonic  Frater- 
nity, the  Ancient  Order  of  United  Workmen,  the 
Ancient  Order  of  Foresters  of  America,  and  the 
Knights  of  Pythias,  and  also  belongs  to  the  Con- 
necticut State  tlrange,  and  to  the  Grand  Army  of 
the  Republic,  having  been  Medical  Director  of  the 
Department  of  Connecticut  in  1884-85,  and  in  1890 
and  1895.  He  has  been  health  officer  of  the  town 
and  borough  of  Colchester  since  1880  and  has 
been  Post-Surgeon  also  Medical  Examiner  for  the 
County  Coroner  since  1885.  He  is  one  of  the  non- 
residential staff  of  the  Backus  Hospital  of  Norwich, 
and  was  appointed  by  I'resident  McKinley  Pension 
l-'.xamining  Surgeon  at  Norwich  in  1897.  In  1867 
he  was  married  to  Emma  J.,  daughter  of  Ralph 
Stewart,  of  Portland,  Connecticut;  their  two  chil- 
dren are  Ralph  Stewart,  a  graduate  of  the  Sheffield 
Scientific  School  at  Yale  College,  New  Haven,  in 
1894,  and  Annie  M.  Robinson,  a  graduate  of  the 
Connecticut  State  Normal  School  in  1891. 


RODGER,  Davib  Rouert,  A.  M.,  M.  D.,  Medi- 
cal Superintendent  of  the  Parker  Home  and  Sani- 
tarium, Woodbury,  was  born  in  Hammond,  Saint 
I^wrence  county.  New  York,  May  28,  1855,  son  of 
Robert  and  Ann  (Waddell)  Rodger.  His  father, 
a  prosperous  farmer  of  Northern  New  York,  emi- 
grated to  this  country  from  the  south  of  Scotland 
and  was  a  man  of  sterling  wealth  of  character.  His 
chief  ambition  was  to  secure  for  his  children 
the  advantages  of  a  thorough  education,  three  of 
whom  received  a  college  training.  Doctor  Rodger 
received  his  early  education  at  Temple  Hill  Acad- 
emy, Geneseo,  New  York,  and  at  Gouverneur  Wes- 
leyan  Academy,  Gouverneur,  New  York.  He  was 
graduated  from  Hamilton  College,  Clinton,  New 
York,  in  1882.  After  graduation  he  spent  three 
years  as  Principal  of  Schools  in  the  New  York 
Juvenile  Asylum,  spending  the  evenings  of  the  last 
two  years  in  dissecting,  in  the  College  of  Physicians 
and  Surgeons.  In  1888  he  was  graduated  from  the 
above  college,  and  began  the  practice  of  medicine 
in  New  York  city.  He  soon  received  an  appoint- 
ment as  Assistant  Surgeon  at  the  Vanderbilt  Clinic, 
and  also  as  Assistant  Physician  at  the  Post  Gradu- 
ate  Department   on   children's   diseases.     He  was 


also  assistant  for  a  year  to  the  chair  of  Aural  Sur- 
gery in  the  Manhattan  Eye  and  Ear  Hospital,  and 
for  the  same  period  Assistant  Gynecologist  at  the 
Out- Patient  Department  of  Roosevelt  Hospital. 
With  this  varied  experience  he  left  New  York  in 
the  spring  of  1892,  and  came  to  Woodbury,  Con- 
necticut. Here  he  secured  the  large  property  for- 
merly owned  by  Judge  Phelps,  and  opened  the 
Parker  Home  and  Sanitarium,  for  the  special  care  of 
chronic  and  nervous  cases.  This  institution,  located 
in  the  midst  of  scenery  of  unsurpassed  beauty  and 
grandeur,  where  the  atmosphere  is  healthful  and 
invigorating,  has  proved  a  success  from  the  begin- 


D.   R.    RODGER. 

ning,  and  it  is  hoped  it  may  become  one  of  the 
greatest  influences  in  building  up  and  bringing  to 
the  attention  of  a  wide  public  the  old  town  of 
Woodbury.  Dr.  Rodger  was  appointed  in  1895 
Post  Surgeon  of  Litchfield  county.  He  is  a  mem- 
ber of  the  Litchfield  County,  Connecticut  State  and 
New  York  County  medical  societies.  In  politics 
he  has  always  been  a  Republican.  He  was  mar- 
ried October  12,  1887,  to  Clara  May  Aldrich,  of 
Jamestown,  New  Y'ork.  There  have  been  born  to 
them  three  children :  John  .Aldrich  and  Robert 
VVray  Rodger  (twins),  born  September  15,  1S89; 
and  Katharine  Marie  Rodger,  born  February  20, 
1895. 


MKN    OF    rROC.RKSS. 


109 


SHERMAN,  Ri-.VERF.ND  Oi.ivkr  D.,  Mystic,  Con- 
necticut, was  born  in  Southfield,  Michigan,  January 
8,  1836,  son  of  Hiram  ami  Salome  (^Williams)  Slier- 
man.  His  father's  father  lived  in  Cambridge,  New 
York,  and  his  father  moved  from  Oneida  county. 
New  York,  to  Michigan,  when  first  married,  moving 
back  when  the  son  was  one  year  old.  His  mother 
was  a  descendant  of  Roger  Williams,  the  founder  of 
Rhode  Island,  and  a  relative  of  Oliver  Hazard 
Perry,  and  the  I'errys  and  Robinsons  of  Rhode 
Island.  'I'he  subject  of  this  sketch  was  educated  in 
the  common  schools  of  Oneida  county.  New  York, 
and  for  a    few    months   attended    the    Dr.    Ruyter 


i; 


Cj 


O.    D.   SHERMAN. 

Institute.  While  a  boy  he  worked  on  a  farm,  and 
at  eighteen  learned  the  tinsmith's  trade,  at  which 
he  worked  for  twenty  years.  From  i860  to  1870 
he  was  in  the  tin  and  hardware  business  at  Alfred, 
New  York.  He  then  decided  upon  an  entire 
change  in  his  life  work,  and  entered  Alfred  Univer- 
sity, Allegheny  county,  New  York,  where  he  was 
graduated  in  1875.  During  1878  and  1879  he  took 
a  post-graduate  course  at  the  Union  Theological 
Seminary,  at  the  same  time  supplying  a  pul])it  in 
New  \ork  city.  He  was  ordained  to  the  Gospel 
Ministry  in  1879,  and  in  1880  became  Pastor  at 
Mystic  where  he  still  remains.     He  has  written  a 


number  of  Sabbath  School  hymns  and  many  fugitive 
])oems  and  sermons  which  have  been  i)ublished. 
One  ^ermon  appeared  in  a  vohnne  of  Thanksgiving 
sermons  published  by  Wilbur  H.  Ketchum  of  New 
York.  He  has  been  a  newspaper  correspondent  to 
some  extent,  and  from  187S  to  188 1  was  editor  of  a 
Sabbath  School  paper  called  the  Hible  Student, 
published  by  the  .American  Sabbath  Tract  Society. 
He  served  as  Town  Clerk  of  Alfred,  New  York,  and 
was  Trustee  of  Alfred  University  from  1864  to  1880, 
and  clerk  of  the  Board  of  Trustees  for  two  years. 
I'"rom  1888  to  1893  he  served  as  school  committee 
of  the  Broadway  High  School,  Mystic.  He  was 
appointed  Deputy  Judge  of  the  Stonington  Term  of 
Court  by  the  Legislature  of  1897.  In  ])olitics  he 
has  always  been  a  Republican,  but  has  always 
worked  for  the  temperance  cause.  He  was  a  mem- 
ber of  the  College  Literary  Societies,  was  President 
of  the  Mystic  Valley  Temperance  Union  from  1890 
to  1897,  and  is  a  member  of  the  Mystic  Board  of 
Trade.  He  has  been  twice  married.  His  first  wife 
was  Marie  E.  Cnmib,  of  Milton,  Wisconsin,  to 
whom  he  was  married  January  12,  1858.  She  died 
in  1866,  and  he  was  again  married,  December  27, 
1867,  to  Adele  M.  Maxson,  of  Little  tienesee,  New 
York.  One  son  died  in  1889  at  the  age  of  twenty- 
seven. 


SNOW,  Ki.iikiDGK  Gkrrv,  A'ice-PresideiU  of  the 
Home  Insurance  Company  of  New  York,  was  born 
in  Barkhamsted,  Connecticut,  January  22,  1841. 
He  is  the  son  of  Elbridge  Oerry  Snow,  M.  D.,  and 
Eunice  (Woodruff)  Snow.  During  his  inf^incy  his 
jiarents  moved  to  Waterbury,  Connecticut,  where 
his  father  enjoyed  a  large  medical  practice.  He 
was  educated  in  the  schools  of  Waterbury  and  at 
the  Fort  Edward,  New  York,  Institute.  .After  leav- 
ing college  he  began  the  study  of  law  which  how- 
ever he  soon  relinquished  to  enter  the  Insurance 
Agency  of  John  W.  Smith,  of  Waterbury,  Connecti- 
cut. Being  ambitious  for  a  wider  field  of  operation, 
Mr.  Snow  came  to  New  York  in  1862,  and  entered 
the  office  of  the  Home  Insurance  Company,  then 
one  of  the  principal  companies  of  the  ^Vaterbury 
office.  Here  he  remained  until  1871,  after  which 
he  associated  himself  with  an  insurance  firm  in  the 
city  for  two  years,  but  again  returned  to  the  Home 
Insurance  Company  and  soon  afterwards  was  made 
local  and  state  agent  for  Massachusetts  with  office 
at  Boston.  There  he  organized  the  firm  of  Hollis 
&  Snow,  whose  able  management  largely  increased 


no 


MEN   OF   PROGRESS. 


the  business.  His  success  in  building  up  a  large 
and  remunerative  business  in  so  olil  and  well  can- 
vassed a  field  as  Massachusetts  called  the  attention 
of  the  New  York  management  to  his  work,  and  in 
consequence  in   18S5  he  wa^;  rocnlled  to  the  New 


E.   G.    SNOW. 

York  office  to  become  Assistant  Secretary  of  the 
company.  In  1888  he  was  advanced  to  the  posi- 
tion of  Director  and  Vice-President,  which  ofifices  he 
continues  to  hold.  The  Home  Insurance  Com- 
pany is  univerally  recognized  as  one  of  the  most 
prominent  and  strongest  fire  insurance  companies 
in  America.  Mr.  Snow  is  widely  known  as  a  skilled 
underwriter  and  has  performed  the  arduous  duties 
of  his  official  position  with  conspicuous  success  and 
ability.  He  is  a  man  of  fine  presence  and  is 
endowed  with  that  genial,  hearty  disposition  which 
makes  friends  as  well  as  business.  He  is  a  member 
of  the  Odd  Fellows,  the  Veteran  Fireman's  Society 
of  New  York,  the  New  York  Geological  Society, 
New  England  Society,  Metropolitan  Museum  of 
.'\rt,  New  York,  and  the  American  Museum  of 
Natural  History.  In  politics  he  is  a  Republi- 
can, and  though  in  no  sense  a  politician,  takes 
a  deep  interest  in  the  welfare  of  his  party.  He 
was  married  September  5,  1865,  to  Frances  Janet 
Thompson.  They  have  one  son :  Elbridge  Gerry 
Snow,  Jr. 


SNOW,  Reverend  Frederic  Elkanah,  Pastor  of 
the  First  Congregational  Church  of  Guilford,  was 
born  in  Waterbury,  March  10,  1851,  son  of  Elbridge 
Gerry  Snow,  M.  D.,  and  Eunice  (Woodruff)  Snow. 
On  the  paternal  side  he  is  a  descendant  of  Stephen 
Hopkins,  fourteenth  signer  of  the  Mayflower  Com- 
pact, whose  daughter  Constance  married  Nicholas 
Snow.  The  latter  came  to  New  England  in  the 
ship  Anne  and  was  one  of  the  founders  of  Eastham, 
Massachusetts.  His  mother  was  a  descendant  of 
Matthew  Woodruff  of  Farmington.  Young  Snow's 
early  education  was  obtained  in  the  public  schools 
and  the  High  School  of  Waterbury,  of  which  he  was 
a  graduate.  He  then  attended  Williston  Seminary, 
Easthampton,  where  he  was  graduated  in  1871. 
Four  years  later  he  received  the  degree  of  B.  A. 
from  Yale  College,  and  in  1878  was  graduated 
from  the  Yale  Divinity  College.  In  October  of  the 
same  year  he  was  called  to  the  church  at  Oxford, 
Connecticut,  where  he  was  ordained  in  April  1880. 


FRED.    E.    SNOW. 

In  September  1883  he  was  called  to  South  Windsor, 
Connecticut,  where  he  remained  as  pastor  until 
1888.  He  was  then  called  to  Harwinton  where  he 
remained  until  March  1891  when  he  was  called  to 
his  present  pastorate  at  Guilford,  and  which  is  the 
largest  pastorate  the  church  has  had  for  forty  years. 
This  church  has  had  an  eventful  history.     Governor 


1\IEN    OF    I'RCK'.RESS. 


Ill 


William  I.eete  was  one  of  the  founders  and  pillars 
of  the  church,  and  here  the  judges  who  fled  from 
England  on  the  return  of  the  Royalists  to  power 
were  concealed  from  the  pursuing  officers.  The 
church  has  a  communion  set  of  great  antiquity,  the 
separate  cups  being  the  gifts  of  individuals  and  the 
baptismal  font  of  hammered  silver  bearing  the  date 
1768.  R»v.  Mr.  Snow  has  published  occasional 
sermons  and  verses  in  religious  and  daily  papers, 
also  the  First  Church  Review,  a  parish  jiaper.  He 
edited  a  series  of  articles  and  some  unpublished 
letters  of  Horace  (ireeley,  the  last  in  the  Christian 
Union.  In  politics  he  is  a  Republican.  He  was 
married  November  17,  18S0,  to  Emily  Virginia 
Whittlesey  15uckingham,  of  Oxford,  Connecticut. 


STARK,  Clinton  Ehier,  M.  D.,  Homreopathic 
Physician,  Norwich,  was    born    in    Lebanon,  Con- 


C.   E.   STARK. 

necdcut,  January  7,  1854,  son  of  Albert  W.  and 
Caroline  A.  (Randall)  Stark.  The  family  of  Stark 
is  descended  from  that  of  Murhead.  The  pedigree 
began  in  Murhead  of  that  ilk  of  Bothwick  in  iioo, 
descending  by  primogeniture  until  in  the  reign  of 
Robert  II,  of  Scotland,  in  1347,  Murhead  was 
created  Lord  of  Lacrope.  In  1480  John  Murhead, 
2d,  son  of  the  reigning  Lord  of  Lacrope,  by  reason 


of  bravery  was  named  John  Stark,  signifying  great 
strength.  Dr.  Stark  was  educated  in  the  public 
schools  of  Norwich  and  at  the  Lebanon  Academy. 
He  was  afterwards  a  private  pupil  of  the  late  Pro- 
fessor Lindsey  of  Yale.  His  medical  education 
was  obtained  at  the  New  York  Homceopathic  Medi- 
cal College  and  Hospital,  where  he  was  graduated 
in  187S.  Immediately  after  graduation  he  was 
appointed  House  Surgeon  to  the  New  Vork  Homoeo- 
|iathii'  Hospital,  now  the  Metropolitan  Hospital, 
located  on  Hlackwell's  Island,  one  of  the  large 
charity  hosjutals  of  the  city,  where  he  served  until 
he  began  private  practice.  He  began  the  general 
practice  of  medicine  in  Norwich  in  1881,  and  has 
since  continued  there.  He  has  done  special  work 
in  orificial  surgery  and  in  1894  studied  under  Pro- 
fessor Pratt  of  Chicago,  who  is  the  fatlier  of  orificial 
surgery.  He  has  been  health  officer  of  the  city  of 
Norwich  for  the  last  four  years,  and  is  Consulting 
Physician  of  the  Masonic  Home  at  Wallingford, 
Connecticut.  He  is  a  member  and  E.x-President 
of  the  Connecticut  Homoeopathic  Medical  Society, 
and  member  of  tlie  American  Institute  of  Homie- 
opathy.  He  belongs  to  the  New  York  Alumni 
Association,  the  Arcanum  Club,  and  Kitemaug 
Association,  of  Norwich.  He  is  a  thirty-second 
degree  Mason  and  a  member  of  Sphinx  Temple. 
In  politics  he  is  a  Republican.  He  was  married 
February  26,  1895,  to  Nellie  Gray  Lowell,  only 
daughter  of  Harrison  G.  Lowell,  of  the  First 
National  Bank  of  New  Bedford,  Massachusetts,  a 
cousin  of  James  Russell  Lowell.  They  have  two 
children  :  Florence  and  Lowell  Randall  Stark. 


TOWNSEND,  WiLU.AM  Kneel.\nd,  Judge  of  the 
United  States  District  Court,  New  Haven,  was  born 
at  New  Haven,  June  12,  1S49,  son  of  James  M. 
and  Maria  T.  (Clark)  Townsend.  The  family  has 
long  been  prominently  identified  with  the  best 
interests  of  New  Haven.  He  was  graduated  from 
Yale  ITniversity  in  1871  and  received  the  degree  of 
M.  L.  in  1878  and  of  D.  C.  L.  in  1880.  He  was 
admitted  to  the  Bar  in  1874,  having  studied  law  in 
the  office  of  Judge  Simeon  E.  Baldwin,  with  whom 
he  was  afterwards  connected  in  the  practice  of  his 
profession.  A  diligent  student,  endowed  with  a 
keen,  quick,  analytical  intellect,  and  a  winning  per- 
sonality that  makes  and  keeps  friends,  the  young 
lawyer  quickly  rose  to  prominence  in  his  profession. 
He  became  attorney  of  the  New  Vork,  New  Haven 
&    Hartford   Railroad,    in    New    Haven,    and    was 


I  12 


MEN   OF    PROGRESS. 


retained  in  much  important  litigation.  He  has 
l)cen  since  iSSi  Professor  in  the  Vale  Law  School. 
There  his  talents  have  won  (or  him  the  warm  appre- 
ciation of  his  associates,  and  from  the  students  a 
corilialjove  that  has  enshrined  Billy  Townsend,  as 
he  is  familiarly  known,  among  the  luminous  names 
of  the  I'niversity.  He  held  the  office  of  Corpora- 
lion  Counsel  from  1889  to  1891,  and  was  appointed 
to  his  present  position  of  Judge  of  the  United 
Stales  District  Court  in  1892.  He  is  the  author  of 
the  New  Connecticut  Civil  Officer,  published  in 
1881.  Mr.  Townsend  is  a  member  of  the  Repulili- 
can  League,  the  Graduates  and  University  clubs  of 


W.  K.  TOWNSEND. 

New  Haven,  and  of  the  Century  and  University 
clubs  of  New  York.  He  was  married  July  i,  1874, 
to  Mary  Leavenworth  Trowbridge,  of  New  Haven. 
They  have  three  children :  Winston  Trowbridge, 
Molly  Leavenworth  and  George  Henry  Townsend. 


WARNER,  Edgar  Morri.s,  Judge  of  the  City 
Court,  Putnam,  was  born  in  Worcester,  Massachu- 
setts, June  16,  1850,  son  of  l':arl  and  Adaline  (Les- 
ter) Warner.  His  grandfather  was  Ichabod  Warner 
of  Scotland,  Connecticut,  a  lineal  descendant  of 
Ensign  Ichabod  Warner,  one  of  the  earliest  settlers 
of  Windham  county.     On  the  maternal  side  he  is 


the  great-grandson  of  John  Avery  of  Groton,  a  Rev- 
olutionary patriot.  He  is  also  a  great-grandson  of 
John  Warner  of  Scodand  and  Priscilla  (Wood) 
Warner  of  Windsor.  John  Warner  Barber,  Con- 
necticut's historian,  belonged  to  the  same  family. 
Judge  Warner  received  his  education  in  the  com  • 
mon  school  and  at  the  Bartlett  High  School  at 
New  London.  He  taught  school  for  several  years 
and  also  sold  books  for  a  while  and  acted  as  clerk 
in  a  store.  He  began  the  study  of  law  in  the  office 
of  Judge  Hiram  Willey  of  New  London,  later  on, 
entering  the  office  of  George  Pratt,  a  leading  lawyer 
of  Norwich.  In  1872  he  graduated  from  the  Har- 
vard Law  School,  and  was  admitted  to  the  New 
London  Bar  in  September  of  the  same  year.  He 
began  the  practice  of  law  at  Norwich  where  he 
remained  for  three  years,  then  removing  to  Central 
Village.  In  1885,  ten  years  later,  he  removed  to 
Putnam  where  he  has  since  resided.  He  was  Clerk 
of  the  Connecticut  General  Assembly  in  1877-78 
and  1879  snd  Clerk  of  the  Senate  in  1880,  was 
Representative  of  the  town  of  Putnam  in  the  Legis- 
lature of  1895,  and  although  serving  his  first  session 
as  Legislator,  was  a  prominent  candidate  for  the 
Speakership.  He,  however,  withdrew  in  favor  of 
Speaker  Fessenden  and  served  as  Chairman  of  the 
Committee  on  Incorporations.  His  legislative 
record  was  one  of  distinguished  value.  Early  in 
the  session  he  became  prominent  by  introducing 
the  resolutions  which  were  promptly  passed  protest- 
ing against  the  course  of  the  National  Administra- 
tion towards  Hawaii.  He  assisted  in  securing  an 
appropriation  for  a  State  Reformatory,  obtained  the 
legal  adoption  of  the  state  three-vine  flag  upon 
petition  of  the  Daughters  of  the  Revolution,  and 
introduced  a  resolution  to  buy  Putnam's  Wolf  Den. 
He  favored  the  bill  removing  the  appointment  of 
prosecuting  attorneys  from  the  County  Commis- 
sioners, defended  the  rights  of  West  Hartford 
water  consumers,  and  initiated  the  movement  to  have 
no  flag  but  the  American  ever  raised  on  the  Capitol 
or  public  buildings.  One  of  his  chief  achieve- 
ments was  the  passage  of  the  Law  and  Order  League 
Bill.  He  also  conducted  the  bill  giving  certain 
powers  to  the  re-organization  committee  of  the 
New  England  Railroad,  secured  the  appropriation 
for  the  Day-Kimball  Hospital  and  was  a  valiant  sup- 
porter of  the  Good  Roads  Bill,  the  Anti-Pool  Bill,  and 
originated  the  bill  regulating  the  Italian  padrone 
system.  He  was  frequently  called  to  the  chair  dur- 
ing the  absence  of  the  speaker,  and  gave  a  fitting 
address  of   welcome  in   his   capacity   as   presiding 


MEN    nl 


'KOCRRSS. 


113 


officer  n]ion  the  occasion  of  the  visit  of  Cioveriior 
McRinlev.  \'et  jieriiaps  the  j;reatest  service  ever 
rendered  to  tiie  public  by  Judge  \Varner  occurred 
in  1895-96  during  the  i)osecution  of  the  Putnam 
liquor  cases.  He  tlien  acted  as  Attorney  for  the 
Law  and  Order  l,eas=;ue  of  Connecticut  before  the 


daughter  of  Judge  C'arpenter  of  i'utnani.  They 
have  three  children:  Frances  Lester,  (lertnule 
Chandler  and  John  A.  C.  Warner. 


EDGAR    M.    WARNER. 

lower  Courts  and  assisted  State  Attorney  Hunter  in 
the  Superior  Court,  and  though  opposed  by  some 
of  the  brightest  counsel  in  the  State  the  prosecution 
succeeded  in  obtaining  the  conviction  and  impris- 
onment of  the  liquor  sellers  who  had  been  selling 
without  a  license.  The  severity  of  the  sentence 
imposed  and  the  conviction  for  perjury  of  several 
witnesses  in  the  case  marked  a  distinct  epoch  in 
the  trial  of  liquor  cases  in  the  county,  and  has  had 
a  most  beneficial  influence  throughout  the  State. 
Mr.  Warner  took  an  active  part  in  the  incorporation 
of  Putnam  as  a  city,  was  a  member  of  the  committee 
which  formed  a  charter  for  presentation  to  the  Leg- 
islature, and  was  appointed  by  the  Legislature  of 
1895  to  his  present  position  as  the  First  Judge  of 
the  City  Court  of  Putnam.  He  has  also  served  on 
the  School  Board  of  Putnam,  and  is  a  member  of 
the  Masons,  Odd  Fellows,  Royal  Arcanum  and 
Connecticut  Sons  of  the  Revolution.  He  was  mar- 
ried   August   3,    1887,    to   Jane    Carpenter,    eldest 


W  \ri\(  X'S.  Wiiiiwi  llr.NRV,  Manufacturer, 
Hartford,  was  born  in  Hartford,  Connecticut,  July 
1 8,  1 84 1,  son  of  Rufus  Watrous  and  Julia  A.  Rogers. 
His  mother  was  a  sister  of  the  Rogers  Brothers  who 
have  made  the  name  of  Rogers  famous  in  silver 
|)lated  ware.  His  education  was  obtained  in  the 
district  school  supplemented  by  a  two-years  course 
in  the  Hartford  High  School.  At  the  age  of  four- 
teen he  began  his  life  work  in  the  learning  of  the 
electro-silver  plating  business  in  Rogers  Brothers' 
factory.  In  187 1  he  formed  a  partnership  with  his 
uncle,  Asa  H.  Rogers,  under  the  name  of  Rogers 
Cutlery  Company  in  which  business   he  still   con- 


W.   H.   WATROUS. 

linues.  In  1878  he  became  half  owner  and  Man- 
ager of  the  William  Rogers  Manufacturing  Com- 
pany, manufacturers  of  silver  plated  goods,  which 
position  he  still  holds;  in  189 1  he  fomided  the 
Norwich  Cutlery  Company,  Norwich,  Connecti- 
cut, manufacturing  table  cutlery,  which  company  is 
still    in  successful    operation;    in    1896    the    Eagle 


114 


MEN   OF  PROGRESS. 


Sterling    Company  of    Glastonbury,    Connecticut, 
was  formed   to  make    pure   silver   goods,   and   he 
became  its  President,     'llie  same  year  the  Watrous 
Manufacturing  Company  of  Wallingford,  Connecti- 
cut, was  organized  to  make  pure  silver  and  nickel 
silver  spoons  and  forks.     This  company  is  named 
after  him  and  he  is  its  President.    These  various 
companies   employ  hundreds   of   hands   and   their 
sales   are  over  one  million  dollars  per  year.     His 
history  is  the  example  of  the  uneventful  career  of  a 
successful  business  man,  to  whom  persistent  honest 
endeavor  has  brought  its  well-earned  reward.     Dur- 
ing the  war  he  served  as  First  Sergeant,  and  then 
as  Second  Lieutenant  in  the   Twenty-fourth    Con- 
necticut Volunteers.     In  politics  he  is  a  Republi- 
can.    He  was  a  Hartford  Alderman  in  1894  and 
1895,  and  Representative  of  the  city  in  the  Legisla- 
ture of  1895  and  1896.     During  the  latter  two  years 
he  was  Commodore  of   the  Hartford  Yacht  Club. 
Mr.  Watrous  was  first  married  in  i860  to  Sarah  F. 
Hurd,  of   Essex,  Connecticut,  who   died  in  1891. 
In  1893  he  was  again  married  to  Agnes  E.  McFay- 
den,  of  Hartford,  Connecticut. 


Committee  of  the  Club.  In  politics  he  is  a  Repub- 
lican. In  1890  he  represented  the  Second  Ward  in 
the  Court  of  Common  Council.  He  was  married 
to  Julia  Phelps  Haring,  April  15,  1874,  at  Fairfield, 
Connecticut.     Their  children  are  :  Caroline  Haring, 


WlUri';,  Cr.oRGR  Luther,  Manufacturer,  Water- 
bury,  was  born  in  Meriden,  Connecticut,  July  75, 
1852,  on  of  the  late  Luther  Chapin  and  Jane 
(Moses)  White.  He  is  descended  from  Captain 
Nathaniel  White,  who  came  from  England  in  1632, 
and  whose  name  occurs  among  the  first  settlers  of 
Middletown  in  1650.  This  ancestor  represented 
Middletown  in  the  General  Assembly  during  the 
entire  period  from  1659  to  17 10,  being  a  dele- 
gate at  eighty-six  consecutive  sessions.  On  the 
maternal  side  he  is  a  descendant  of  David  Sage, 
who  was  also  one  of  the  founders  of  Middletown. 
Mr.  White's  father,  Luther  Chapin  White,  was  one 
of  the  prominent  citizens  of  Waterbury,  a  member 
of  the  firm  of  White  &  Wells,  and  President  of 
the  L.  C.  White  Company.  George  Luther  White 
has  succeeded  to  his  father's  large  business  inter- 
ests, being  President  of  the  White  &  Wells  Com- 
pany and  the  L.  C.  White  Company,  and  Director 
in  the  Western  Strawboard  Company,  of  St.  Mary's, 
Ohio.  His  education  was  obtained  at  the  common 
schools  of  Waterbury  and  at  the  Gunnery  School  at 
Washington,  Connecticut.  At  the  age  of  sixteen 
he  was  obliged  to  leave  school  on  account  of  sick- 
ness. He  is  a  charter  member  of  the  Waterbury 
Club  and  for  six  years  was  a  member  of  the  House 


GEO,    L.    WHITE. 


born  April  10,  1875;  William  Henry,  born  Novem- 
ber 26,  1876,  and  George  Luther  White,  Jr.,  born 
July  14,  1878. 


AGARD,  Isaac  Merrht,  Principal  of  the  Rock- 
ville  High  School,  Rockville,  Connecticut,  was  born 
in  Stafford,  Connecticut,  December  3,  1854.  He 
is  the  eldest  son  of  Nathan  Agard  and  Chastina 
Jane  (Lamson)  Agard,  who  still  live  on  the  home- 
stead where  he  was  born.  His  father  was  born  in 
Stafford,  September  16,  181 7,  and  his  grandfather, 
Nathan  Agard,  was  born  in  the  same  town,  Febru- 
ary 18,  1778.  His  great-grandfather,  Benjamin 
Agard,  moved  to  Stafford  from  Mansfield,  Con- 
necticut. His  grandmother  on  the  paternal  side 
was  Hannah  Hall,  born  January  21,  1783,  and  his 
great-grandmother  was  Sarah  Hiscock.  Mr.  Agard's 
mother  was  born  in  Lunenburg,  Vermont,  Decem- 
ber 28,  1827,  and  his  grandfather,  Reuben  Lamson, 
was  born  in  the  same  town,  June  26,  1797.  His 
great-grandfather,    Reuben   Lamson,    was   born  at 


MK\    OF    PROGRESS. 


115 


Ipswich,  Massachusetts,  November  10,  1755.  His 
grandmother  on  his  mother's  side  was  Abigail 
Goodali,  born  at  Alton,  New  Hampshire,  October 
18,  1805,  and  ills  great-grandmoliier,  Susanna  Muny, 
was  born  at  Rye  in  the  same  state.  May  5,  1760. 
Young  Agard's  early  education  was  mider  the 
direction  of  liis  fatlier,  wlio  had  been  a  teacher 
of  large  experience  in  the  common  schools.  As  a 
child  he  attended  school  for  several  years  at  the 
little  red  sciioolhouse  in  one  of  the  rural  districts  of 
Stafford,  going  also  for  a  short  time  to  the  village 
school  at  Staffordville.  He  afterwards  attended  for 
fi\c  terms  the  Monson  Academy  at  Monson,  Massa- 
chusetts, where  he  was  prejiared  for  Amherst  Col- 
lege, graduating  from  the  latter  with  honor  in  1879. 
In  1884  he  received  the  degree  of  M.  A.  from  the 
same  college.  In  order  to  fully  prepare  himself 
for  his  life  work  he  took  by  correspondence  during 
1886  to  1888  two  courses  of  pedagogy  in  the  Chau- 
tauqua College  of  Liberal  Arts  under  the  direction 
of  Dr.  J.  W.  Dickinson,  and  he  is  now  enrolled 
in  the  University  of  Wooster  as  a  candidate  for 
the  degree  of  Ph.  D.  He  lias  thus  throughout  his 
career  been  both  teacher  and  student,  with  facul- 
ties trained  and  mind  ever  alert  to  accpiire  further 
knowledge.  Brought  up  on  a  rough  New  England 
farm,  and  compelled  to  partly  earn  his  way  through 
college,  he  early  acquired  habits  of  thrift  and  a 
mental  industry  which  is  never  content  with  past 
attainment.  The  numerous  testimonials  from  his 
different  fields  of  labor  testify  to  his  great  success  in 
his  chosen  profession.  As  a  teacher  he  is  thoroughly 
competent  and  painstaking.  He  is  a  man  of  high 
ideals,  enthusiastic  in  his  work,  and  inspiring  in  his 
pupils  both  respect  and  affection.  Mr.  Agard's 
record  as  a  teacher  is  as  follows  :  In  the  winter  of 
1874-75  before  entering  college  he  taught  an 
ungraded  school  at  South  Manchester,  Connecticut ; 
after  graduation  he  taught  in  the  winter  of  1879- 
80  the  upper  department  of  ihe  school  at  Gilbert- 
ville,  Massachusetts;  in  1880-81  he  taught  the 
higher  department  of  the  graded  school  at  West 
Stockbridge,  Massachusetts;  from  1881  to  1886  he 
was  first  assistant  in  the  Northampton  (Massachu- 
setts) High  School,  during  the  last  winter  of  this 
period  also  having  charge  of  the  Evening  School  in 
the  same  city;  in  November  and  December  1886 
he  was  in  temporary  charge  of  a  private  school  for 
boys  at  Pittsfield,  Massachusetts;  in  1887-88  he 
was  principal  of  the  Bath-on-theHudson,  New\'ork, 
Union  Free  School;  in  the  summer  of  1888  he 
came  to  Rockville  to  accept  his  present  position  as 


Princijial  of  the  High  School.  His  present  position 
includes  tiie  supervision  not  only  of  the  High  School 
hut  of  the  granuuar,  intermediate  and  jirimary 
rooms  of  the  East  District  Graded  School  of  the 
Town  of  \'ernon.  In  ]iolitics  Mr.  ,\gard  is  an  In- 
dependent, usually  voting  the  Prohibition  ticket, 
although  formerly  a  Republican.  His  father 
in  early  manhood  was  a  local  leader  among  the 
Abolitionists.  Mr.  .\gard  is  an  occasional  con- 
tributor to  the  press,  usually  of  historical  sketches, 
though  formerlv  in  verse.  While  in  college  he 
wrote  the  Ivy  Ode  for  his  class.     He  is  an  earnest 


ISAAC  M.   AGARD. 

member  of  the  Union  Congregational  Church  of 
Christ  at  Rockville,  and  is  now  a  junior  deacon  of  the 
church  and  for  three  years  was  Superintendent  of  its 
Sunday  School.  He  has  also  served  as  President 
of  the  Rockville  Auxiliary  Bible  Society.  At  the 
present  time  he  is  Vice-President  of  the  Connecti- 
cut Association  of  Classical  and  High  School  Teach- 
ers. He  was  married  July  26,  i88i,to  Ida  Gerana, 
daughter  of  James  Munroe  Chaffee,  of  Staffordville. 
Three  children  have  been  born  to  them  :  Clarence 
Merritt,  born  March  26,  1883;  Irving  Howard, 
born  January  8,  1S88  ;  and  Walter  Raymond  .Xgard, 
born  January  16,  1894. 


l6 


MEN    OF    I'ROC.RKSS. 


BAI.I.,  Charles  Perry,  Superintendent  of  the 
lazier  Manufacturing  Company,  Tliompsonville, 
was  Iwrn  in  Ucerfielil,  Massachusetts,  March  i, 
1S5S,  son  of  Albert  C.  and  Harriet  A.  (Moore) 
Ball.  His  education  was  received  in  the  district 
school  at  Great  River,  Oeerfield,  and  at  the  Deer- 
field  Academy.  At  the  age  of  eighteen  he  was 
apprenticed  under  the  Oliver  Smith  Will  to  learn 
the  machinist's  trade  with  the  Clark  &  Chapman 
Machine  Company  of  Turner's  Falls,  Massachusetts, 
becoming  a  journeyman  April  3,  1879.  He  then 
took  a  position  with  the  Griswold  Manufacturing 
Company  of  Colrain,  Massachusetts,  and  on  August  i 


CHAS.    p.    BALL. 

of  the  same  year  became  master  mechanic  for  the 
same  firm  in  their  new  mill  at  Turner's  Falls,  where 
he  gained  a  valuable  experience  in  blacksmithing, 
pattern  making,  millwright  and  regular  machine  work. 
Being  desirous  of  getting  into  a  finer  class  of  work, 
he  took  a  position  in  the  tool  department  of  the 
New  Home  Sewing  Machine  Company,  Orange, 
Massachusetts,  where  he  remained  two  and  a  half 
years.  In  the  fall  of  1883  he  commenced  work  for 
the  Chase  Turbine  Water  Wheel  Company  of 
Orange.  One  year  and  a  half  later  he  went  with 
the  Ames  Manufacturing  Company  at  Chicopee, 
working  on  sewing  machine  tools,  jigs  and  fi.xtures, 
meanwhile  attending  evening  school,  two  terms,  in 


order  to  learn  mechanical  draughting.  His  next 
employment  was  with  the  Yale  &  Towne  Company 
at  Stamford,  Connecticut,  on  machines  for  testing 
the  strength  of  metals.  His  next  position  was  with 
the  Deanc  Steam  Pump  Company  of  Holyoke,  Mas- 
sachusetts, with  whom  he  remained  ten  years,  occu- 
pied mostly  as  mechanical  draughtsman,  erecting 
engineer  and  foreman  He  severed  his  connection 
with  the  company  July  9,  1895,  and  accepted  his 
present  responsible  position  of  Superintendent  of 
the  Lozier  Manufacturing  Company's  cycle  factory 
at  Thompsonville,  Connecticut.  For  this  position 
his  long  and  varied  experience  well  qualifies  him 
and  he  has  proved  himself  a  most  capable  and 
valuable  acquisition  to  the  factory  and  town.  Mr. 
Ball  is  the  inventor  and  patentee  of  the  automatic 
lathe  for  turning  balls,  rivets  and  other  small 
articles.  He  is  a  member  of  the  Free  Masons  and 
the  American  Legion  of  Honor,  having  served  as 
Treasurer  of  the  Lodge  in  1S83  while  at  Orange, 
Massachusetts.  He  has  also  been  President  of  the 
New  Home  Military  Band  of  Orange,  and  Drum 
Major  of  the  Second  Regiment  Massachusetts  Volun- 
teer Militia.  Mr.  Ball  was  married  April  7,  1879, 
to  .-Mice  U.  Berard.  Five  children  have  been  born 
to  them  :  Edna  J.,  Dean  W.,  Mabel  A.,  Charles  P., 
Jr.,  and  Albert  L.  Ball. 


BABCOCK,  William  Dudley,  Physician,  of  East 
Hampton,  Connecticut,  was  bom  in  Stonington, 
Connecticut,  July  11,  1852,  son  of  Charles  Henry 
and  Louisa  (Brown)  Babcock.  The  Babcock  fam- 
ily trace  their  ancestry  to  James  Babcock,  who 
was  born  in  Essex,  England,  in  1580,  went  with  the 
Puritans  to  Leyden,  Holland,  in  1620,  and  came  to 
America  in  the  ship  .'\nne  in  1623.  He  lived  at 
Plymouth,  Massachusetts,  until  his  death.  Many  of 
his  descendants  have  been  prominent  in  the  history 
of  Rhode  Island,  others  moved  West  and  there 
became  prominent,  while  several  laid  down  their 
lives  for  their  country  in  the  Revolutionary  War. 
Henry  Babcock,  the  grandfather  of  Dr.  Babcock, 
was  born  April  26,  1736,  and  commanded  a  regi- 
ment in  the  French  War,  and  was  wounded  at  the 
Battle  of  Ticonderoga.  During  the  Revolutionary 
War  he  distinguished  himself  on  many  occasions 
and  was  a  General  of  the  State  troops  of  Rhode 
Island.  Dr.  Babcock  was  educated  in  the  Westerly 
High  School  where  he  was  graduated  in  1870. 
During  the  succeeding  twelve  years  he  was  a 
teacher  in  the   public  schools  of    Connecticut  and 


MKN    ol'    PROGRESS. 


117 


Rhode  Island.     Iletlun  Ingan  the  study  of  modi-  C.VIiLE,  JuMUS  Coi.ton,  Judge  of  the  City  Court, 

(inc  in  the  New  York  HonHeoi)athi(  Medical  Col-  New  Haven,  was  born  in  Newtown,  Connecticut, 
lege  where  he  was  graduated  in  1SS5.  Hebeganthe  October  11,  1849,  son  of  Nathaniel  J.  and  I'hoebe 
study  of  medicine  with  Dr.  O.  M.  Barber  of  Mystic,  (Lawrence)  Cable.  His  paternal  ancestor  came 
Connecticut,  and  on  leaving  the  Medical  College  he      from  ICngland  in  the  seventeenth  century,  and  settled 

at  Roxbury,  Massachusetts.  In  1636  John  Cable,  in 
company  with  CiONernor  I'ynchon,  moved  to  Spring- 
field, Massachusetts.  Ten  of  his  lineal  descendants 
served  with  credit  in  the  Revolutionary  War,  and 
two  of  them  were  wounded  and  pensioned.  Julius 
C.  Cable  began  his  education  in  the  schools  of  his 
native  town,  supi)lemented  by  study  at  Cornell 
l^niversity,  and  in  1S73  was  graduated  from  the 
Yale  Law  School.  He  was  admitted  to  the  Bar  at 
New  Haven  in  June  1873,  and  has  continued  in 
the  active  practice  of  law  since  that  date.  For  two 
years  he  was  with  Colonel  Dexter  R.  Wright  and 
Hon.  H.  Lynde  Harrison,  and  was  associated  with 
Wright  &  Harrison  for  eight  years.  In  1876  he 
was    a    member   of    the   ComnuMi  Council  of  New 


WM.    D.    BABCOCK. 

practiced  medicine  witii  Dr.  Barber  for  a  short 
period.  From  there  he  remo\  ed  to  Flast  Hampton, 
Connecticut,  where  he  has  pursued  his  profession 
with  success.  Dr.  Babcock  is  a  member  of  the 
Connecticut  Homoaopathic  Medical  Society  and  in 
thorough  sympathy  with  the  principles  of  the  hom- 
oeopathic school.  In  political  views  he  has  always 
sided  with  the  Republicans.  He  has  been  married 
three  times  :  his  first  wife  was  Annie  Eliza  Champ- 
lin,  of  Westerly,  Rhode  Island,  a  great-granddaughter 
of  Major  Paul  Babcock  and  a  lineal  descendant  of 
James  Babcock  ;  she  died  in  1877,  and  on  May  19, 
1886,  he  was  married  for  the  second  time  to  Mary 
Emma  Buell,  of  East  Hampton,  Connecticut,  who 
was  also  of  Revolutionary  descent,  and  who  died 
February  3,  1888.  He  was  married  for  the  third 
time,  February  12,  1890,  to  Alice  Louise  Johnson, 
of  Middle  Haddam,  Connecticut.  The  ])resent 
Mrs.  Babcock  is  a  lineal  descendant  of  William 
Bradford,  the  second  Governor  of  the  Massachusetts 
Colony  and  historian  of  the  same.  They  have  no 
children. 


J.   C.  CABLE. 

Haven,  has  acted  as  Clerk  of  the  City  Court,  and 
from  1883  to  1887  was  the  City  Attorney,  and  has 
lieen  Judge  of  the  City  Court  since  1893.  His 
politics  are  Republican.  He  is  a  member  of  the 
New  Haven  Commandery  and  Knights  Templar 
Club,  the  New  Haven  Colony  Historical  Society, 
and  the  Railway  Conductors  Club  of  North  .America 


iiS 


MEN   OF   PROGRESS. 


in  New  York  city.  Mr.  Cable  was  married  January 
I,  1874,  to  .Mathea  B.  Woodruff,  of  Avon,  Connecti- 
cut. They  have  two  children  :  Nathaniel  J.  and 
William  U.  Cable. 


COI.EY,  William  Hrapi  ey,  Physician,  New  York 
city,  was  born  in  Westport,  Connecticut,  January  1 2, 
1862,  son  of  Horace  Bradley  and  Clarine  Bradley 
(Wakeman)  Coley.  He  is  a  descendant  in  the 
ninth  generation  from  Samuel  Coley  who  settled  in 
Milford,  Connecticut,  in   1639,  and  in  the  eighth 


WILLIAM   B.  COLEY. 

generation  from  Peter  Coley  who  was  among  the  first 
settlers  of  Fairfield,  Connecticut,  and  was  there 
chosen  Sealer  of  Weights  and  Measures,  at  that  time 
an  important  position.  On  the  maternal  side  Dr. 
Coley  is  descended  from  Rev.  John  Wakeman,  a 
Harvard  graduate  and  the  second  Congregational 
minister  of  Fairfield.  'I'he  latter  was  the  son  of 
Samuel  Wakeman  of  Hartford,  the  Treasurer  of 
New  Haven  Colony  in  1656.  His  maternal  great- 
grandfather was  Nathan  Wheeler,  a  descendant  of 
Thomas  Wheeler  who  settled  at  Pequonnock,  Con- 
necticut, prior  to  1636  and  early  moved  to  Fairfield. 
His  mother's  family  also  trace  their  ancestry  to 
Francis   Bradley,   a  native   of  Coventry,  England, 


who  became  one  of  the  early  setders  of  New  Haven, 
and  was  a  member  of  Governor  Theophilus  Eaton's 
family.  Chief  Justice  Bradley  of  the  United  States 
Supreme  Court  belongs  to  this  branch  of  the  family. 
Dr.  Coley  received  his  early  education  at  the  private 
school  of  Rev.  James  E.  Coley  at  Westport,  Connec- 
ticut, and  at  Easton  Academy.  He  then  entered 
Yale  College  (classical  course)  where  he  was  gradu- 
ated with  honor  in  1884.  The  next  two  years  he 
spent  in  teaching  as  Senior  Master  of  the  Bishop 
Scott  Grammar  School  of  Portland,  Oregon.  Return- 
ing East  he  entered  the  Harvard  Medical  School  in 
the  second  year  class  where  he  was  graduated  in 
June  1888.  The  previous  month  he  had  received 
the  appointment  of  Interne  to  the  New  York  Hospi- 
tal on  competitive  examination.  He  began  his 
hospital  service  in  October  1888  in  the  Surgical 
Department  under  the  well  known  surgeons  Dr. 
William  T.  Bull  and  Dr.  Robert  F.  Weir.  He 
graduated  from  the  hospital  in  June  1890  and  for 
two  months  had  charge  of  the  Hunt  Memorial 
Hospital  of  Port  Jervis,  New  York,  and  in  August 
of  the  same  year  began  practice  for  himself  in  New 
York  city.  In  the  spring  of  1891  he  was  appointed 
Instructor  in  Surgery  at  the  Post  Graduate  Medical 
School  and  Hospital,  and  in  the  following  year 
became  Attending  Surgeon  to  the  New  York  Cancer 
Hospital  and  Assistant-Surgeon  to  the  Hospital  for 
Ruptured  and  Crippled.  In  1897  he  was  appointed 
attending  Surgeon  to  the  New  York  Post  Graduate 
Hospital.  Dr.  Coley's  writings,  especially  on  Malig- 
nant Tumors  and  the  operative  treatment  of  Hernia, 
have  been  published  in  the  leading  medical  and 
surgical  periodicals  and  have  received  marked  recog- 
nition botli  in  this  country  and  in  Europe.  Dr. 
Coley  is  an  ideal  physician,  thorough,  conscientious 
and  enthusiastic  in  his  work.  Through  his  writings 
and  successful  practice  he  has  gained  a  reputation 
achieved  by  very  few  physicians  of  his  age.  He  is 
a  member  of  the  University,  Yale  and  Harvard 
clubs,  and  the  Yale  Alumni  Association  of  New 
York,  and  of  the  following  medical  societies  :  New 
York  Surgical,  Harvard  Medical  Society  of  the  Alum- 
ni of  the  New  York  Hospital,  American  Medical 
Association,  New  York  Academy  of  Medicine  and 
the  County  Society  and  State  Medical  Association. 
Politically  Dr.  Coley  is  an  Independent  Republican. 
He  was  married  June  4,  1891,  to  .'^lice,  daughter  of 
Charles  B.  Lancaster,  of  Newton,  Massachusetts. 
Two  children  have  been  born  to  them  :  Bradley 
Lancaster,  born  December  27,  1892,  and  Malcolm 
Coley,  born  November  29,  1896. 


MKN    OV    I'ROC.RKSS. 


119 


CASE,  Watson  Elijah,  Retired  Merchant  of  the 
drygoods  firm  of  Lee  &  Case,  New  York  city,  was 
born  in  Simsbury,  Connecticut,  November  24,  1820, 
son  of  Mamre  and  Abi  (Tiiller)  Case.  His  i)ater- 
nal  grandfather,   I'lthian  Case,   was    a    resident   of 


WATSON    E.  CASE. 

Canton,  Connecticut.  His  niotlier  was  the  daughter 
of  I'^hjah  and  I'olly  (Eno)  Tuller,  and  his  grand- 
mother was  .\marilla  Humphrey,  who  married 
I'ithian  Case.  He  received  such  education  as  the 
schools  of  Simsbury  afforded  and  began  his  business 
career  as  clerk  in  a  drygoods  store  at  Hartford. 
He  remained  in  this  position  four  years,  when  in 
August  1840  he  came  to  New  York  city  and  became 
salesman  for  Eno  &  Phelps,  prominent  drygoods 
merchants.  He  remained  with  them  until  1S45 
when  the  firm  of  Lee  &  Case  was  established,  Amos 
R.  Eno  and  John  Jay  Phelps  of  the  old  firm  becom- 
ing special  partners  in  the  new  firm,  at  the  same 
time  carrying  on  their  own  house.  Amos  R.  Eno 
afterward  retired,  leaving  John  Jay  Phelps  the  only 
special  partner,  and  later  on  Isaac  N.  l'hel]is  also 
became  a  special  partner,  both  he  and  John  J. 
Phelps  remaining  as  special  partners  for  a  mnnber 
of  years.  Mr.  C'ase  retired  from  active  business  in 
1858.  He  has  lieen  a  Director  in  the  Bank  of 
North  America  for  twenty-five  years  and  is  also  a 
Director  in   a   number  of  lire  insurance  companies. 


He  is  a  member  of  the  New  l'',ngland  Society,  New 
York  Historical  Society,  the  Chamber  of  Commerce, 
and  the  Union  League  Club,  which  latter  he  joined 
in  1863.  His  politics  are  Republican.  Mr.  Case 
was  married  November  22,  1849,  to  Sarah  Jane, 
daughter  of  William  K.  Strong,  of  New  York.  Five 
children  have  been  born  to  them  :  William  Watson, 
Frederick  Strong,  Jeannie  Strong,  Marie  Louise, 
and   Henry   Piielps  Case. 


DUNCAN,  Thomas.  Manufacturer,  Windsor,  was 
born  in  Markinch,  Scotland,  .Vugust  13,  1832,  son  of 
Thomas  and  Agnes  (Dryburgh)  Duncan.  He  is  of 
Scotch  ancestry.  His  father  was  a  farmer,  and  his 
mother  the  daughter  of  a  stone  mason.  His  early 
education  was  obtained  in  the  parochial  schools  of 
Scotland.  This  was  supplemented  by  home  studies 
and  lessons  with  a  private  teacher.  His  career  is  an 
example  of  an  intelligent  capable  business  man,  who 


THOMAS    DUNCAN. 

beginning  at  the  bottom  of  the  ladder  has  through 
his  industry  gained  a  position  of  importance  and 
intluence.  He  enjoys  the  respect  and  confidence 
of  his  business  associates  and  fellow  citizens.  Mr. 
Duncan's  business  career  began  as  a  boy  of  twelve 
when  he  commenced  work  in  a  paper  mill.  In  this 
position  he  remained  for  sixteen  years  going  through 


I20 


MEN    OF    I'ROGRESS. 


ill  braiuhes  of  the  business,  and  finally  becoming 
Assistant  Superintendent  and  after  five  years  Super- 
intendent. Four  years  later  he  became  a  manu- 
facturer on  his  own  account.  He  is  now  Director, 
Treasurer,  and  General  Manager  of  the  Duncan 
Company,  Manager  and  Director  of  the  Hartford 
Taper  Coni|>any,  Director  and  Vice-President  of 
the  Varyan  Company  of  New  Vork,  President  of  the 
Empire  State  Paper  Company  of  Mechanicsville, 
New  Vork  and  New  Vork  city,  and  Director  of  the 
Mountain  Lumber  Company,  T,imited,  of  Platts- 
burgh,  New  Vork.  In  addition  to  these  important 
business  positions,  he  has  for  ten  years  acted  as  a 
trustee  of  the  Hartford  Theological  Seminary  and 
member  of  its  Executive  Committee.  He  has  held 
several  advisory  positions  in  the  town  of  Windsor 
but  would  not  assume  an  official  position.  Politi- 
cally he  is  a  Republican.  He  represented  the  town 
of  Windsor  in  the  Legislatures  of  1875  and  1876, 
and  was  an  alternate  to  the  Republican  National 
Convention  of  1888  and  a  delegate  to  the  Conven- 
tion of  1892.  He  was  married  August  27,  1854,  to 
Grace  Yule  of  Scotland.  Five  children  have  been 
born  to  them  :  Thomas  E.,  Elizabeth  C,  John  G., 
.Agnes  M.,  and  Grace  L.  Duncan.  He  was  married 
lor  the  second  time,  February  28,  1868,  to  Janet 
Gillies. 


FUESSENICH,  Frederick  Ferdinand,  Secretary 
and  Treasurer  of  the  Hendey  Machine  Company, 
Torrington,  was  born  in  Duren,  Germany,  May  7, 
1S48,  son  of  Leonard  and  Elizabeth  (Kolkord) 
Fuessenich.  His  father,  a  native  of  Prussia,  served 
in  the  German  Army,  and  on  his  discharge  came 
with  his  family  to  the  United  States  when  his  son 
was  but  four  years  old.  He  remained  in  New  York 
city  for  one  year,  then  moved  to  Goshen,  Connecti- 
cut, in  1856,  and  from  there  settled  at  Wolcottville, 
now  Torrington,  in  1857,  where  the  family  has  since 
resided.  Young  Fuessenich  received  a  common 
school  education,  and  at  the  age  of  twelve  went  to 
work  on  the  farm.  He  then  worked  for  three  years 
in  a  factory  which  was  followed  by  a  fourteen  years' 
service  in  a  drug  store.  He  next  connected  him- 
self with  the  Hendey  Machine  Company  of  Tor- 
rington and  has  ever  since  remained  with  them  as 
their  capable  Secretary  and  Treasurer.  He  is  a 
good  example  of  the  worthy  German- American  citi- 
zens that  America  is  ever  glad  to  welcome  to  its 
shores,  and  who,  by  native  industry  and  intelli- 
gence, have  risen  to  positions  of   trust  and  impor- 


tance. Mr.  Fuessenich  is  a  Director  of  the 
Torrington  and  Winchester  Electric  Street  Railway, 
and  was  a  member  of  the  original  committee  from 
the  town  formed  to  promote  the  enterprise.  He 
has  been  Secretary  and  Treasurer  of  the  Torring- 
ton Electric  Light  Company  since  its  organization. 
Politically  he  is  a  Democrat,  in  the  last  election 
voting  the  Gold  Democratic  ticket.  He  has  twice 
been  honored  by  his  townsmen  by  election  as  Town 
Clerk  of  Torrington.  He  has  been  Treasurer  of 
Seneca  Lodge  No.  55  Free  and  Accepted  Masons 
for  fifteen  years,  and  for  sixteen  years  vestryman  of 
Trinity  Parish,  and    is  also    Vice-President  of   the 


FREDERICK   F.    FUESSENICH. 

Torrington  Club.  Mr.  Fuessenich  was  married 
October  4,  1876,  to  Elizabeth  C.  Blake,  of  Essex, 
Connecticut.  Six  children  are  the  fruit  of  this 
union:  Mabel  Blake,  Leonard  Cleveland,  Hervey 
Blake,  Frederick  William,  Henry  Hendey  and  Eliza 
beth  Celia  Fuessenich. 


FULLER,  Edward  Eugene,  Secretary  of  the 
Tolland  County  Mutual  Fire  Insurance  Company, 
and  Ex-State  Senator  from  Tolland,  was  born  in 
that  town.  May  13,  1853,  son  of  Lucius  Seymour 
and    Mary   Eliza    (Bliss)     Fuller.     He    comes    of 


MEN    Ol'    I'KOC.RRSS. 


Scotch  and  English  ancestry,  two  of  his  ancestors, 
Deacon  Abijah  Fuller  and  John  Abbott,  his  paternal 
and  maternal  great-grandfathers  respectively,  having 
served  in  the  Revolutionary  War.  The  first  named 
was  a  sergeant  and  the  trusted  friend  of  General 
Putnam ;  to  him  was  gi\en  the  lienor  of  having  in 
charge  the  fortifying  of  Bunker  Hill  on  the  niglit 
preceding  the  battle.  The  {'"tiller  family  has  long 
been  prominent  in  Tolland  affairs.  Lucius  S. 
Fuller,  the  father  of  the  subject  of  this  sketch,  occu- 
pied many  positions  of  trust  in  the  town  and 
county,  was  a  member  of  the  Legislature  in  1854) 
of  the  Senate  in  1863-64,  delegate  to  the  I-lepublican 
National  Convention  that  nominated  Grant,  and  for 
twenty  years  Trustee  of  the  State  Hospital  for  the 
Insane  at  Middletown.  John  B.  Fuller,  his  eldest 
son,  was  a  member  of  the  Legislature  from  Tolland 
in  1878.  Lucius  H.  Fuller,  another  brother,  repre- 
sented Putnam  in  the  Legislature  of  1881  and  1882, 
and  was  Senator  from  that  district  in  1889.  This 
is  a  rare  example  of  a  father  and  three  sons  all 
entrusted  with  public  office  and  in  each  case  with 
marked  credit  to  themselves,  and  their  constitu- 
ents. Edward  E.  Fuller,  the  present  Senator,  is  a 
staunch  Republican  as  were  also  his  father  and 
brothers.  His  early  boyhood  was  spent  upon  a 
farm  and  his  education  was  obtained  in  the  public 
school  and  academy  with  an  additional  training  at  a 
business  college  in  Philadelphia,  where  he  was 
graduated  in  187  i.  He  first  entered  the  insurance 
business  on  December  19,  187  i,  in  the  office  of  the 
.F^tna  Insurance  Company,  of  Hartford.  There  he 
remained  until  January  i,  1882,  when  ill  health 
compelled  his  resignation.  A  year  later  he  had 
regained  his  health  and  in  June  1883,  on  the  death 
of  his  brother,  John  B.  Fuller,  he  was  made  his  suc- 
cessor as  Secretary  of  the  Tolland  County  Mutual 
Fire  Lisurance  Company.  This  office  he  continues 
to  fill  with  great  efficiency.  The  company  is  one 
of  the  oldest  and  most  conservative  of  the  local 
insurance  comjianies,  and  a  large  part  of  its  success 
is  due  to  Mr.  Fuller's  wise  counsel  and  capable 
management.  He  is  also  a  Director  in  several 
financial  institutions.  He  was  elected  Senator  from 
the  Twenty-fourth  District  in  1894  and  served  as 
Chairman  of  the  Committee  on  Insurance  and  of 
the  Committee  on  Manual  and  Roll.  His  only 
previous  public  offices  had  been  Town  Auditor  and 
member  of  the  local  School  Board  and  Acting 
School  Visitor.  He  is  a  firm  believer  in  the  prin- 
ciples of  fraternal  organizations,  and  is  a  Thirty- 
second  Degree  Mason,  and  a  member  of  the  Mystic 


Shrine.  He  has  filled  the  following  chairs:  Wor- 
shipful ALister,  Fayette  Lodge  No.  69  Free  and 
Accepted  Masons,  Most  Excellent  High  Priest, 
.\doniram  Chapter  No.  18  Free  and  A(:cei)ted 
Masons,  Thrice  Illustrious  Master,  Adoniram  Coun- 
cil No.  14  Free  and  Accepted  Masons,  Noble 
Grand,  Rising  Star  Lodge  No.  49  Indejiendent 
Order  of  Odd  Fellows,  Master  Workman,  Rockville 
Lodge  No.  18  Ancient  Order  United  Workmen, 
Senior  Warden,  St.  John's  Commandery  No.  1 1 
Knights  Templar  of  Willimantic,  and  Grand  Stand- 
ard Bearer  of  the  Grand  Commandery  of  Knights 
Templar  of    Connecticut.       He    is  also  a  member 


EDWARD   E.  FULLER. 


of  Rockville  Council,  No.  1437,  Royal  Arcanum. 
He  is  a  veteran  of  the  Connecticut  National  Guard, 
having  been  a  charter  member  of  Coni])any  K, 
First  Regiment.     Mr.  Fuller  is  unmarried. 


GODFREY,  Charles  Cartliix;k,  Physician  and 
Surgeon,  Bridgeport,  was  born  at  Saybrook,  Feb- 
ruary 3,  1855,  ^on  of  Rev.  Jonathan  and  Maria 
(Cartlidge)  Godfrey.  He  received  his  early  edu- 
cation at  both  public  and  private  schools  and  later 
at  the  Stamford  Military  Academy,  then  at  the 
Sheffield   Scientific    School,    Yale,    the    College   of 


122 


MEN   OF    PROGRESS. 


Physicians  and  Surgeons  at  New  York,  and  the 
Dartmouth  Medical  College,  from  which  he  grad- 
uated November  13,  1883,  and  has  been  in  active 
practice  since  18S4  as  Physician  and  Surgeon.  He 
was  Major  and  Surgeon  of  the  Fourth  Regiment, 


CHAS.  C.  GODFREY. 

Connecticut  National  Guards,  from  1890  to  1S93, 
and  since  1884  has  been  on  the  staff  of  the  Bridge- 
l)ort  Hospital.  He  is  at  present  Vice-President  of 
the  Bridgeport  Board  of  Education,  and  since  1894 
has  been  President  of  the  Bridgeport  Scientific 
Society,  and  since  1895  President  of  the  Bridgeport 
Branch  of  the  Co-operative  Savings  Society  of  Con- 
necticut, and  President  of  the  Tkidgeport  Republi- 
can Club  since  1896.  He  is  a  Member  of  the 
Board  of  Education,  and  has  been  Gynecologist  to 
the  Bridgeport  Hospital  since  1896.  He  belongs 
to  the  Seaside,  Algomiuin  and  United  Service  clubs, 
the  Bridgeport  Medical  Society,  American  Medical 
Association,  Association  of  the  Military  Surgeons  of 
the  United  States  and  the  Fairfield  County  Histor- 
ical Society.  He  is  a  Republican  and  was  a  mem- 
ber of  the  Board  of  Aldermen  from  1892  to  1893. 
He  is  also  a  Police  Commissioner  at  the  present 
day.  He  was  married  .-Vprii  30,  1885,  to  Carrie  St. 
Eeon  Sumner,  and  has  one  daughter,  Carrie  Lucile 
Godfrey. 


GH.DERSLEEVE,  Ferdinand,  Merchant  and 
Bank  President,  of  Gildersleeve,  Connecticut,  was 
born  in  Gildersleeve,  August  20,  1840,  son  of  Sylves- 
ter and  Emily  (Shepard)  Gildersleeve.  He  is  a 
member  of  a  large  family  that  has  given  its  name  to 
the  village  of  Gildersleeve  in  the  town  of  Portland, 
and  to  whom  the  town  owes  in  a  very  large  measure 
its  progress  and  business  activity.  The  original 
ancestor  was  Richard  Gildersleeve  who  came  from 
Western  Massachusetts  and  settled  in  Wethersfield 
about  1635.  Through  his  mother  he  is  related  to 
the  Shepards  of  Chatham  and  Portland,  and  the 
Lelands  and  Warrens  of  Massachusetts,  prominent 
Revolutionary  families.  Young  Gildersleeve's  edu- 
cation was  received  at  the  district  school  in  his 
native  village  and  at  a  boarding  school.  At  the  age 
of  fifteen  he  began  his  business  career  as  a  clerk  in 
his  father's  store  in  which  business  he  was  admitted 
to  partnership  soon  after  gaining  his  majority.     This 


F.  GILDERSLEEVE. 

famous  firm  of  S.  Gildersleeve  &  Sons  was  founded 
in  1 82 1  and  still  continues  to  be  one  of  the  most 
substantial  and  well  known  firms  in  the  state.  In 
addition  to  a  large  general  merchandise  trade,  they 
are  wholesale  dealers  in  lumber,  timber  and  ice. 
They  are  perhaps  best  known  as  ship  builders,  and 
were  leaders  at  a   time  when  the  industry  was  of 


MKN    OF    I'ROf.KKSS. 


I  2- 


very  great  importance  on  the  Connecticut  river. 
The  ship  yard  is  still  continued  and  from  it  a  large 
number  of  gallant  ships  have  gone  forth  as  carriers 
of  the  world's  commerce.  In  1879  Ferdinand 
Gildersleeve  succeeded  his  father  as  President  of 
the  First  National  Bank  of  Portland,  of  which  he 
had  been  for  many  years  Director  and  Vice-Presi- 
dent. He  held  the  ofifice  for  two  years,  and  later 
his  brother  Henry  was  elected  to  the  position,  but 
on  the  hitter's  death  in  1894  he  was  again  elected 
President,  which  office  he  continues  to  fill.  He  is 
also  President  of  the  Freestone  Savings  Bank  of 
Portland,  President  of  the  Middle.sex  (Quarry  Com- 
pany, one  of  the  largest  freestone  quarries  in  the 
state.  Vestryman  of  Trinity  Episcopal  Church, 
Director  of  the  Middlesex  Mutual  Insurance  Com- 
pany of  Middletown,  member  of  the  Portland  Board 
of  Education  and  Postmaster  of  Gildersleeve.  He 
was  President  of  the  Middletown  Ferry  Company 
until  its  purchase  by  the  Bridge  Company  and  is 
connected  with  many  other  corporations.  In  all 
these  many  sided  activities  he  has  won  success  and 
honor,  and  the  confidence  and  respect  of  his  asso- 
ciates. In  the  town  and  village  made  famous  by 
the  enterprise  of  his  honored  father  and  brother  and 
himself,  he  holds  a  high  place.  With  the  excep- 
tion of  occasional  trips  through  the  states  and  a 
trip  to  Europe  in  1864,  he  remains  at  his  home  on 
the  old  homestead,  where  he  is  surrounded  by,  and 
fully  enjoys,  his  happy  household.  He  was  married 
October  29,  1879,  to  Adelaide  Edna  Smith,  youngest 
daughter  of  William  R.  and  Mary  A.  Smith  of  Port- 
land. She  died  September  28,  1S80,  leaving  an 
infant  son,  William  Gildersleeve.  Mr.  Gildersleeve 
was  again  married  on  September  12,  1883,  to  Harriet 
Elizabeth  Northam,  of  Hartford,  eldest  daughter  of 
Ralph  and  Sarah  A.  Northam.  'Ihree  children  have 
been  born  to  them  :  Sarah,  Richard  and  Emily 
Gildersleeve. 


GAYLOR,  Charles,  President  of  the  Citizens' 
Savings  Bank,  Stamford,  was  born  in  that  city, 
March  21,  1816,  son  of  Charles  S.,  who  was  of 
German  descent,  and  Bethiah  (Knapp)  Gaylor.  On 
both  sides  he  is  descended  from  a  sturdy,  long-lived 
ancestry,  his  grandfather  Hezekiah  Kna]ip  dying  at 
the  age  of  ninety-two,  and  his  grandmother  Mary 
Peck  attaining  the  age  of  eighty-nine.  They  were 
both  natives  of  Stamford  but  originally  of  English 
descent.  Charles  Gaylor  received  only  such  edu- 
cation as  was  afforded  in  the  common  schools  of  his 


native  town.  Following  the  example  of  so  many 
successful  business  men  he  spent  the  first  sixteen 
years  of  his  life  upon  a  farm.  He  then  took  up  the 
carpentry  trade  and  for  ten  years  was  a  carpenter 
and  builder.  Removing  to  New  York  city  he 
engaged  in  the  lumber  business,  which  he  carried 
on  with  marked  success  for  the  succeeding  twenty 
years.  He  then  retired  from  active  mercantile  pur- 
suits and  again  settled  at  Stamford.  His  fellow 
citizens  have  shown  their  appreciation  of  his  integ- 
rity and  sound  business  judgment  in  making  him 
President  of  the  Stamford  Citizens'  Savings  Bank. 
He  is  also  a  Director  in  the   I'"irst  National   Hank 


CHARLES   GAYLOR. 

and  the  Gas  and  Electric  Light  Company  of  Stam- 
ford. During  his  residence  in  New  York,  Mr. 
Gaylor  joined  the  State  Militia,  then  commanded 
by  William  H.  Seward,  and  on  October  25,  1842, 
was  made  Lieutenant.  He  has  been  a  member  of 
St.  John's  Episcopal  Church  since  1835.  His 
political  afifiliations  are  with  the  Republicans.  Mr. 
Gaylor  was  married  March  10,  1S42,  to  Caroline  F. 
Budd,  of  New  Jersey.  Four  children  have  been 
born  to  them :  Charles  Henry,  Thomas  E.  and 
Caroline,  all  deceased,  and  Leonard  Budd  Gaylor, 
the  Vice-President  and  Manager  of  the  Black 
Manufacturing  Comiiany,  makers  of  the  Tribune 
Bicycle,  Erie,  Pennsylvania. 


i-M 


MKN    OF    I'ROGRRSS. 


HALL,  John  Mannint.,  Vice-President  of  the 
New  York,  New  Haven  &  Hartford  Railroad  Com- 
pany, and  Kx-Judge  of  the  Superior  Court,  New 
Haven,  was  born  in  U'illiniantic,  October  i6,  1841, 
son  of  Horace  and  Elizabeth  J.  (Manning)  Hall. 
His  greatgranilfather  was  Judge  George  Hall  who 
came  fron)  lingland  at  an  early  age  and  settled  at 
Quidnick,  Rhode  Island,  where  he  became  Judge  of 
the  General  Court.  His  son,  Di.xon  Hall,  was  a 
prominent  citizen  of  Sterling,  Connecticut,  holding 
many  town  and  county  offices.  Horace  Hall,  the 
father  of  the  present  Judge  Hall,  was  Superinten- 
dent of  the  Windham  Cotton  Manufacturing  C.oni- 


JOHN    M.   HALL. 

pany  for  many  years,  representative  of  his  town  in 
the  Legislature,  a  Justice  of  the  Peace,  and  Select- 
man for  thirteen  years.  Judge  Hall's  mother  was 
the  daughter  of  John  Manning,  of  Albany,  New 
York,  and  was  a  descendant  in  direct  line  from  John 
Alden  and  "  Priscilla."  Young  Hall  received  his 
early  education  in  the  public  schools  of  Willimantic 
and  at  the  Pine  Grove  Seminary  at  South  Windham. 
After  two  years  of  mercantile  life  with  his  father  in 
Willimantic  he  decided  to  complete  his  education 
and  study  law.  He  entered  Williston  Seminary, 
Easthampton,  Massachusetts,  taking  the  three-years 
course  in  two,  and  graduating  among  the  first 
scholars  in    his  class    in    1862.     He   then  entered 


Yale   where   he  was  graduated    in    1866,   and   two 
years  later  was  graduated  from  the  Columbia  Law 
School.     He  was  admitted  to  the  Bar  in  New  York 
city  in  November  1868,  and  to  the  Connecticut  Bar 
the  following  April.    At  Yale  he  won  the  Townsend 
prize,  one  of  the  most  coveted  literary  rewards  of 
the  college,  was  one  of    the   De   Forest  speakers, 
President  of  the  Linonia  Society,  and  a  member  of 
the  Skull  and  Bones  Society.     He  began  the  prac- 
tice of  law  in  Willimantic  in  April  1869,  and  con- 
tinued to  practice  there  until  elected  Judge  of  the 
Superior  Court   of  Connecticut,  July   i,   1889.     In 
his  twenty  years  of  practice  Judge  Hall  had  built 
up  a  large  and  lucrative  clientele,  and  had  become 
recognized  as  the  leader  of  the  W'indham  County 
Bar.     On  his  appointment  as  Judge  he  was  given  a 
banquet  that  was  attended  by  the  entire  bar  of  the 
county.     As  a  Judge  he  was  universally  esteemed 
both  by  his  associates  on  the  bench  and  the  mem- 
bers  of   the  bar.     In  Willimantic  Judge   Hall  has 
held  nearly  every  office  in  the  gift  of  his  townsmen. 
He  was  acting  School  Visitor  for  many  years,  and 
Chairman  of  the  first  High  School  Committee.     He 
was  a  member  of  the  committee  for  the  drafting  of 
a  Charter  for  the  borough  and  afterwards  for  the 
city.     He  represented  Willimantic  in  the  General 
Assembly   in    1870,    1871,    1872,    1881   and    1882, 
being  Speaker  of  the  House  in  the  latter  year.     In 
the  sessions  of  1870  and  187 1  he  was  Chairman  of 
the  Judiciary  Committee  and  member  of  the  com- 
mittee appointed  to  investigate  the  election  frauds. 
In   1872  he  was  Chairman   of  the  Railroad  Com- 
mittee and  in  1881   he  was  again  a  member  of  the 
Judiciary  Committee,  and  Chairman  of  the  Com- 
mittee on  Senatorial  Districts.     In   the  session  of 
1882  he  filled  the   position  of  Speaker  with  great 
ability,  and  gained  the  respect  of  both  parties  by 
his  courtesy  and  fairness.     In  1889  he  was  elected 
Senator  from  the  Seventeenth  District.     He  again 
served  as  Chairman  of  the  Judiciary  Committee  and 
was  elected  President /;v  tern,  of  the  Senate.    Near 
the  close  of  this  session  he  was  appointed  to  the 
Bench.     He  was  elected  to  his  present  position  as 
first  Vice-President   of  the  New  York,  New  Haven 
&  Hartford  Railroad  Company  in  October  1893. 
Though   without  railroad  training,    his  fitness  has 
been   amply   demonstrated.     His  keen  and  active 
mind   has  been  of  constant  value  in  the  manage- 
ment of  this  great  corporation,  and  the  directorate 
has  been  greatly  strengthened  by  the  legal  acumen, 
mature  judgment  and  wide  experience  which  Judge 
Hall  brings  to  his  work.     As  Vice-President  of  the 


MI'lN    Ol'    I'ROC.kKSS. 


•25 


railroad  liis  heathiuarters  are  in  New  Haven,  lie 
is  a  member  of  the  Gradnates  Clnb  of  New  Haven, 
and  the  Yale  and  Transportation  chibs  of  New 
York.  He  has  been  a  member  of  the  State  Bar 
Association  since  its  organization  and  has  served 
on  its  executive  committee.  In  politics  he  is  a 
Republican.  He  was  married  September  27,  1870, 
to  Julia,  daughter  of  Silas  F.  Loonier,  of  Williman- 
tic.  Three  children  have  been  born  to  them  :  John 
L  ,  a  lawyer  located  in  Boston,  who,  like  his  father, 
took  the  highest  literary  honors  at  Yale,  Florence 
M.  and  Helen  11.  Hall. 


.Arch  Masons,  F^xcelsior  Lodge  No.  200  New  Eng- 
land Order  of  Protection,  of  which  he  is  Treasurer, 
and  of  Ridgeley  Lodge  No.  51  Independent  Order 
of  Odd  Fellows,  of  which  he  is  a  charter  member  and 
Treasurer.  He  belongs  to  the  Young  Men's  Christian 
Association,  has  been  a  member  of  the  School  Board 
of  Torrington,  and  is  at  present  auditor  for  both  the 
town  and  borough.  Mr.  Hague  takes  special  pride 
in  his  membership  in  Mutual  F'ire  Company  No.  i, 
of  which  he  is  I'-oreman.  This  is  one  of  the  finest 
companies  in  New  Hngland.  They  are  good  fire 
fighters,  gentlemanly  in  appearance,  and  have 
unilormlv  received  applause  whenever  they  apjieared 


HAGUE,  James  Wilson,  Postmaster  of  Torring- 
ton, was  born  in  that  town  November  19,  1855. 
He  cojnes  of  sturdy  Scotch  ancestry,  his  father, 
James  Hague,  being  a  native  of  Glasgow,  and  his 
mother,  whose  maiden  name  was  Barbara  Jenkins, 
having  been  born  in  Paisley,  Scotland.  When  the 
War  broke  out  the  family  moved  to  Birmingham, 
{Connecticut,  and  afterwards  to  Beacon  ]'"alls.  \'()ung 
Hague  was  sent  to  the  common  schools  at  both 
these  places,  but  in  1881  he  returned  to  his  native 
town  and  found  a  jiosition  in  the  drug  store  of 
Charles  McNeil.  After  several  years  of  service  in 
the  drug  business  he  accepted  employment  in  the 
casting  department  of  the  Coe  Brass  Company  of 
Torrington.  Mr.  Hague  has  always  been  an  enthu- 
siastic Republican,  casting  his  first  vote  for  Ruther- 
ford B.  Hayes.  When  the  Young  Men's  Republican 
Club  was  formed  in  18S8  he  was  the  unanimous 
choice  for  President.  'I'he  club  did  valiant  work 
for  the  Republican  ticket  in  the  presidential  cam- 
paign of  that  year,  and  Mr.  Hague's  appointment  on 
March  21,  1889,  as  Postmaster  of  Torrington,  was  a 
fitting  and  deserved  reward  for  faithful  ]iarty  services. 
He  proved  himself  a  most  capable  official,  many 
marked  improvements  were  introduced,  and  the 
efficiency  of  the  office  was  rated  A  No.  i,  by  the 
Department  officials.  It  was  therefore  most  natural 
that  on  President  McKinley's  election,  Mr.  Hague 
should  again  be  appointed  Postmaster.  He  received 
his  second  commission  May  i,  1897.  His  return 
to  office  has  been  signalized  by  the  introduction  of 
the  free  delivery  system,  the  moving  of  the  Post  Office 
from  Main  to  Water  street,  and  the  furnishing  and 
appointment  of  the  same  in  a  manner  second  to  no 
town  of  the  size  in  the  state.  Postmaster  Hague 
is  a  firm  believer  in  fraternal  organizations,  and 
is  a  member  of  Seneca  Lodge  No.  55  Free  and 
Accepted  Masons,    Cyrus  Chapter    No.  45    Royal 


JA.MES  W,    HAGUE. 


either  at  home  or  abroad.  Mr.  Hague  was  married 
May  26,  1885,  to  Mary  J.  lialdwin,  of  Litchfield, 
Connecticut. 


HANCHETT,  Thaiiikr  Swiit,  M.  1).,  Torring- 
ton, was  born  in  Canaan,  Connecticut,  November 
1838,  son  of  I'.phraim  and  Nancy  (Swift)  Hanchett. 
He  is  a  descendant  of  the  Hanchett  who  first 
opened  the  Salisbury  iron  mines  and  to  whom 
the  lands  were  originally  granted  by  the  crown. 
Through  his  grandmother,  who  was  a  Thacher,  he 
trat-es  his  family  records  back  to  the  days  of  the 
Crusades.     .Xn  honored  representative  of  the  name. 


126 


MEN  OF  PROGRESS. 


frora  whom  Dr.  Hanchett  is  linc.-illy  descended, 
was  Col,  John  Thacher  who  commanded  the  troops 
of  the  Massachusetts  Colony  at  the  capture  of 
Quebec.  .Another  ancestor  was  Dr.  James  Thacher 
vvho  served  the  First  Continental  Infantry  in  the 
Massachusetts  Regiment,  and  hiter  during  the  last 
year  of  the  Revolution  was  chief  medical  officer  on 
the  staff  of  General  Washington,  his  memoirs  being 
the  most  authentic  record  of  the  surgeons  of  the 
War  of  the  Revolution.  Dr.  Hanchett  also  traces 
his  descent  to  lulward  and  Josiah  Winslow,  both 
Governors  of  the  Plymouth  Colony,  the  former  of 
whom  married  Mrs.  Susannah  White,  the  occasion 


is: 


T.  S.   HANCHETT. 

being  the  first  marriage  among  the  settlers  of  New 
England.  Thacher  S.  Hanchett,  the  subject  of 
this  sketch,  passed  his  early  boyhood  in  Worcester 
county,  Massachusetts,  and  attended  the  Academy 
at  Douglas,  Massachusetts.  He  began  the  study  of 
medicine  in  the  office  of  Dr.  Darling  of  that  town, 
after  which  he  entered  the  Harvard  Medical  School. 
After  one  year's  study  in  the  Medical  School  he 
entered  the  service  of  the  Union  as  surgeon's  mate 
on  the  gunboat  Wamsutta.  A  previous  appoint- 
ment on  a  mortar  boat  on  the  Mississippi  had  been 
declined  by  him.  At  the  end  of  the  year's  service 
he  returned  to  the  Harvard  Medical  School  for  the 
balance  of   the   year.     He    then  entered    Bellevue 


Hospital  Medical  College,  New  York  city,  as  special 
student  under  the  famous  surgeon  Professor  Hamil- 
ton, Surgeon-General  of  the  Army  of  the  Cumber- 
land during  the  war.  He  received  the  degree  of 
M.  D.  in  1864,  and  after  serving  for  one  year  as 
assistant  to  Dr.  William  Welch,  of  Norfolk,  Con- 
necticut, came  to  Torrington  where  he  has  since 
resided.  Dr.  Hanchett  is  now  the  veteran  physi- 
cian of  Torrington,  to  whose  citizens  his  kindly  face 
and  long  gray  beard  have  long  been  a  familiar 
object  of  love  and  esteem.  During  his  thirty-three 
years  of  active  practice  he  has  seen  the  town  grow 
from  a  population  of  but  twenty-five  hundred  and 
but  two  practicing  physicians,  to  a  wide  awake, 
enterprising  borough  and  a  quadrupled  population. 
He  is  still  active  in  mind  and  body.  He  has  a 
valuable  medical  library  and  through  constant  addi- 
tion to  it  he  keeps  in  touch  with  the  latest  knowl- 
edge and  methods  of  his  profession.  Dr.  Hanchett 
has  had  a  large  amount  of  obstetric  and  surgical 
work  but  has  a  general  practice  and  includes  many 
residents  of  neighboring  towns  among  his  patients. 
His  services  are  in  frequent  demand  as  examining 
physician  for  insurance  companies  and  societies, 
and  he  is  Chairman  of  the  Board  of  Examining 
Surgeons  of  the  Bureau  of  Pensions  for  his  district. 
He  was  the  first  Health  Officer  under  the  old  law 
and  has  been  Medical  Examiner  under  the  coroner 
law  since  that  office  was  created.  He  is  the  non- 
resident consulting  physician  at  the  Waterbury 
Hospital  and  a  member  of  the  County  and  State 
Medical  societies.  The  Hanchett  Block,  the  sub- 
stantial brick  structure  on  Main  street,  Torrington, 
was  built  by  Dr.  Hanchett,  and  is  one  of  the  note- 
worthy buildings  of  the  town.  Dr.  Hanchett  is  a 
Republican  in  politics,  and  a  Congregationalist  in 
religious  faith.  He  was  married  June  13,  1868, 
to  Emma  E.,  daughter  of  Captain  John  C.  Hayes, 
of  Stonington,  Connecticut.  Of  this  marriage  there 
were  three  children :  Annie  Thacher,  Thacher 
Hayes  and  Harry  Bigelow  Hanchett. 


HALL,  John  Henry,  President  of  the  Brainerd, 
Shaler  &  Hall  Quarry  Company,  of  Portland,  and 
Vice-President  and  Manager  of  Colt's  Patent  Fire 
Arms  Manufacturing  Company,  of  Hartford,  was 
born  in  Portland,  Connecticut,  March  24,  1849. 
He  is  the  son  of  Alfred  and  Maria  Lydia  (Whiting) 
Hall,  and  is  ninth  in  descent  from  John  Hall  who 
was  born  in  England  in   1584,  and  settled  at  Rox- 


MEN   OF    PROGRESS. 


12' 


bury,  Massachusetts,  in  1627,  moved  to  Hartforii  in 
1637  and  to  Middletown  in  16.(9.  'l"he  successive 
links  in  the  chain  are  as  follows  :  Samuel,  son  of 
John,  born  in  England  in  1626;  Samuel  born  in 
Middletown,  February  3,  1664;  John  born  in 
Middletown, . August  17,  1699;  John  born  in  Middle- 
town,  June  I,  1723  ;  Joel  born  in  Middletown,  April 
5)  'TSSJ  Samuel  born  in  Chatham,  now  Portland, 
November  20,  1777,  and  .Mfred,  the  father  of  the 
subject  of  this  sketch,  who  was  born  in  Portland, 
November  15,  uSog.  John  Henry  Hall  was  edu- 
cated at  the  pidjlic  school  at  I'ortland,  and  subse- 
quently at  Chase's  Academy,  Middletown,  and   the 


JNO.    H.   HALL. 

Episcopal  Academy  at  Cheshire,  Connecticut.  He 
began  his  business  career  in  1865,  when  at  the  age 
of  si.xteen  he  entered  the  employ  of  Sturges,  Ben- 
nett &  Company,  New  York  city,  at  that  time  the 
largest  importing  coffee  and  tea  house  in  the 
United  States.  In  1870  he  became  one  of  the  cor- 
porators of  the  Heath  &  Smith  Manufacturing 
Company,  of  Portland,  which  i)roved  a  failure.  In 
1877  he  purchased  a  majority  interest  in  the  Pick- 
ering Governor  under  the  style  of  T.  R.  Pickering 
&  Company,  which  business  in  1S88  was  incorpo- 
rated as  the  Pickering  (Governor  Company.  Mr. 
Hall  is  President  and  Treasurer  of  the  company. 
In   1883  he  interested  himself  and  became   Presi- 


dent in  the  Shaler  &  Hall  Quarry  Company,  of 
which  he  was  a  large  stockholder  and  of  which  both 
his  fatiier  and  grandfather  had  been  President.  In 
1896  the  company  combined  with  the  Brainerd 
(^)uarry  Company,  and  under  the  style  of  the  Brain- 
erd, Slialer  &  Hall  Quarry  Company,  the  business 
has  since  been  carried  on,  Mr.  Hall  retaining  the 
Presidency  although  a  resident  of  Hartford.  He 
moved  to  Hartford  in  1888  and  took  the  position  of 
(Jeneral  Manager  of  Colt's  Patent  I'^irc  Arms  Manu 
facturing  Company.  In  1889  he  was  elected  \icc- 
President  and  Treasurer  of  the  company,  which 
office  he  still  holds.  Mr.  Hall  has  thus  been  iden- 
tified, as  the  active  manager  and  responsible  head 
of  two  widely  famous  and  conspicuously  successful 
business  enterprises,  the  Quarry  Company  and  the 
Colt's  Works,  each  of  which  stands  jirominently  at 
the  head  of  their  respective  industries,  and  he  is  also 
President  of  the  (ratling  Cun  Company,  of  Hart- 
ford. He  is  a  Director  in  the  Hartford  National 
Bank,  tlie  Phienix  Insurance  Company,  the  Phcenix 
Mutual  Life  Insurance  Company,  the  Fidelity  Com- 
jiany,  of  Hartford,  and  the  Neptune  Meter  Com- 
pany, of  New  York.  From  1890  to  1896  he  was  Water 
Commissioner  of  Hartford,  and  Senator  from  the 
First  District  in  1895-96.  He  refused  the  Sena- 
torial nomination  from  the  Twenty-second  District 
in  1883,  and  the  nomination  as  Representative  in 
1885.  He  is  a  good  Democrat,  but  worked  hard 
for  sound  money  in  1896.  Mr.  Hall  is  a  member 
of  the  Episcopal  Church  and  Senior  Warden  of  the 
Church  of  the  Good  Shepherd  at  Hartford.  He  is 
also  a  member  of  the  Hartford  and  Colonial  clubs 
of  Hartford,  of  the  Manhattan,  Democratic  and 
Engineers'  clubs  of  New  York,  and  of  the  New  York 
Yacht  Club.  He  was  married  February  9,  1S70,  to 
Sarah  G.  Loines,  of  New  York.  Like  her  husband 
she  traces  her  ancestry  back  through  nine  genera- 
tions resident  in  tliis  country.  The  fruit  of  this 
marriage  has  been  four  children  ;  Clarence  Loines, 
Grace  Loines,  and  two  who  died  in  infancy,  Alfred 
William  and  Mattie  Palmer  Hall. 


KENDALL,  George  F.,  Merchant,  Suffield,  was 
born  in  that  town  September  2,  1849,  son  of  Simon 
B.  and  Adaline  K.  (Kent)  Kendall.  On  both  sides 
of  the  house,  through  the  Kendall  and  Fitch  families 
on  his  father's  side,  and  the  Kents  on  his  mother's 
side,  he  traces  his  descent  back  to  honored  Revolu- 
tionary ancestors.     The  Sybil  Kent  Chapter  of  the 


12 


8 


MEN    OF    PROC.RESS. 


naughlers  of  the  Revolution  of  Suffield  is  named 
from  Mr.  Kendall's  great-grandmother.  His  edu- 
cation was  obtained  at  the  public  schools,  the  Con- 
necticut Literary  Institute  of  Suffield,  and  the 
Wesleyan  .Academy.  After  completing  his  studies 
he  began  teaching  in  his  native  town  at  the  age  of 
seventeen  and  thus  continued  for  fifteen  years.  In 
1882  he  became  connected  with  W.  \V.  Cooper  in 
the  lumber,  coal,  feed  and  undertaking  business 
where  he  still  remains  as  manager  and  confidential 
clerk.  He  also  acts  as  Secretary  and  Treasurer  of 
the  Suffield  Creamery  Company,  and  holds  the  same 
positions    with    the    Village    Water    t:ompany    of 


GEO.  F.   KENDALL. 

Suffield.  Mr.  Kendall's  integrity,  intelligence  and 
industry  have  gained  him  the  respect  of  his  fellow 
citizens  who  have  frequently  honored  him  with 
offices  of  trust.  He  represented  the  town  in  the 
Legislature  of  iiSSy,  serving  on  the  General  Appro- 
priation Committee  and  was  re-elected  in  1889  when 
he  served  as  Chairman  of  the  Committee  on  Roads 
and  Bridges.  In  1897  he  was  elected  to  the  Senate, 
where  he  was  chosen  to  the  important  position  of 
Chairman  of  the  Railroad  Committee.  He  has  been 
a  member  of  the  local  School  Board  for  nine  years 
and  its  Secretary  for  seven  years.  His  politics  are 
staunch  Republican,  and  for  ten  years  he  has  been 
a  member   of   the    Republican   Town  Committee. 


He  is  a  Chairman  of  the  Committee  of  the  First 
Congregational  Church  of  Suffield,  and  has  been 
Vice-President  of  the  Suffield  Public  Library.  In 
short,  Mr.  Kendall  is  a  public  spirited  citizen  whose 
support  is  ever  ready  for  every  worthy  enterprise. 
He  has  long  been  an  enthusiastic  believer  in  the 
principles  of  Masonry.  He  joined  Apollo  Lodge 
No.  59  in  1877,  and  has  filled  every  office  in  the 
gift  of  the  Lodge.  The  same  may  be  said  of  his 
connection  with  the  Washington  Chapter  No.  30 
Royal  Arch  Masons  of  which  he  is  now  Scribe,  and 
of  the  Suffield  Council  Royal  and  Select  Masters. 
He  also  belongs  to  Washington  Commandery  No.  i 
Knights  Templar  and  to  the  Mystic  Shrine,  of 
Bridgeport.  On  the  formation  of  the  New  Sphynx 
Teiniile  at  Hartford  he  became  a  charter  member 
and  he  is  also  a  member  of  Lyman  Council,  order 
United  American  Mechanics,  which  he  joined  in 
1894.  Mr.  Kendall  was  married  October  16,  1870, 
to  Julia  Anna  Cowing,  of  Suffield.  Their  son,  W. 
Frank  Kendall,  died  February  19,  1877. 


LOEWE,  Dietrich  Edward,  Hat  Manufacturer, 
Danbury,  was  born  in  Greste,  Lippe  Detmold,  Ger- 
many, lune  21,  1852,  son  of  Adolph  and  Charlotte 
Wilhelmina  (Schalk)  Loewe.  His  education  was 
received  in  the  common  schools  of  tlermany  and  at 
the  School  of  Technique  and  Trade  at  Bielefield,  Ger- 
many. He  came  to  this  country  in  1870  at  the  age 
of  eighteen,  and  first  began  work  at  railroad  building, 
then  tried  farming,  and  later  was  clerk  in  a  wholesale 
grocery  store.  He  came  to  Danbury  on  Thanks- 
giving Day  in  187  i,  and  has  since  remained  in  that 
city.  He  is  a  good  example  of  the  German-American 
citizen,  who  beginning  in  a  humble  capacity  has  by 
industry  and  intelligence  raised  himself  to  the  posi- 
tion of  head  of  an  important  industry.  He  has  the 
respect  and  confidence  of  his  fellow  citizens  and 
business  associates.  Mr.  Loewe's  first  work  in 
Danbury  was  at  making  hats,  later  being  employed 
in  the  finishing  department  of  the  business.  During 
dull  seasons  he  was  employed  at  painting  in  carriage 
shops.  His  first  promotion  came  when  in  1876  he 
was  made  foreman  of  the  finishing  department  of 
Meeker  Brothers'  factory.  This  position  he  held 
until  the  spring  of  1879,  when  with  Edwin  Targett 
and  Herman  Beardsley  he  began  the  manufacture 
of  hats  under  the  firm  name  of  D.  E.  Loewe  & 
Company.  At  the  end  of  the  year  his  partners 
retired,  and  their  places  were  taken  by  Mr.  Loewe's 
two    brothers-in-law,     Mathias    Heinzelmann    and 


MEN    oi 


■ROGRESS. 


I  29 


Charles  Muetschele.  The  old  firm  name  con- 
tinued. Politically  Mr.  Loewe  has  usually  been  a 
Democrat,  although  a  believer  in  protection  and 
votingfor  McKinley  at  the  last  election.  ]n  1S80 
he  served  as  Assistant  Chief  of  the  Danbury  Fire 
Department.  He  was  Town  Assessor  in  1884-85, 
Representative  in  the  Legislature  in  1887,  member 
of  the  City  Council  18S9-90,  and  Alderman  in 
1891-92.  He  is  President  of  the  Trustee;  of  the 
German  Lutheran  Church,  and  since  1872  has  been 
Secretary  of  the  Germania  lienevolent  Society. 
He  was  married  June  21,  1877,  to  Christina  Hein- 
zelmann.     Six  children   have   been  born   to   tlicni  : 


D.    E.    LOEWE. 


Charlotte  Christina,  Mathias  Christian,  Ernst  lul- 
ward,  Dietrich  Carl  Frank,  Melanie  Caroline  and 
August  Percival  Loewe. 


McNEIL,  Archibald,  Wholesale  Coal  Merchant, 
Bridgeport,  was  born  in  Bridgeport,  Connecticut, 
July  2,  1843,  youngest  son  of  Abraham  .Archibald 
and  Mary  Ann  (Hulls)  McNeil.  Archibald  McNeil, 
the  great-grandfather  of  the  present  merchant,  was 
a  Revolutionary  soldier,  who  served  faithfully  through 
the  struggle  for  independence.  His  son,  William 
McNeil,  was  born  in  what  is  now  Naugatuck,  gradu- 
ated  from   \'a\e  in    1777,   and   ]iartici])ated  in  the 


troubles  with  the  French  which  followed  the  Revo- 
lution. He  was  on  board  the  ])rivateer.  Marquis 
de  I.afayette,  sailing  out  of  New  Haven,  which  was 
captured  by  the  French.  Mr.  McNeil  was  taken  to 
France  and  confined  in  a  dungeon,  for  which  indig- 
nity the  family  became  interested  in  the  French 
Spoliation  Claims.  His  son,  Abraham  .Archibald 
McNeil,  the  father  of  the  subject  of  this  sketch,  was 
born  in  Derby,  Connecticut,  in  1802.  For  many 
years  he  w-as  a  supercargo,  sailing  out  of  New 
Haven  and  engaged  in  the  West  India  trade.  He 
removed  to  Bridgeport  about  182 1,  and  for  a  while 
was  engaged  with  Samuel  Hodges,  his  wife's  uncle, 
in  the  shoe  manufacturing  business.  He  founded 
the  system  of  lighthouses,  and  for  many  years  until 
his  death,  in  1873,  was  the  lighthouse  keeper  at 
llridgeport.  His  son  .Adolphus  now  fills  the  posi- 
tion. He  married  ^L^ry  Ann  Hults,  daughter  of 
William  Hults,  who  was  lost  at  sea  with  all  the  crew 
of  the  brig  William  wlien  his  daughter,  Mary  Ann, 
was  but  tW'O  years  old.  'I'welve  children  were  born 
to  .'\braham  A.  and  Mary  Ann  (Hults)  McNeil: 
Charles  Hubbell,  born  December  14,  1828;  John, 
born  October  9,  1830;  Samuel  William,  born  March 
16,  1832  ;  Eliza  Maria,  born  January  9,  i834;Josiah 
Hoyt,  born  February  9,  1835  ;  Augustus  and  Adol- 
phus  (twins),  born  August  31,  1837;  Mary  Hoyt, 
born  October  20,  1839  ;  Mary  Hoyt,  born  December 
12,  1840;  Archibald,  our  subjectj-born  July  2,  1843; 
Maria,  born  December  25,  1845  ;  and  Sarah,  born 
August  28,  1848.  The  noble  mother  of  this  large 
family  was  born  at  Bridgeport,  and  died  in  the  same 
city  in  1S93.  Archibald  McNeil  received  his  early 
education  at  Selleck's  School  at  Bridgeport,  and  at 
other  private  schools  of  the  city.  In  1856  he  was 
sent  to  the  celebrated  Thomas  School  of  New 
Haven,  and  in  i860  was  graduated  from  the  Hop- 
kins Grammar  School,  the  well  known  preparatory 
school  for  Yale.  On  the  completion  of  his  studies, 
he  began  his  business  career  as  clerk  in  the  ship 
chandlery  store  of  his  eldest  brother,  Charles  H. 
McNeil,  which  was  situated  opposite  the  old  depot 
and  steamboat  landing.  Three  years  later  the  two 
brothers  formed  a  partnership  as  wholesale  fruit  and 
produce  dealers,  under  the  firm  name  of  McNeil 
P.rothers.  This  business  was  continued  until  1876, 
when  Mr.  McNeil  removed  to  New  York  and  with 
his  brother  engaged  in  the  wholesale  butter  and 
cheese  business  at  84  Broad  street,  under  the  firm 
style  of  Archibald  McNeil  &  Company.  In  1879 
the  character  of  the  business  was  changed  to  an 
exclusive  export  and  import  trade  with  Ciilia.    The 


MKN   OF   PROGRESS. 


firm's  exports  consisted  chiefly  of  bituminous  coal, 
flour,  potatoes  antl  other  produce.  In  iS88  Mr. 
McNeil  returned  to  Bridgeport,  and  established  his 
present  wholesale  bituminous  coal  office.  He  does 
an  extensive  and  profitable  business,  is  the  represent- 


ARCHIBALD  McNEIL. 

ative  of  six  large  coal  producing  companies,  and 
numbers  among  his  customers  railroads,  factories  and 
retail  dealers.  In  politics  Mr.  McNeil  is  a  Democrat. 
Although  never  an  office  seeker  he  has  occasionally 
been  prevailed  upon  to  accept  the  nomination  of 
his  party.  In  1872  and  1873  he  represented  the 
old  Second  Ward  in  the  Bridgeport  Council.  In 
1896  he  was  nominated  to  the  State  Legislature, 
and  although  running  four  hundred  votes  ahead  of 
his  ticket,  was  defeated  with  the  rest  of  his  Demo- 
cratic associates.  In  1897  he  was  earnestly  solicited 
to  accept  the  Democratic  nomination  for  Mayor  of 
Bridgeport,  but  he  declined  the  honor.  In  the 
social  life  of  the  city  no  less  than  among  his  busi- 
ness and  political  associates,  Mr.  McNeil  enjoys  a 
wide  popularity.  He  was  one  of  the  charter  mem- 
bers of  the  old  Eclectic  Club  and  for  two  years  its 
President.  He  was  also  a  charter  member  and 
President  for  two  years  of  the  Algonquin  Club.  He 
belongs  to  the  Seaside  Club,  and  from  1874  to  1877 
was  the  able  Commodore  of  the  first  Bridgeport 
Yacht  Club.     He  is  at  present  one  of  the  Govern- 


ors of  the  New  Bridgeport  Yacht  Club,  which  has 
lately  located  its  club  house  at  Black  Rock  Harbor. 
Mr.  McNeil  is  a  good  seaman,  and  takes  a  deep 
interest  in  nautical  affairs,  which  is  a  natural  inher- 
itance from  his  sea-farmg  ancestors  on  both  sides  of 
his  family.  Mr.  McNeil  and  his  family  are  attend- 
ants of  the  Episcopal  Church.  He  was  married  in 
1 88 1  to  Jean  McKenzie  Clan  Ranald,  daughter  of 
George  J.  Clan  Ranald  of  New  York  city.  Three 
children  have  been  born  to  them  :  Archibald,  born 
in  New  York  city,  June  i,  1883  ;  Kenneth  Wylie, 
born  in  Bridgeport,  September  14,  1885  ;  and 
Roderick  Clan  Ranald  McNeil,  born  in  Bridgeport, 
March  20,  1888. 


O'CONNOR,  Matthew  Charles,  Physician,  New 
Haven,  was  born  in  New  York  city,  September 
14,  1852,  son  of  Matthew  and  Catherine  (Gowen) 
O'Connor.     He  attended  the  public  schools  of  New 


MATTHEW  C.   O'CONNOR. 

York  and  was  graduated  from  the  College  of  St. 
Francis  Xavier  in  1869.  He  received  his  medical 
education  at  the  College  of  Physicians  and  Surgeons 
of  New  York  where  he  was  graduated  in  1873  after  a 
four-years  course.  During  a  part  of  the  latter  and 
the  previous  year  he  was  Resident  Physician  and 
Surgeon  at  St.  Vincent's  Hospital,  New  York.    After 


MI'-.N    Ol'    I'ROC.RRSS. 


131 


a  thorough  hospital  service  he  located  in  East  Broad- 
way, New  York,  for  the  practice  of  iiis  profession. 
He  removed  to  New  Haven,  in  1877,  and  was 
appointed  Attending  I'hysician  to  St.  Francis 
Orphan  Asylum  which  position  he  still  retains.  In 
1878  he  became  a  member  of  the  New  Haven  Med- 
ical Society,  and  was  later  elected  Fellow  of  the 
Connecticut  Medical  Society.  He  became  one  of 
the  Incorporators  of  the  Knights  of  Columbus  in 
1882,  and  for  four  years  held  the  position  of  Supreme 
Council  Physician.  In  i8cS6  he  was  elected  Presi- 
dent of  the  Knights  of  St,  Patrick,  a  social  organi- 
zation. He  was  appointed  a  Health  Commissioner 
of  the  city  of  New  Haven  in  18S8,  which  position 
he  held  for  seven  years.  In  1896  he  was  elected 
Vice-President  of  the  New  Haven  Medical  Asso- 
ciation. 


trip  to  California  and  again  in  1852,  each  time 
crossing  the  Isthmus  and  returning  tlirough  Central 
America.  While  in  California  he  spent  most  of  his 
time  in  the  mines,  but  finally  sold  his  claims  and 
came  to  Sacramento.  While  there  he  invented  a 
soap  and  started  a  factory  both  there  ami  in  San 
Francisco,  which  proved  highly  successful.  Receiv- 
ing a  liberal  offer  for  the  business  and  the  state 
right,  he  sold  out  and  returned  to  New  York  in 
December  1854.  After  a  year's  experimenting  in 
the  art  of  soap  making  he  discovered  a  quick  and 
economical  process.  A  factory  was  started  and  the 
rights    to    manufacture    sold    for    Canada,    Cuba, 


P.\CKFR,  Daniel  FR.'iNKi.iN,  of  Mystic,  Con- 
necticut, Inventor  and  Founder  of  the  Packer  Man- 
ufacturing Company,  New  York,  was  born  inGroton, 
Connecticut,  April  6,  1825,  son  of  Charles  and 
Abigail  (Lathaiu)  Packer,  and  is  a  descendant  of 
John  Packer,  the  first  of  the  name  in  America,  who 
came  from  England  and  settled  in  New  London, 
Connecticut,  in  165 1.  The  following  year  he  pur- 
chased the  soutliern  and  eastern  slope  of  the  Pequot 
Hills,  where  he  settled  in  1655.  A  ])ortion  of  this 
land  is  still  owned  by  a  Packer.  Young  Packer's 
early  education  was  obtained  in  the  country  district 
school  of  the  ]3eriod.  Left  an  orphan  at  the  age  of 
ten  he  bound  himself  out  to  work  on  a  farm.  But 
fourteen  to  sixteen  hours  labor  per  day  proved  loo 
hard  a  burden  for  the  energetic  boy.  On  leaving 
the  farm  he  was  sent  by  his  brothers  for  a  three- 
years  course  in  Buckley's  .'\cadeniy  at  Weston, 
Connecticut,  .^fter  leaving  school  he  assisted  his 
brothers  for  a  while  in  the  market  business  in  New 
York  city,  but  on  April  16,  1842,  he  commenced  a 
sea-faring  life  on  board  the  ship  Emerald,  Captain 
Howe,  with  whom  he  crossed  the  Atlantic  four 
times.  On  January  14,  1843,  he  sailed  for  Key 
West,  Florida,  where  he  spent  three  years,  engaged 
in  the  wrecking  business.  He  became  a  master 
wrecker,  owned  his  own  vessel,  the  Plume,  and 
shared  in  twelve  wrecks.  At  the  age  of  twenty-one, 
having  in  five  years  worked  his  way  up  from  a  boy  in 
the  forecastle  to  the  position  as  Master  of  his  own 
vessel,  he  abandoned  the  sea,  sold  his  vessel  and 
returned  North.  He  at  first  engaged  in  the  market 
commission  business  in  New  York  city.  In  1851 
when  the  gold  fever  was  at   its  height,  he  made  a 


i^m^^ 

■    '''*^^F- 

^# 

D.    F.    PACKER. 

Europe  and  most  of  the  United  States.  For  his 
Silver  Pearl  Soap  he  started  a  factory  in  Pittsburgh, 
Pennsylvania,  which  proved  a  great  success  but  has 
since  been  sold.  In  1867  he  originated  the  first 
Pine  Tar  Soap  ever  made.  The  formula  was  jiur- 
chased  by  other  parties  and  the  soa])  has  ever  since 
been  manufactured  as  Constantine's  Tar  Soap. 
The  years  1868-69  were  again  occupied  in  experi- 
ment, as  a  result  of  which  he  brought  out  D.  F. 
Packer's  All  Healing  Pine  Tar  Soap.  This  soap, 
which  is  now  manufactured  by  the  Packer  Manu- 
facturing Company  of  New  York,  has  been  on  the 
market  for  nearly  thirty  years  and  has  a  record 
scarcely   equalled    by   any   other    similar    jiroduct. 


MEN    OF    PROGRESS. 


It  is  widely  known  in  this  and  foreign  countries,  and 
has  proved  a  most  profitable  article.  It  is  made 
from  pine  tar,  vegetable  oils  and  glycerine,  and 
possesses  exceptional  antiseptic  and  healing  quanti- 
ties. It  is  efficacious  for  the  care  of  the  hair  and 
scalp,  and  for  skin  diseases,  as  well  as  for  the  toilet 
and  complexion.  Mr.  Packer's  active  brain  has 
also  evolved  many  other  useful  inventions,  among 
which  may  be  numbered  an  invention  for  the  manu- 
facture of  coal  bricks  from  coal-dust,  which  he  pat- 
ented December  15,  1874,  in  the  United  States, 
also  in  Canada  and  England,  and  an  improved 
patent  shoe  lacing.  In  politics  Mr.  Packer  was  an 
old  line  Whig  and  has  been  a  member  of  the  Repub- 
lican party  ever  since  its  organization.  He  has 
never,  however,  sought  political  preferment,  and  is 
not  a  member  of  any  society  or  club.  He  was  mar- 
ried June  7,  1847,  to  Margaret  Rebecca  Norcross, 
of  New  York,  who  died  July  11,  1855.  They  had 
one  daughter,  Arline  M.  Packer.  He  was  again 
married  February  27,  1861,  to  Carrie  A.  Randall,  of 
Reading,  Connecticut.  One  son  was  the  fruit  of 
this  second  marriage,  Samuel  Edward  Packer,  born 
.August  28,  1862,  and  who 'died  May  4,  1867.  In 
1863,  Mr.  Packer  built  his  "  Grand  View  Cottage  " 
on  the  heights  of  the  beautiful  Mystic  River  in  the 
centre  of  the  village,  and  being  a  strong  advocate  of 
labor,  also  built  a  factory  and  gives  many  girls  and 
men  employment  in  the  soap  business. 


responsibilities  of  his  position.  Politically,  Mr. 
Prickett  is  a  Republican.  He  has  the  respect  and 
good  will  of  his  fellow  citizens  who  in  1879  honored 
him  by  election  as  their  Representative  in  the  State 
Legislature.  He  has  also  held  office  as  member  of 
the  Board  of  Education  and  as  Justice  of  the  Peace. 


PRICKETT,  Edward,  Manager  of  the  Hazard 
Powder  Mills,  Hazardville,  Connecticut,  was  born 
in  England  February,  21,  1832,  son  of  William  and 
Catherine  (Wildish)  Prickett.  His  father,  a  skilled 
workman  and  manufacturer,  came  from  Europe  in 
1836  and  took  charge  of  the  Hazard  Mills.  The 
son  followed  in  the  father's  footsteps  and  under 
his  able  superintendence  the  name  of  Hazard  has 
achieved  a  world-wide  reputation.  His  education 
was  confined  to  the  common  schools.  ■  The  busy 
life  of  the  mills  had  an  attraction  for  him  as  a  child 
and  at  an  early  age  he  become  an  employee.  He 
passed  through  the  various  departments  of  the 
manufacture  and  in  1854  was  assigned  to  a  position 
in  the  office  of  the  company.  Here  he  remained 
until  1859  when  he  succeeded  to  the  management 
of  the  mills  where  he  still  continues.  His  long  and 
intelligent  service  has  been  crowned  with  abundant 
success.  He  has  a  thorough  knowledge  of  the 
chemistry  of  explosives  and  is  well  fitted  for  the 


EDWARD    PRICKETT. 

He  was  married  May  22,  1856,  to  Barbara  Law. 
Five  children  have  blessed  their  union  :  Georgiana 
C,  Helena  Jane,  Clifford  D.,  Edward  L.  and  Effie 
Maude  Prickett. 


RUSSELL,  Samuel,  Mayor  of  Middletown,  was 
born  in  Middletown,  October  8,  1847,  son  of 
George  Osborne  and  Amelia  C.  (Mather)  Russell. 
He  is  a  descendant  of  William  Russell,  who  came 
to  Connecticut  with  Lord  Say  and  Seal  in  161 2. 
His  grandfather  founded  the  wealthy  and  famous 
house  of  Russell  &  Company,  in  Canton,  China,  in 
1824,  in  connection  with  Philip  Amidon,  Augustine 
Heard,  William  H.  Low,  John  C.  Green,  A.  A. 
Low  and  others.  On  the  maternal  side  he  traces 
his  ancestry  to  Cotton,  Increase  and  Samuel  Mather 
of  Massachusetts.  His  education  was  completed  at 
Phillips  Academy,  Andover,  Massachusetts.  For 
two  years  he  was  in  the  office  of  James  Renwick, 
architect,  of  New  York.     For  twelve  years  he  was 


MEN    OF    I'ROCRHSS. 


'33 


Vice-President  of  the  Russell  Manufacturing  Com- 
pany, but  retired  in  1882,  altliough  still  remaining  a 
Director.  He  is  a  Director  of  the  Honiliay  Tram- 
way Coni])any  of  India,  and  of  the  Middletown 
Savings  Bank,  Trustee  of  the  Connecticut  Hospital 


SAMUEL   RUSSELL. 

for  the  Insane,  the  Connectic\it  Industrial  School, 
the  Russell  Library  of  Middletown  and  St.  Luke's 
Home.  He  is  a  member  of  the  Union  Club  of 
New  York,  the  Lenox  Club  of  Lenox,  Massachu- 
setts, and  the  Carrituck  Shooting  Club  of  North 
Carolina.  He  has  been  twice  married.  His  first 
wife  was  Lucy  McDonough  Hubbard,  of  Middle- 
town,  to  whom  he  was  married  in  1878.  There 
have  been  born  to  him  four  children  :  Samuel  Rus- 
sell, Jr.,  Thomas  McDonough,  Lucy  Hubbard  and 
Helen  Pickering  Russell. 


the  French  and  the  English.  ,'\nd  Sir  John  Moore 
was  buried  secretly  in  order  that  the  French  should 
not  find  his  body.  This  burial  has  been  commem- 
orated by  a  ]ioem  written  by  Reverend  Charles 
Wolfe,  lie  was  educated  in  London,  England,  and 
in  Johnstown,  New  York.  He  received  Regent's 
certificate  from  the  University  of  the  State  of  New 
York  February  1882,  and  was  graduated  from  the 
New  \'ork  Homceopathic  Medical  College  and  Hos- 
pital .April  14,  1887.  From  May  i,  1887,  till  May 
of  the  following  year  he  was  on  the  staff  of  the 
Ward's  Island  Hospital,  and  commenced  his  prac- 
tice in  Putnam  in  September  1888.  He  was  ap- 
pointed Surgeon  of  the  Keck  Zouaves,  Johnstown, 
in  1888.  He  was  President  of  the  Alumni  of  Johns- 
town High  School  from  £885  to  1S86,  and  was 
Health  Officer  at  Putnam  from  1893  to  1894,  and 
held  the  office  of  Town  Physician  from  1895  to 
1898.  He  belongs  to  the  Arcanum  Club,  (^uina- 
bang    Lodge    of   Masons,   the  Putnam  Chapter  of 


1^ 

v< 

^ 

^^^  ~ 

m 

i 

RUSSELL,  John  Jarvis,  Physician  and  Surgeon, 
Putnam,  Connecticut,  is  the  son  of  Samuel  and 
Elizabeth  Ann  (Jarvis)  Russell,  and  was  born  at  Lon- 
don, England,  February  6,  1866.  His  grandparents 
on  the  paternal  side  were  Samuel  and  ALiry  (Harber) 
Russell,  and  on  the  maternal,  John  and  Elizabeth 
(Amory)  Jarvis.  His  great-grandfather  .Samuel 
Russell  was  one  of  the  few  who  buried  Sir  John 
Moore  after  the  Battle  of  Coiunna,  Spain,  l)etween 


J.  J.    RUSSELL. 

Putnam,  the  Montgomery  Council  of  Danielson, 
the  Columbian  Commandery  of  Norwich,  the  Israel 
Putnam  Lodge  of  Odd  Fellows,  and  the  Wolf  Den 
Iincam])ment.  In  ]iolitics  he  is  a  Republican. 
On  October  iS,  1893,  he  was  married  to  Amanda 
I'ierson,  and  has  one  daughter,  Elizabeth  Pierson 
Russell,  born  May  29,  1895. 


'34 


MKN    OF    PROGRESS. 


RANKIN,  Charlk-s  Goodrich,  M.  D.,  Glaston- 
bury, Connecticut,  was  born  in  Portland,  Connecti- 
cut, October  2,  1859,  son  of  Rev.  Samuel  Gardner 
Wilson  and  Dolly  (Goodrich)  Rankin.  His  grand- 
father, Rev.  John  Rankin,  of  Ripley,  Ohio,  was  for 


October  1893,  and  was  the  town  Treasurer  in 
1896-97,  and  is  a  Director  and  Treasurer  of  the 
Glastonbury  Public  Library,  which  owes  its  exist- 
ence in  a  great  measure  to  his  personal  efforts. 
He  is  a  member  of  the  American  Medical  Associa- 
tion, of  the  Connecticut  Medical  Society,  and  of 
the  Hartford  City  and  County  medical  societies. 
His  political  affiliations  are  with  the  Republicans. 
Dr.  Rankin  was  married  January  i,  1887,  to  Lucre- 
tia  Barret  Pinkham,  of  Chicago.  They  have  one 
son,  William  Goodrich  Rankin. 


CHAS.    G.    RANKIN. 

seventy  years  a  prominent  Presbyterian  clergyman. 
His  mother  was  the  great-great-granddaughter  of 
Rev.  Timothy  Stevens,  D.  D.,  first  pastor  of  the 
Congregational  Church  of  Glastonbury.  He  is  also 
a  lineal  descendant  of  Rev.  Samuel  Doak,  first  Pres- 
ident of  Washington  College,  East  Tennessee. 
Young  Rankin  first  attended  the  common  schools 
and  academy  at  Glastonbury ;  next  went  to  Wil- 
liams College  where  he  was  graduated  in  the  class 
of  1882,  receiving  the  degree  of  M.  A.  three  years 
later.  He  began  the  study  of  medicine  with  his 
uncle  Dr.  A.  C.  Rankin,  and  was  graduated  from 
the  Chicago  Medical  College  (Northwestern  Uni- 
versity), in  March  1886.  For  one  year  he  served 
as  assistant  physician  at  the  Armour  Medical  Mis- 
sion, in  Chicago.  He  practiced  medicine  for  two 
years  at  Reynolds,  Nebraska,  then  spent  three  years 
at  South  bury,  Connecticut,  and  since  1890  has  been 
in  active  practice  at  Glastonbury,  Connecticut. 
He  has  a  successful  general  practice  and  has  gained 
the  confidence  and  esteem  of  his  fellow  townsmen. 
He  has  served  as  health  officer  of  Glastonbury  since 


REED,  William  Benjamin,  Oyster  Planter  and 
Shipper,  and  Ex-Mayor  of  South  Norwalk,  was  born 
in  that  city,  February  27,  1833,  son  of  Benjamin 
Pearce  and  Eliza  (Weed)  Reed.  On  both  sides  he 
is  descended  from  Revolutionary  stock.  His  father, 
a  native  of  New  York  city,  moved  to  South  Norwalk 
when  the  son  was  seven  years  old;  his  mother  was 


WILLIAM    B.    REED. 

a  native  of  New  Canaan,  Connecticut.  William 
Benjamin  Reed  received  only  a  common  school 
education  and  at  the  age  of  eighteen  started  as  an 
oysterman,  which  has  proved  to  be  his  life  work. 
He  has  been  a  most  successful  oyster  planter  and 
shipper  and  has  done  a  large  business  between 
New  York  and  Liverpool.      Mr.  Reed  belongs  to 


mi;n  ()I 


ROC.RF.SS. 


135 


the  Masons,  is  a  member  of  the  Baptist  Ciuirch,  and 
a  member  of  the  Norwalk  Yacht  Chib.  In  pohtics 
he  acts  with  the  Democrats.  He  was  a  member  of 
the  City  Council  in  187S-79,  and  served  as  Mayor 
in  1881-82.  At  present  he  is  one  of  the  Street 
Commissioners  of  the  city.  He  was  married  Febru- 
ary g,  1859,  to  Catherine  E.  Post,  of  Staten  Island, 
New  York.  Five  children  have  been  born  to  them  : 
Irene  M.,  -Ansley  B.,  Benjamin  P.,  Catherine  P. 
and  William  H.  Reed. 


SPENCER,  Richard  Prait,  President  of  the 
Deep  River  National  liank,  was  born  at  Deep 
River,  Connecticut,  February  12,  1820,  second  son 
of  George  and  Julia  (Pratt)  Spencer.  The  name 
Spencer  is  derived  from  the  latin  noun  dispensator, 
or  steward,  the  original  holder  of  the  name  in  Eng- 
land being  Robert  Dispensator  (or  Robert  le  Dis- 
penseur,  according  to  the  French  nomenclature), 
who  was  attached  to  the  household  of  William  the 
Conqueror.  The  present  banker  traces  his  descent 
back  to  Michael  Spencer,  whose  marriage  January 
^S)  i5SS>  is  recorded  in  the  parish  of  Edworth  in 
Bedfordshire,  England.  His  son  Gerard  became 
the  father  of  four  sons,  William,  Thomas,  Michael 
and  Gerard,  all  of  whom  emigrated  to  America  in 
1633-34.  The  youngest  son,  Gerard,  the  ancestor 
of  the  subject  of  the  sketch,  became  a  landowner  at 
Newtown,  Massachusetts,  in  1634,  thence  removing 
to  Lynn,  in  the  same  state,  was  there  granted  in 
1638  a  franchise  for  a  ferry,  also  serving  as  grand 
juror  and  as  Ensign  of  the  militia  company.  He 
removed  to  Hartford  in  1660,  and  in  1662,  accord- 
ing to  the  history  of  Dr.  Field,  became  one  of  the 
twenty-eight  original  proprietors  of  the  town  of 
Haddam,  Connecticut.  He  was  one  of  the  com- 
mittee to  settle  the  boundary  dispute  between  the 
towns  of  Haddam  and  Saybrook,  and  represented 
the  town  of  Haddam  in  the  General  Court,  at  Hart- 
ford, in  1675,  1678,  1679,  1680  and  1683.  From 
this  ancestor  the  line  runs  to  Thomas  Spencer,  his 
son,  who  moved  from  Haddam  to  Saybrook,  and 
was  voted  an  inhabitant  of  that  town  December  8, 
1687.  He  married  Ehzabeth,  youngest  daughter  of 
James  and  Ann  (Withington)  Bates.  Their  young- 
est son,  Caleb,  was  born  January  19,  1695.  The 
latter's  eldest  son  was  Joseph  Spencer,  born  April 
18,  1720,  and  married  in  1743  to  l.ydia,  daughter 
of  Paybody  and  Rutli  (Nettleton)  Grenell.  'i'lieir 
eldest  son  was  also  named  Josejih,  and  was  born 
August  12,  1744.     His  first  wife,  who  died  June  25, 


'777>  "''IS  Eliz<abeth  Clark,  by  whom  he  had  three 
children.  His  second  wife  was  Lucy,  daughter  of 
Benjamin  and  Mary  (Colt)  Post,  to  whom  he  was 
married  July  5,  1780.  Their  youngest  son,  George 
Spencer,  the  father  of  our  subject,  was  born  October 
6,  1787,  and  was  married  September  12,  1813,  to 
Julia,  daughter  of  Comfort  and  Susanna  (Tyley) 
Pratt,  by  whom  he  had  six  children,  of  whom  Rich- 
ard Pratt  Spencer  is  the  second  son.  <  )n  the 
maternal  side  Mr.  Spencer  is  descended  from  Lieu- 
tenant William  Pratt,  who  came  from  Hertfordshire, 
England,  to  Cambridge,  Massachusetts,  in  1633. 
He  thence  removed  to  Hartford  in  1636  as  one  of 


RICHARD    P.    SPENCER. 

the  original  proprietors,  finally  settling  in  Potau- 
paug,  now  Essex,  Connecticut.  He  was  a  member 
of  the  General  Court  at  Hartford  from  1666  to 
1678,  and  was  one  of  the  largest  landowners  of  his 
time.  Deacon  George  Spencer,  Mr.  Spencer's 
respected  father,  was  during  most  of  his  life  prom- 
inently identified  with  the  manufacture  of  ivory 
combs,  as  active  partner  in  the  firm  of  George 
Read  &  Company  of  Deep  River.  He  was  a  man 
of  strong  religious  convictions,  and  great  strength 
of  mind  and  character.  He  died  at  the  age  of 
ninety-one,  retaining  his  mental  vigor  to  the  last. 
^'oung  Spencer's  early  education  was  received  in 
the  district  school  of  his  native  town.     At  the  age 


136 


MEN    OF   PROGRESS. 


of  twelve  he  left  home  to  attend  school  at  the 
academy  at  Madison,  Connecticut.  He  afterwards 
studied  at  lierlin,  Connecticut,  and  completed  his 
schooling  in  the  academy  at  Belchertown,  Massa- 
chusetts. On  leaving  school  at  the  age  of  eighteen 
he  entered  the  employment  of  George  Read  & 
Company,  his  father's  firm,  where  he  continued 
until  his  majority,  when  he  was  admitted  to  partner- 
ship. He  subsequently  withdrew  from  the  firm  and 
in  connection  with  Ulysses  and  Alexis  Pratt  formed 
the  new  firm  of  Pratt,  Spencer  &  Company,  for  the 
manufacture  of  fancy  ivory  turnings  and  later  of 
ivory  piano  keys.  He  disposed  of  his  interest  in 
the  business  in  1850,  and  soon  afterwards  removing 
to  Corning,  New  York,  engaged  in  the  banking 
business.  He  returned  to  Deep  River  in  1866,  and 
was  elected  to  his  present  position  as  President  of 
the  Deep  River  National  Bank.  This  office  he  has 
filled  with  ability  anil  success.  He  has  the  cour- 
teous manner  and  engaging  personality  combined 
with  the  strict  integrity  and  good  judgment  that  are 
the  requisites  of  a  successful  bank  officer.  Mr. 
Spencer  enjoys  the  respect  and  goodwill  of  his 
fellow  citizens,  who  elected  him  to  the  State  Senate 
for  the  term  1882-83.  He  served  in  1882  as  Chair- 
man of  the  Committee  on  Fisheries,  and  in  the 
following  year  as  Chairman  of  the  Committee  on 
Banks.  He  became  identified  with  the  Whig  party 
on  attaining  his  majority  and  since  the  organization 
of  the  Republican  party  in  1857  has  been  a  sturdy 
supporter  of  its  principles,  although  never  active  in 
party  management.  He  is  a  member  of  the  New 
England  Historical  Genealogical  Society  of  Boston, 
and  the  Connecticut  Historical  Society,  but  has 
preferred  the  companionship  of  his  family  to  a 
membership  in  fashionable  clubs  and  societies. 
He  has  been  twice  married.  His  first  wife  was 
Clarissa  Chapman,  daughter  of  George  H.  and 
Lucia  (Tully)  Chapman,  of  Saybrook,  to  whom  he 
was  married  February  12,  1820.  She  died  in 
December  1871,  and  he  was  again  married,  Feb- 
ruary 28,  1877,  to  Julia  A.  Selden,  daughter  of 
Richard  L.  and  Sarah  (Loper)  Selden,  of  Hadlyme, 
Connecticut,  and  a  descendant  of  Colonel  Selden 
of  Revolutionary  fame.  Three  children  have  been 
born  to  them  :  Richard  Selden,  Florence  Elizabeth 
and  George  Selden  Spencer. 


son  of  Solomon  and  Eunice  (Shepard)  Stow. 
On  the  paternal  side,  his  grandparents  were 
Ebenezer  and  Ruth  (Buckley)  Stow,  the  former  the 
son  of  Solomon  and  Margaret  (Belding)  Stow.  On 
the  maternal  side  his  grandparents  were  Samuel  and 
Thankful  (Mallory)  Shepard,  the  first  named  the 
son  of  Samuel  and  Hannah  (Bronson)  Shepard. 
Enos  Ebenezer  Stow  received  such  education  as  the 
grammar  school  and  academy  of  his  native  town 
could  furnish.  After  leaving  the  academy  he  began 
his  business  life  by  an  apprenticeship  in  the  factory 
of  his  father,  who  manufactured  a  tinsmith's  machine 
for  Peck,  Smith  &  Company.     He  thus  made  him- 


STOW,  Ends  Ebenezer,  President  of  the  Peck, 
Stow  &  Wilcox  Company  of  Southington,  Connecti- 
cut,  was   bom    in    Southington,    March    16,    1824, 


ENOS   E.  STOW. 

self  thoroughly  familiar  with  all  branches  of  the 
business,  so  that  in  1849  in  connection  with  his 
brother  Orson  William,  he  was  admitted  to  partner- 
ship with  his  father  under  the  firm  name  of  S.  Stow 
&  Sons,  the  father  acting  as  the  general  supervisor 
of  the  concern.  Orson  William,  a  graduate  of  Yale 
and  possessed  of  great  mechanical  ingenuity,  became 
an  inventor,  while  Enos  the  subject  of  this  sketch, 
acted  as  outside  manager,  and  superintended  all 
contracts  with  employees.  During  his  leisure  hours 
he  busied  himself  with  mechanical  labor  in  connec- 
tion with  the  business.  In  1852  the  firm  was  made 
a  joint-stock  company  with  Enos  E.  Stow  as  one  of 
the  directors.     In   1870,  the  firm  was  consolidated 


mi;n  oI''  i'Kocrkss. 


'37 


with  tlie  Peck,  Smith  Maniilacturing  Company,  of 
Southington,  and  the  Roys  &  Wilcox  Company,  of 
East  Berlin.  I'nder  the  present  firm  style  of  the 
Peck,  Stow  &  Wilcox  Company,  this  combination 
has  proved  a  most  judicious  one,  and  the  firm  is 
now  recognized  everywhere  as 'one  of  the  leaders  of 
the  trade.  It  has  steadily  increased  its  business 
until  its  present  capital  is  one  and  a  half  million 
dollars.  Mr.  Stow  has  been  a  Director  of  the  new 
company  since  its  formation  and  has  served  as  its 
efficient  President  since  1887.  He  is  a  man  of  wide 
business  experience  and  of  superior  capabilities  and 
possesses  the  esteem  of  his  employees  and  the  con- 
fidence of  his  business  associates.  He  has  been 
also  actively  interested  in  many  other  outside 
enterprises.  He  is  a  Director  in  the  Southington 
National  Bank,  and  the  .<Ctna  Nut  Company,  and  is 
President  of  the  Southington  Water  Company.  Mr. 
Stow  has  been  a  supporter  of  the  Plantsville  Congre- 
gational Church  since  its  organization  in  1865,  and 
for  several  years  served  as  its  deacon.  He  is 
actively  interested  in  the  cause  of  temperance  and 
his  support  can  always  be  counted  upon  in  the  aid 
of  all  worthy  objects.  In  politics  Mr.  Stow  was 
originally  an  old  time  Whig,  and  since  the  forma- 
tion of  the  Republican  party  has  acted  uniformly 
with  the  Republicans.  He  has  always  shunned 
office  but  takes  a  deep  interest  in  political  affairs 
and  his  influence  at  primaries  and  elsewhere  has 
always  been  in  favor  of  clean  men  and  management. 
He  was  married  January  11,  1846,  to  Mathilda  D., 
daughter  of  Asahel  Newell,  of  Southington.  She 
died  December  26,  1855,  and  on  October  27,  1857, 
he  was  married  for  the  second  time  to  Mary  A., 
daughter  of  Amon  L.  and  Rosanna  (Hart)  Ames. 
Six  children  were  born  to  him  :  Cornelia  M.,  born 
June  II,  1850,  died  September  24,  185 1  ;  Lilian  M., 
born  July  31,  1853,  died  June  14,  1S54;  Kula  M., 
born  May  16,  1862,  died  March  18,  1864;  Mary 
E.,  born  November  4,  1867,  a  graduate  of  .Mibot 
Academy,  married  Hiram  C.  Roberts,  of  Philatlel- 
phia;  Frederick  E.,  born  October  24,  1870,  gradu- 
ated from  Vale  Scientific  School,  now  a  salesman 
for  the  Peck,  Stow  &  Wilcox  Company ;  and  Bessie 
Sarah  Stow,  born  February  27,  1876. 


STEELE,  Edward  Daniel,  Secretary  and  Treas- 
urer of  the  Waterbury  Brass  Company,  Waterbury, 
was  born  in  Lima,  New  York,  November  20,  1838, 
son  of  Hiram  and  Nancy  (Turner)  Steele.  He 
came  to  Waterbury  in  June  1856,  and  entered  the 


employ  of  the  Waterbury  lirass  Comjiany.  He  has 
held  the  offices  of  Secretary  and  Treasurer  of  that 
Com])any,  as  well  as  the  position  of  Director  in  that 
and  other  corporations  in  Waterbury,  and  Provi- 
dence, Rhode  Island.  He  is  also  a  Director  in  the 
Waterbury  Savings  Bank.  He  is  a  Republican  in 
politics  and  has  served  as  Alderman  and  Councilman, 
and  as  Senator  from  the  Fifth  District  in  the  Con- 
necticut Legislature  of  1897.  He  was  married  .'\])ril 
5,  1864,  to  Sarah  C,  daughter  of  Joseph   P.  Merri- 


E.  D.   STEELE. 

man.  They  have  a  daughter,  Mary  Elizabeth, 
married  in  18S7,  to  Roger  T.  Watkyns,  and  one 
son,  Henry  Merriman  Steele. 


STAPLES,  James,  Banker,  Bridgeport,  was  born 
in  Swanville,  Maine,  January  19,  1824,  son  of  Heze- 
kiah  and  Elizabeth  (Treat)  Staples.  His  ancestry 
is  traced  back  to  Peter  Staples,  who  settled  in  what 
is  now  Kittery,  Maine,  about  1640.  Thomas  Sta- 
ples, Peter's  brother,  the  Kittery  record  states  "  went 
west  into  Connecticut."  His  great-grandfather  was 
Miles  Staples.  The  subject  of  this  sketch  attend- 
ed the  country  district  school  for  about  six  weeks 
each  winter,  until  he  was  fourteen.  He  next 
attended  the  High  School  at  Searsport,  Maine,  for 
three  terms,  and  the  academy  at  Pelfast,  Maine,  for 


•3'^ 


MKN    OF    PROGRESS. 


two  terms,  when  his  health  failing  owing  to  too 
close  application  to  study,  he  was  compelled  to 
relinquish  his  plan  for  a  college  education.  He 
taught  school  winters  from  his  seventeenth  to  his 
twenty-fifth  year,  during  which  period  he  worked 
summers  on  his  father's  farm  at  Swanville,  and  had 


JAMES   STAPLES. 


complete  charge  of  the  farm  during  the  absence  of 
his  father  who  was  a  sea-captain.  During  the  five 
years  immediately  following  this  period  he  taught 
school  continuously,  four  years  at  Belfast  and  one 
year  at  Hyannis,  Massachusetts,  when  he  was  again 
compelled  to  change  his  plans  on  account  of  ill 
health.  In  1854  he  opened  a  lumber  yard  at  Bridge- 
port, Connecticut,  which  prospered  until  the  crash 
of  1857  which  swamped  everything.  Two  years 
later  he  opened  the  first  real  estate  office  in  Bridge- 
port. The  business  was  successful  in  spite  of  proph- 
ecies to  the  contrary,  and  in  1863  he  added  the 
insurance,  and  in  1874  the  banking  business.  He 
was  a  I^emocrat  in  politics  until  the  party  attempted 
to  force  slavery  upon  free  territory.  Since  that 
date  he  has  been  a  RepubHcan.  He  was  a  member 
of  the  School  Board  of  Swanville  in  1848  and  a 
member  of  the  School  Board  of  Bridgeport  from 
1876  to  1884.  Mr.  Staples  was  married  January 
19,  185 1,  to  Harriet  Huse  Shirley,  of  Searsport, 
Maine,  who  died  in  1852.     She  bore  him  one  daugh- 


ter who  died  in  infancy.  He  was  married  for  a 
second  time  on  September  21,  1858,  to  Sarah  Eliza- 
beth Trubee,  of  Bridgeport.  Their  son,  Frank  T. 
Staples,  is  a  member  of  the  firm  of  James  Staples 
&Co. 


SHERWOOD,  Charles,  Attorney-at-Law,  and 
President  of  the  Bridgeport  Hydraulic  Company, 
Bridgeport,  was  born  in  Easton,  Connecticut,  Feb- 
ruary 4,  1848,  son  of  David  Walker  and  Laura 
(Nichols)  Sherwood,  and  is  a  lineal  descendant  of 
Matthew  Sherwood  who  settled  in  Stratfield,  a  part 
of  Fairfield,  Connecticut.  Young  Sherwood  pre- 
pared for  college  with  the  Reverend  Guy  B.  Day,  of 
Bridgeport,  at  the  Golden  Hill  Institute.  He  was 
graduated  from  Yale  College  in  1872  and  two  years 
later  from  the  Columbia  Law  School.  He  was 
admitted  to  the  New  York  Bar  in  1874  and  to  the 
Fairfield  County  Bar  in   the  year  following.     Mr. 


CHAS.   SHERWOOD. 

Sherwood  has  lived  in  Bridgeport  ever  since  his 
admission  to  the  Bar  and  has  attained  not  only  pro- 
fessional success  but  the  esteem  of  his  fellow  citi- 
zens. He  was  a  member  of  the  Common  Council 
of  Bridgeport  in  1879-80,  and  of  the  Board  of 
Aldermen  in  1881.  In  1883  he  served  as  City 
Attorney  in  civil  business.     Since  1881  he  has  been 


MKN    OK    I'ROCRKSS. 


•39 


Director  and  Secretary  of  tlie  Bridgejiort  Public 
Library  and  Reading  Room.  Outside  of  the  duties 
of  his  profession  Mr.  Sherwood  is  interested  in  tlie 
Bridgeport  Hydraulic  Company,  of  wliich  he  has 
been  President  since  June  1889.  This  company  is 
a  private  corporation  supplying  ]5ridgeport  and 
vicinity  with  water.  He  is  Secretary  of  the  Bridge- 
port (1'  Port  Jefferson  Steamboat  Company,  a 
director  of  the  Bridgeport  Ice  Company  and  of  the 
Standard  Association  of  Bridgeport.  He  is  an 
active  member  and  Vice-President  of  the  Brook- 
lawn  Country  Club,  and  is  also  a  member  of  the 
Bridgeport  Yacht  Club.  Mr.  Sherwood  was  married 
January  12,  1881,  to  Emma  C.  Patterson.  They 
have  one  son  :  Charles  Sherwood,  Jr.,  born  May  3, 


TRh;.A.T,  Erastus  Buck,  Publisher,  New  York> 
was  born  in  Glastonbury,  Connecticut,  April  10, 
1838,  son  of  Edwin  Stratton  and  Nancy  (Buck) 
Treat.  Both  of  his  parents  were  natives  of  Glaston- 
bury. He  is  a  lineal  descendant  in  the  ninth  gen- 
eration of  Richard  Treat,  the  founder  of  the  family 
in  this  country,  who  came  from  Taunton,  England, 
in  1635,  and  settled  at  Watertown,  Massachusetts. 
His  son,  Robert  Treat,  was  for  forty  years  Deputv- 
Governor  and  Governor  of  the  Colony  of  Connecti- 
cut, and  was  buried  at  Milford,  Connecticut,  where 
his  tombstone  bears  the  record  :  "  He  exchanged 
this  life  for  a  better,  July  10,  1710."  E.  B.  Treat 
through  Richard  Treat  is  a  descendant  of  Lieuten- 
ant Thomas  Treat,  a  soldier  in  the  numerous  Indian 
wars,  and  a  besieger  at  the  Battle  of  Louisburg  in 
Queen  Anne's  War.  By  intermarriage  he  claims 
descent  from  Reverend  Charles  Chauncey,  second 
President  of  Harvard  College  ;  from  Reverend  Ger- 
shom  Bulkley,  who  was  Ensign  in  King  Philip's 
War;  also  from  the  Gardiners  of  Gardiner's  Island, 
and  other  families  whose  names  are  prominent  in 
the  colonial  history  of  Connecticut.  Richard  Treat 
removed  from  Watertown,  Massachusetts,  to  Weth- 
ersfield,  Connecticut,  in  1637.  The  town  was  sub- 
sequently divided  and  the  portion  east  of  the  Con- 
necticut River  was  named  Glastonbury  from  Glas- 
tonbury, England.  His  daughter,  Mary,  married 
Robert  Payne  of  Boston,  and  their  son,  Robert 
Treat  Payne,  was  the  famous  Revolutionary  patriot 
and  signer  of  the  Declaration  of  Independence. 
The  subject  of  this  sketch  received  his  early  educa- 
tion in  the  public  schools  and  High  School  of  his 
native  town,  supplementing  this  with  an  attendance 
for  a  portion  of  two  years  at  Wilbraham  Academy, 


Massachu-setts.  Returning  to  Glastonbury  he  taught 
in  the  i)ublic  schools  for  three  winters,  the  first 
term  on  a  salary  of  si.xteen  dollars  per  month  and 
"  board  around."  During  the  intervals  of  his  aca- 
demic studies  and  teaching  he  was  engaged  partly  in 
farm  work  and  partly  as  representative  of  publish- 
ing and  bookselling  firms.  In  this  latter  capacity 
he  represented  L.  Stebbins,  of  Hartford,  and  G.  & 
F.  Bill,  of  Springfield,  Massachusetts.  In  April 
1862  he  removed  to  Chicago,  and  with  his  brother 
formed  the  firm  of  I'^.  B.  cv  R.  C.  Treat,  represent- 
ing the  American  Publishing  Company  of  Hartford, 
as  their  general  managers  for  the  Northwest.     'I'hree 


E.    B.   TREAT. 

years  later  he  removed  to  New  York  city  and 
formed  a  co-partnership  with  Charles  Scribner  and 
A.  C.  Armstrong,  under  the  firm  name  of  E.  B. 
Treat  &  Company.  The  firm  handled  the  subscrip- 
tion book  department  of  Charles  Scribner  &  Com- 
pany, and  the  partnership  was  continued  until 
August  I,  187 1,  when  it  expired  by  limitation. 
During  this  period  many  famous  and  phenomenally 
successful  books  were  issued.  Among  the  number 
may  be  noted:  J.  T.  Headley's  "Histories  and 
Biographies  of  the  Civil  War  "  ;  "  The  Lost  Cause,  " 
a  Southern  history  of  the  War,  by  E.  A.  Pollard ; 
"Our  Home  Physician,"  by  Dr.  G.  M.  Beard  and 
others ;    and    two    agricultural    works    by   Colonel 


I40 


MEN   OF   PROGRESS. 


George  E.  Waring.  On  the  expiration  of  the  part- 
nership K.  B.  Treat  succeeded  to  the  business  of 
the  firm.  He  has  gradually  made  the  publishing  of 
medical  works  a  specialty  in  which  line  the  firm  has 
achieved  great  success  and  is  widely  and  favorably 
known  in  the  trade.  On  May  i,  1897,  the  firm  of 
E.  B.  Treat  &  Company  was  again  organized,  Mr. 
Treat's  two  elder  sons,  William  H.  and  Edwin  C. 
Treat,  graduates  of  Wesleyan,  being  admitted  to 
partnership.  Among  the  firm's  prominent  publica- 
tions are  the  following  :  "  Photographic  Illustrations 
of  Skin  Diseases,"  by  Dr.  George  Henry  Fox,  of 
New  York,  in  two  volumes ;  the  work  was  published 
in  French  and  German  at  Paris  and  Leipsic,  respec- 
tively, and  is  regarded  as  of  high  scientific  value ; 
"  Treat's  Medical  Classics,"  in  thirty-six  volumes ; 
this  series  includes  many  popular  treatises  on  sur- 
gery and  medicine,  among  them  the  "  International 
Medical  Annual,"  a  dictionary  of  medical  progress 
now  in  its  fifteenth  year,  and  "  Hamilton's  System 
of  Legal  Medicine,"  in  two  volumes,  a  recently 
issued  manual,  generally  regarded  as  an  authority 
both  in  the  legal  and  medical  profession.  In  1883, 
Mr.  Treat  began  the  publication  of  the  magazine, 
The  Pulpit  Treasury.  The  name  has  since  been 
changed  to  the  Treasury  of  Religious  and  Current 
Thought,  and  the  magazine  enlarged  and  embel- 
lished with  engravings  specially  illustrating  Applied 
or  Practical  Christianity.  The  magazine  occupies  a 
special  field  and  acts  as  well  as  a  medium  of  adver- 
tising the  theological  and  religious  works  which 
have  been  added  to  the  general  catalogue  of  the 
firm.  The  jiublications  of  the  firm  have  a  distinct 
scientific  or  moral  purpose,  and  the  public  is  to  be 
congratulated  on  the  existence  of  this  business 
house  whose  success  is  not  dependent  upon  the 
ephemeral  literature  and  passing  fads  of  the  day. 
Mr.  Treat  is  an  earnest  member  of  the  Methodist 
Church.  He  was  one  of  the  founders  of  the  Wash- 
ington Heights  Methodist  Episcopal  Church  of 
New  York  city,  is  a  Trustee  and  President  of  its 
Board  of  Stewards,  and  for  twenty-one  years  has 
been  Superintendent  of  its  Sunday  School.  In  pol- 
itics he  is  a  Democrat,  though  never  an  active  par- 
tisan. In  1892  he  was  one  of  the  founders  of  the 
Washington  Heights  Democratic  Club,  and  in  1894 
became  one  of  the  charter  members  of  the  Good 
Government  Club.  He  has  long  been  a  member  of 
the  American  Association  for  the  Advancement  of 
Science,  and  is  a  life  member  of  the  New  York 
Historical  Society,  the  New  England  .Society,  and  a 
member  of  the  Sons  of  the  Revolution.     He  takes 


an  active  interest  in  all  benevolent  movements,  and 
is  Chairman  of  the  Executive  Committee  of  the 
Washington  Heights  branch  of  the  Young  Men's 
Christian  Association,  Trustee  of  the  Washington 
Heights  Free  Library,  member  of  the  Tract  Society 
of  the  Methodist  Episcopal  Church,  member  of  the 
New  York  City  Church  Extension  and  Missionary 
Society,  and  Treasurer  of  the  Washington  Heights 
Tax  Payers'  Association.  He  was  married  in  1863, 
to  Rhoda  Ann,  daughter  of  James  Goslee,  of  Glas- 
tonbury. Their  five  surviving  children  are  :  Wil- 
liam H.,  Edwin  C,  Payson  J-,  Flora  D.  and  Mary 
S.  Treat. 


WILLIAMS,  Fredertc  M.,  .'Vttorney-at  Law,  New 
Milford,    was    born     in   Washington,    Connecticut, 


FREDERIC   M.   WILLIAMS. 

November  27,  1862,  son  of  Stanley  and  Esther  C. 
(Meeker)  Williams.  His  great-grandfather  was 
Jabez  Williams,  who  served  as  a  soldier  throughout 
the  entire  Revolutionary  \^'ar.  Young  Williams 
attended  Llpson  Seminary  at  New  Preston,  Con- 
necticut, and  then  took  a  course  at  the  Yale  Law 
School  where  he  received  a  degree  of  LL.B.  in  1887. 
In  June  of  the  same  year  he  was  admitted  to  the 
Bar  at  New  Haven.  He  had  previously  spent  a 
year  in  the  office  of  Judge  Simeon  E.  Baldwin,  of 
New  Haven.      In    September  1887   he  opened  an 


Mi:N    ol'    I'ROCRKSS. 


1. 1 1 


office  at  Litchfield,  but  in  January  of  the  following 
year  removed  to  New  iMilford  where  he  has  since 
remained  in  the  active  practice  of  his  profession. 
He  is  a  member  of  St.  Peter's  Lodge  Free  and 
Accepted  Masons,  and  while  at  Yale  was  President 
of  the  Kent  Debating  Club.  In  politics  he  has 
always  been  actively  identifietl  with  the  Republican 
party.  He  was  married  at  Gaylordsville,  Connecti- 
cut, October  28,  189 1,  to  Isabella  A.  Gaylord. 


WHEELER,  Arthur  Caniield,  Manufacturer, 
and  Mayor  of  Norwalk,  was  born  in  that  city, 
August  26,  1856,  son  of  Charles  II.  and  Anna  Eliza 


ARTHUR  C.  WHEELER. 

(Canfield)  Wheeler.  His  record  is  the  history  of 
a  capable,  hardworking  man  of  affairs,  whose  indus- 
try and  intelligence  have  won  for  him  business 
success,  and  the  respect  of  his  fellow  citizens.  His 
education  was  confined  to  the  public  schools  of  his 
native  city.  .-M  an  early  age  he  entered  the  employ 
of  John  P.  Peatty  &  lirothers,  Norwalk,  as  office 
boy.  He  remained  with  this  firm  eighteen  years, 
having  been  steadily  promoted  until  he  filled  the 
position  of  confidential  clerk.  On  September  15, 
1888,  on  the  dissolution  of  the  old  firm  he  started 
in  business  for  himself,  and  has  ever  since  success- 
fully conducted  the  business.     He  maniifactures  a 


fine  grade  of  men's,  boys',  and  children's  straw  hats. 
Mr.  Wheeler  is  deeply  interested  in  many  outside 
matters,  yet  attends  strictly  to  his  private  business, 
ami  can  be  found  at  his  office  in  the  factory  early 
and  late.  In  ])olitics  he  is  a  Republican.  He 
served  as  Councilman  of  Norwalk  in  1888,  1894  and 
1895,  and  was  Mayor  of  the  city  in  1896  and  1897. 
He  was  a  member  of  the  District  Committee  of  the 
Over  River  School  from  1889  to  1895,  is  a  Director 
in  the  Fairfield  County  Savings  Bank,  and  Secretary 
of  the  Benjamin  Isaac  Masonic  and  Benevolent 
Association.  Mayor  Wheeler  is  an  earnest  believer 
in  the  principles  of  the  Masonic  order,  is  Past 
Master  of  St.  John's  Lodge  No.  6,  Eminent  Com- 
mander of  Clinton  Commandery,  Knights  'I'emplar, 
and  (irand  Junior  Deacon  of  the  Cirand  Lodge  of 
Masons  of  Connecticut.  He  is  also  an  Odd  Fellow, 
having  served  as  Past  Grand  of  Our  Brothers  Lodge 
of  Odd  Fellows,  Past  Chief  Patriarch  of  Kaboosa 
Encampment,  and  Grand  Patriarch  of  the  Grand 
Encampment  of  Connecticut.  He  also  belongs  to 
the  Pyramid  Temple,  Mystic  Shrine,  and  the  Nor- 
walk Club.  He  is  not,  however,  the  typical  club 
man,  but  enjoys  most  the  delights  of  his  own  home 
circle.  He  was  married  June  23,  1880,  to  Susie 
Cousins.  Two  children  have  been  born  to  them  : 
Ernest  Cousins  and  Harold  Arthur  Wlieeler. 


WOODBURY,    Eri    Davidson,  Principal  of  the 

Cheshire  Academy,  Cheshire,  Connecticut,  was  born 
in  Francestown,  New  Hampshire,  May  30,  1837, 
the  son  of  Henry  and  Hannah  (Davidson)  Wood- 
bury. He  is  a  descendant  of  John  and  William 
Woodbury  who  came  from  England  in  1628  and 
settled  at  Beverly,  Massachusetts.  John,  the  pio- 
neer, is  referred  to  in  the  Colonial  records  as 
"  Brother  Woodbry  "  and  "  Father  Woodbry  "  and 
was  a  man  of  estimable  qualities,  who  died  full  of 
honors  in  1641.  Humphrey,  his  son,  left  on  his 
death  forty  years  later  a  large  family  of  children. 
One  son  fell  with  the  "  Flower  of  Essex  "  at  Bloody 
Brook  in  1675,  another  died  in  1690  oil  his  return 
from  Philip's  crusade  against  (Quebec  ;  while  another, 
Peter  Woodbury,  was  the  Deacon  Peter  and  Ser- 
geant Peter  of  the  town  and  parish  records.  From 
this  time  onward  in  the  words  of  the  historian  of 
the  family,  "  few  enterprises  of  great  pith  and 
moment  were  set  on  foot  in  the  Colony  except  a 
\Voodbury  was  of  a  party."  Two  Beverly  Wood- 
burys  piloted  the  little  fleet  to  the  capture  of  St. 
John's  and   Port   Royal   in   the  expedition  of   1654, 


142 


MEN    OF    PROCJRF.SS. 


and  a  full  century  later  a  Beverly  Woodbury  stood 
by  the  side  of  Wolfe  as  he  fell  in  the  victory  on  the 
Plains  of  Abraiiam  and  wore  the  sword  which  is  still 
an  heirloom  with  his  descendants.  The  man  who 
lost  a  thumb  while  at  the  wheel  of  the  Frigate 
Constitution  during  the  first  action  of  the  War  of 
1812  in  which  she  captured  and  destroyed  H.  B.  M. 
Frigate  Guerriere  was  a  Beverly  Woodbury.  This 
list  of  Woodbury  heroes  might  be  lengthened  by  a 
notable  number  of  soldiers  in  the  Civil  War,  among 
which  the  subject  of  this  sketch  has  his  honored 
place.  Hon.  Levi  Woodbury  of  New  Hampshire, 
President  Jackson's    Secretary   of   the    Navy,  and 


E.  D.   WOODBURY. 

General  Roger  W.  Woodbury,  several  years  Presi- 
dent of  the  Chamber  of  Commerce,  Denver,  also 
belong  to  the  family.  Eri  Davidson  Woodbury, 
the  present  Principal  of  the  Episcopal  Academy  of 
Connecticut  at  Cheshire,  received  his  early  educa- 
tion in  the  public  schools  of  Manchester,  New 
Hampshire,  and  was  prepared  for  college  at  New 
Hampton  in  the  same  state.  He  graduated  from 
Dartmouth  College  in  the  class  of  1863.  Before 
graduation  he  had  taught  school  for  the  winters  in 
the  public  schools  of  New  Hampshire  and  Massa- 
chusetts and  for  a  short  time  in  Vermont.  Although 
the  young  man  had  thus  early  chosen  as  his  life 
work  the  quiet  life  of  a  teacher,  nevertheless  soon 


after  graduation,  impelled  by  the  same  patriotic 
feelings  that  had  animated  his  Revolutionary  ances- 
tors, he  rushed  to  his  country's  defence  and  enlisted 
as  a  private  in  Company  E,  First  Vermont  Cavalry. 
He  participated  in  every  action  of  the  Cavalry  Corps 
under  Sheridan  from  tliat  time  until  the  close  of  the 
war.  In  the  Battle  of  the  Wilderness  his  horse  was 
shot  under  him.  He  was  promoted  from  private  to 
Fifth  Sergeant  July  i,  1864,  and  made  Acting  First 
Sergeant,  and  in  August  his  division,  the  Third 
Cavalry,  was  sent  with  Sheridan  into  the  Shenandoah 
Valley.  In  all  the  engagements  of  that  campaign 
the  First  Vermont  was  conspicuous.  On  October 
19,  1864,  in  the  Battle  of  Cedar  Creek,  to  which 
Sheridan  made  his  famous  twenty-mile  ride,  Ser- 
geant Woodbury  was  in  command  of  his  company 
and  General  George  A.  Custer  commander  of  the 
division.  In  the  fight  Woodbury  captured  the 
battle  flag  of  the  Twelfth  North  Carolina  Infantry 
and  two  days  later  with  others  who  had  taken  flags 
was  sent  to  Washington  with  General  Custer  to  turn 
over  to  the  War  Department  the  captured  colors. 
For  this  exploit  he  received  twenty  days  furlough, 
a  bronze  medal  from  Congress,  and  from  Governor 
Smith,  of  Vermont,  a  commission  as  Second  Lieu- 
tenant. He  was  at  once  transferred  to  the  command 
of  Company  ]',,  and  soon  afterwards,  while  still  in 
command,  was  placed  in  the  Adjutant's  office  as 
Acting  Adjutant.  Though  urged  to  accept  an 
adjutant's  commission  he  preferred  to  remain  with 
his  company.  In  March  1865  he  was  promoted 
First  Lieutenant  and  shortly  afterwards  Captain  by 
brevet  "  for  gallant  and  meritorious  service  in  the 
field."  Two  horses  were  shot  under  him  while  on 
a  charge  with  his  regiment  in  the  Battle  of  F'ive 
Forks.  He  was  there  made  a  prisoner  but  succeeded 
in  making  his  escape  before  his  captors  took  him 
from  the  field.  In  the  battle  of  Appomattox 
Station,  Virginia,  one  day  before  Lee's  surrender, 
in  a  charge  led  by  the  gallant  Custer,  Captain 
Woodbury  was  struck  by  a  fragment  from  a  shell 
which  knocked  him  from  his  horse,  passed  through 
his  left  arm  near  the  shoulder,  across  the  breast, 
cutting  open  jacket  and  shirt  without  scratching 
the  skin,  then  took  off  half  of  the  right  hand.  Cap- 
tain Woodbury  was  mustered  out  with  his  regiment 
June  21,  1865.  At  the  close  of  the  war,  bearing 
with  him  a  hero's  scars  of  battle,  he  again  took  up 
the  teacher's  occupation,  and  went  to  Cheshire  as  a 
classical  teacher.  Five  years  later  he  became  Head 
Master.  In  1874  he  removed  to  Denver,  Colorado, 
but   two   years    later   returned  to  the  Academy  as 


MKN    OF    I'ROC.RKSS. 


143 


\'ice-Principal.  In  1S92  he  went  to  Florida  to  give 
personal  attention  to  fruit-growing  in  which  he  had 
been  engaged  for  ten  years.  Hut  alter  a  year  and  a 
half's  absence  he  was  induced  by  the  trustees  to 
return  and  resume  his  place  as  Vice-Principal,  and  in 
June  i.S96iie  was  elected  I'rincipal.  So  that  with 
two  short  breaks  he  lias  occupied  various  positions  in 
the  same  institution  for  thirty-three  years.  The 
academy,  known  as  the  l^piscopal  Academy  of  Con- 
necticut, is  one  of  the  most  famous  in  New  Kngland. 
It  was  founded  by  IJishop  Seabury  in  1794  and  has 
educated  many  of  Connecticut's  distinguished  sons. 
Mr.  Woodbury's  long  service  has  left  a  distinct 
impress  for  good  tijion  the  school.  He  has  long 
been  its  classical  teacher,  is  a  master  of  discipline, 
yet  with  the  ])ower  to  inspire  the  affectionate  regard 
of  his  pupils.  In  politics  Mr.  Woodbury  is  an 
ardent  Republican.  In  college  he  was  a  member 
tlie  Delta  Kappa  Kpsilon  fraternity  and  of  the  Phi 
lieta  Kappa.  He  was  married  July  8,  1873,  to  Ann 
Augusta  Jarvis,  of  Cheshire,  who  died  April  12, 
1877,  leaving  two  children  :  Roger  Atwater,  born  in 
Denver,  Colorado,  January  10,  1875,  and  Sanford 
Jarvis  Woodbury,  l)orn  in  the  same  city,  August 
30,  1S76. 


WOODWARD,  Henry,  Druggist  and  Past  Grand 
Commander  of  the  Grand  Commandery  of  Con- 
necticut Knights  Templar,  Middletown,  was  born  in 
Middletown,  Connecticut,  June  26,  1838,  youngest 
son  of  Dr.  Charles  and  Ellen  M.  (Pratt)  Wood- 
ward. He  is  a  descendant  of  Dr.  Henry  Woodward, 
one  of  the  first  settlers  of  Northampton,  Massachu- 
setts. On  his  mother's  side  he  traces  his  ancestry 
back  to  Captain  John  Pratt,  of  the  Revolutionary 
Army  under  General  Wayne.  His  father,  Dr.  Charles 
Woodward,  enjoyed  for  many  years  an  extensive 
practice  in  Middletown.  The  son  was  educated  in 
the  public  schools  of  his  native  city  and  in  the 
Chase  Academy.  He  entered  Wesleyan  University 
with  the  class  of  1S59,  but  before  the  completion  of 
his  first  year  he  left  college  and  began  preparation 
for  business,  the  curriculum  not  providing  for  such 
studies  as  he  desired  to  pursue.  In  1861  he  entered 
the  drug  business,  which  he  has  successfully  con- 
tinued until  the  present  time.  He  has  been  for 
many  years  a  Director  of  the  Middletown  National 
Bank  and  the  Middletown  Savings  Bank.  Since 
1870  he  has  been  Trustee  of  the  Hospital  for  Insane 
of  which  Board  he  is  one  of  the  most  active  mem- 
bers.    He  is  a  member  of  the  Sons  of  the  American 


Revolution,  the  Reform  Club  of  New  York,  and  is 
an  enthusiastic  yachtsman.  But  it  is  as  a  Knight 
Templar  that  Mr.  Woodward  is  best  known,  and 
few  members  of  tlie  order  are  held  in  higher  esteem, 
lie  joined  the  Free  Masons  July  15,  1859,  soon 
after  reaching  the  lawful  age,  and  became  a  member 
of  St.  John's  Lodge  No.  2  of  Middletown.  On 
November  29  of  the  same  year  he  was  exalted  in 
Washington  Chai)ler  No.  6,  Royal  .Arch  Masons, 
and  March  12,  i860,  he  became  a  member  of 
Columbia  Council  No.  7,  Royal  and  Select  Masters. 
He  was  Knighted  in  Washington  Commandery 
No.  I,  Knights  Templar  of  Hartford,  December  18, 


HENRY    WOODWARD. 

1867,  and  later  became  a  charter  member  of  Cyrene 
Commandery  No.  8,  when  it  was  instituted  at 
Middletown.  In  Scottish  Kite  Masonry  he  has 
been  equally  proficient.  He  joined,  February  9, 
1870,  Charter  Oak  Lodge  of  Perfection,  and  March 
19,  1 89 1,  Hartford  Council,  Princes  of  Jerusalem, 
March  31,  1891,  Cyrus  Goodell  Chapter  Rose 
Croix,  and  April  9,  1891,  Connecticut  Sovereign 
Consistory,  of  Norwich.  On  September  18,  1894, 
he  was  made  Sovereign  Grand  Inspector  General  of 
the  Thirty-third  and  last  degree  of  the  Scottish  Rite. 
In  addition  to  these  he  was  admitted  to  the  Royal 
Order  of  Scotland  at  tlie  same  place  September  17, 
1894      He  has  been  Worshipful  Master  of  St.  John's 


144 


MEN   OF  PROGRESS. 


Lodge,  Thrice  Illustrious  Master  of  Columbia  Coun- 
cil, Eminent  Commander  of  Cyrene  Commandery 
(five  terms)  and  Grand  Commander  of  Connecti- 
cut. He  has  also  been  President  of  the  Con- 
necticut Association  of  Past  Grand  Commanders. 
At  the  Triennial  of  the  Grand  Encampment  of  the 
United  States  held  at  Denver  in  1892,  he  was  a 
member  of  the  Ritual  Committee  from  this  Grand 
Jurisdiction.  These  varied  offices  emphasize  the 
confidence  with  which  his  fellow  members  hold 
him,  and  the  conscientious  zeal  with  which  he  has 
carried  out  the  teachings  of  Templar  Masonry. 
Outside  the  circle  of  those  with  whom  he  is  con- 
nected by  family  ties  —  he  is  not  married  —  there 
is  no  dearer  object  on  earth  than  his  Commandery, 
the  length  and  breadth  of  which  attachment  has 
been  repeatedly  manifested  by  his  faithful  and 
regular  attendance  upon  its  conclaves  and  his 
unwearied  zeal  in  its  welfare.  During  the  times  of 
adversity  which  have  come  upon  Cyrene  Command- 
ery he  has  been  its  mainstay,  and  whatever  of 
success  has  come  to  it  is  due,  in  great  measure,  to 
his  efforts  and  enthusiastic  encouragement.  He 
has  been  adverse  to  occupying  political  office, 
although  he  has  served  as  Alderman  in  the  City 
Government.  In  the  early  days  of  the  attempts  of 
the  Legislature  to  regulate  the  fisheries  of  the  state 
he  was  for  several  terms  Fish  Commissioner.  By 
his  absolute  fearlessness  and  unswerving  determina- 
tion to  do  his  duty  he  accomplished  much  in  bringing 
the  turbulent  fishermen  into  subjection  to  the  laws 
made  for  their  protection. 


GOODS  ELL,  Zalmon,  President  of  the  Bridge- 
port Board  of  Trade,  is  a  member  of  an  old  English 
family,  which  for  many  years  has  been  prominent  in 
affairs  both  civic  and  military.  Back  as  far  as  the 
thirteenth  century  can  the  ancestry  of  the  Goodsell 
family  be  traced,  and  the  most  remote  ancestor  was 
a  public  man,  while  all  down  the  long  line  are  to  be 
found  the  names  of  those  who  were  in  the  forefront, 
in  battle  and  in  the  deliberations  of  peaceful 
councils.  Mr.  Goodsell  himself  has  been  for  many 
years  active  in  the  industrial  and  social  life  of 
Bridgeport.  In  the  thirteenth  century  John  Curtis, 
Gentleman,  was  a  resident  of  Matestack,  County  of 
Warwick,  England,  and  from  him  is  the  descent  of 
the  Goodsell  family  of  this  city  traced.  Pilgrim 
John  Curtis,  his  descendant,  was  one  of  the  eadiest 
of  the  Puritans  to  leave  the  mother  country  for  the 
New  World,  and  he  sailed  from  London  on  Septem- 


ber 16,  1632,  in  the  ship  Lyon,  arriving  later  in  New 
England.  From  him  was  descended  Epaphras 
Goodsell,  who  was  one  of  the  soldiers  of  the  nation 
in  the  War  of  the  Revolution,  and  took  an  active 
part  in  the  struggle  which  secured  for  the  colonists 
their  independence.  Epaphras  Goodsell  was  born 
in  1742,  and  was  descended  on  his  mother's  side 
from  Governor  Thomas  Wells,  one  of  the  leading 
men  of  the  Hartford  colony.  He  enlisted  in  May 
1776  in  Captain  Dimon's  company  of  Fairfield, 
being  promoted  later  to  Sergeant.  In  this  company 
were  also  his  three  brothers.  Sergeant  Goodsell 
re-enlisted  January    i,    1777,    with    Captain   John 


ZALMON   GOODSELL. 

Mills'  Company  in  the  Second  Regiment,  Connecti- 
cut line,  commanded  by  Colonel  Charles  Webb. 
This  regiment  was  present  at  the  Battle  of  Mon- 
mouth, where  Sergeant  Goodsell  earned  for  himself 
the  commendation  of  his  officers.  The  regiment 
wintered  at  Valley  Forge  with  Washington's  troops, 
and  bore  uncomplainingly  the  sufferings  and  hard- 
ships of  that  terrible  winter,  celebrated  so  fittingly  by 
all  historians.  Epaphras  was  the  son  of  the  Rever- 
end John  Goodsell,  who  graduated  from  Yale  Col- 
lege in  1724.  The  Reverend  John  Goodsell  was  the 
youngest  son  of  Thomas  Goodsell,  first  of  the  name 
in  this  country,  who  paid  the  largest  tax  in  the  com- 
munity  of    Branford,   where    he    made    his    home. 


MEN    OV    PROGRESS. 


H5 


John  was  horn  in  East  Haven,  a  parish  of  New 
Haven,  December  21,  1706.  His  mother,  Sarah 
Hemingway,  was  an  elder  sister  of  Jacob  Heming- 
way, who  grachiated  from  \'ale  in  i  704,  the  earliest 
student  of  the  college,  and  was  the  earliest  minister 
of  East  Haven.  John  Goodsell  studied  theology 
and  was  ordained  May  iS,  1726,  pastor  of  the 
church  in  the  northwest  ])arish  of  Fairfield,  Con- 
necticut, later  known  as  Greenfield.  He  continued 
here  for  thirty  years  and  died  December  26,  1763. 
He  married  July  20,  1725,  Afary,  daughter  of  Cap- 
tain James  Lewis  of  Stratford,  Connecticut.  'J'hey 
had  many  children.  Reverend  John  Goodsell 
organized  the  Greenfield  Hill  parish,  and  during  the 
past  year  memorial  windows  have  been  donated  to 
the  parish  by  one  of  his  descendants.  Zalmon  Good- 
sell,  grandfather  of  the  subject  of  this  sketch,  was  a 
son  of  Epaphras  Goodsell,  and  his  son  was  Epaphras 
B.  Goodsell.  The  latter  was  for  eight  years  (1853- 
61)  Postmaster  of  Bridgeport  and  served  as  Mayor 
in  1871-72-73.  Epaphras  Goodsell  removed  to 
Bridgeport  soon  after  the  birth  of  Zalmon,  which 
took  place  at  South  Kent,  March  19,  1845.  His 
wife  was  a  member  of  the  Butts  family  of  pioneers 
and  a  descendant  of  the  old  Elliott  family,  who  were 
among  the  earliest  settlers  of  this  country.  To  her 
careful  training  is  to  be  ascribed  much  of  the  suc- 
cess which  has  since  attended  Zalmon's  efforts  in 
life.  He  was  named  after  his  grandfather,  being 
his  favorite  grandchild,  and  spent  many  years  of 
his  boyhood  at  the  old  home  in  Brookfield.  Zal- 
mon's first  schooling  was  here,  where  he  attended 
the  little  red  district  school.  Afterward  he  returned 
to  Bridgeport  and  went  to  the  High  School,  Mr. 
Strong  then  being  principal,  and  later  finished  his 
education  at  the  school  of  the  Rev.  Mr.  Noble  at 
Brookfield.  His  father's  desire  was  that  he  should 
study  for  the  ministry,  but  Zalmon  had  a  desire  for 
business  life,  and  when  his  studies  were  completed, 
he  returned  to  Bridgeport  and  entered  the  grocery 
store  of  Andrew  Nash  as  a  clerk.  Next  he  took 
charge  of  the  news-stand  at  the  railroad  station, 
and  while  there  he  served  with  papers  such  men  as 
the  Hon.  Nathaniel  Wheeler  and  Hon.  William  D. 
Bishop,  both  of  whom  befriended  him  in  his  early 
business  career.  Through  Mr.  Wheeler  he  became 
an  assistant  to  Frederick  Hurd  at  the  factory  of  the 
Wheeler  &  Wilson  Company,  but  he  saw  a  business 
opening  with  the  late  Wheeler  Beers  and  entered 
into  business  with  him,  at  the  end  of  a  year  pur- 
chasing the  business  through  the  assistance  of  Wil- 
liam   D.  Bishop.     In  later   years  the  firm  became 


the  Bradbury,  Goodsell  &  Wilmot  Company.  In 
1S75  Mr.  Goodsell  withdrew  and  engaged  in  busi- 
ness independently.  He  first  located  ujjon  Fair- 
field avenue,  from  there  removing  to  Main  street 
and  later  to  his  present  spacious  quarters  on  Water 
street.  In  addition  to  his  regular  business  of  steam- 
heating  and  plumbing,  he  has  built  up  a  large  fire- 
insurance  and  real-estate  business,  and  has  always 
been  active  in  city  matters.  He  has  also  been 
interested  in  a  number  of  manufacturing  concerns 
which  have  located  in  J5ridgei)ort,  and  has  always 
made  his  way  in  the  world  by  his  own  industry. 
Politically,  Mr.  CJoodsell  has  always  been  an  ardent 
Democrat,  and  was  appointed  by  Mayor  R.  E. 
DeForest,  a  member  of  the  Board  of  Public  Works, 
where  he  served  for  four  years  and  then  resigned. 
In  1892  he  was  unanimously  nominated  for  Mayor 
by  his  party,  but  with  all  others  u]ion  the  ticket, 
suffered  defeat.  In  1894  he  was  unanimously  nom- 
inated for  Senator,  but  was  defeated  in  common 
with  all  his  colleagues.  It  was  in  the  same  year 
that  he  was  prominently  mentioned  throughout  the 
whole  state  as  a  possible  candidate  for  Governor. 
His  name  was  most  favorably  received  and  greeted 
with  praise  by  the  press  everywhere.  In  1896,  in 
company  with  many  other  good  Democrats,  he 
felt  constrained  to  abandon  the  party  which  had 
pledged  itself  to  the  free  coinage  of  silver,  and 
became  a  member  of  the  National  Democratic 
party,  being  one  of  the  delegates  from  Connecticut 
to  the  Indianapolis  convention.  If  Mr.  Goodsell 
possesses  any  hobby,  it  is  the  Bridgeport  Board  of 
Trade,  with  which  he  has  been  connected  ever  since 
it  was  organized,  twenty-three  years  ago.  From  that 
time  up  to  the  present  he  has  been  one  of  its  most 
earnest  workers,  serving  upon  all  the  important  com- 
mittees, being  a  constant  member  of  the  Executive 
Committee.  In  1893  he  was  chosen  President,  and 
at  the  end  of  his  term  refused  a  re-election,  but  in 
January  1896  he  was  again  chosen  to  that  office. 
During  his  administration  the  life  of  the  Board  has 
been  marked  by  unusual  activity,  and  he  has  done 
much  to  make  it  a  thoroughly  progressive  and  up- 
to-date  body.  He  is  also  a  member  of  the  State 
Board  of  Trade,  being  Chairman  of  the  Legislative 
Committees  on  Good  Roads  and  Taxation  of  Elec- 
tric Railways.  He  has  several  times  appeared 
before  the  committees  of  the  Legislature  to  advo- 
cate matters  in  which  the  Board  was  interested, 
more  particularly  the  improvement  of  public  high- 
ways, and  has  also  represented  the  Board  at  the 
Pan-Anglican  Conference  and  at  the  recent  open- 


146 


MEN  OF  PROGRESS. 


ing  of  the   riiilaclelphia  Museums.     He  was  reap- 
pointed Chairman  ot  the  same  committees  of  the 
State  Board  in  1897,  besides  being  placed  upon  the 
committee  to  represent  tlie  State  Board  of  Trade 
at  Washington  in  the  interest  of  improvements  to 
the  harbor  of  New  Haven.     It  was  in  connection 
with  the  Board  of  Trade  annual  banquet  that  Mr. 
Goodsell  won  his  first  laurels  as  a  toastmaster,  and 
since  then  he  has  added  greatly  to  his  reputation  in 
this  line.     He  has  presided  most  acceptably  at  ban- 
cpiets  of  the  Sons  of  the  American  Revolution,  the 
Royal  Arcanum,  the   United  Workmen  and  many 
other  organizations.     At  presentations  and  flag-rais- 
ings his  services  have  ever  been  in  demand,  and  he 
has  many  times  been  called  upon  to  participate  in 
the  awarding  of   school  prizes,  or  to  give  cogent 
words  of  advice  to  the  students  in  the  High  School. 
At  the  Newtown  celebration  of  July  4,  1895,  he  was 
one  of  the  leading  participants,  delivering  a  stirring 
address  at  the  after  dinner  ceremonies.     As  a  repre- 
sentative of  the  Board  of  Trade  he  has  attended 
conventions  both  state  and  national,  spoken  at  Fall 
River,  Hartford  and    New  Haven,  and   addressed 
the  members  of  the  Meriden  Board  of   Trade  by 
invitation  upon    the  subject :    "  Boards  of   Trade  ; 
their  uses  and  how  to  conduct  them."     He  was  one 
of  the  invited  guests  at  the  New  Haven  Chamber  of 
Commerce  banquet,   November  17,  1897.     In  the 
progress  of  Bridgeport  Mr.  Goodsell  has  ever  been 
deeply  interested,  and  he   did   herculean  work  in 
carrying  to  success  the  Centennial  and  Columbus 
celebrations,  the  latter  of  which  netted  a  fund  of 
about  $2,500  for  the  Board  of  Trade.     To  him  the 
Builders'  Exchange  owes  a  lasting  debt  of  gratitude 
for  its  present  prosperous  condition.     When  he  was 
elected  its  President  the  Exchange  contained  but 
ten   members,   and  during   his    term  of   office  he 
increased  the  roll  to  over  eighty,  including  every 
branch  of  the  builders'  trade  in  the  city.     He  rep- 
resented the  Exchange  as  delegate  at  the  National 
Convention  of  the  Association  of  Master  Builders  at 
Baltimore.     Mr.    Goodsell  has   long  been   actively 
connected  with  a  large  number  of  fraternal  socie- 
ties.   In  the  Masonic  Order  he  is  a  member  of  Cor- 
inthian Lodge  and  at  present  Captain-General  of 
Hamilton  Commandery   Knights  Templar.     He  is 
also  a  Thirty-second  Degree  Mason,  a  member  of 
the  Masonic  Veterans'  Association  and  of  Pyramid 
Temple,  Nobles  of  the  Mystic  Shrine.     Among  the 
other  lodges  of  which  he  is  a  member  are  Pequon- 
nock  Lodge,  I.  O.  O.  F. ;  Queriheag  tribe,  I.  O. 
R.  M. ;  Nebo  Senate,  K.  A.  E.  O. ;   Farren  Lodge, 


A.  O.  U.  W. ;  Seaside  Council,  R.  A.;  Bridge- 
port Conclave,  Improved  Order  of  Heptasophs ; 
Court  Marina,  Foresters  of  America;  and  Pioneer 
Camp,  Woodmen  of  the  World,  being  chosen 
to  perform  the  sacred  duty  of  delivering  the  ora- 
tion at  the  unveiling  of  a  monument  to  a  de- 
ceased brother.  He  is  also  a  charter  member  of 
the  Seaside  Club,  a  member  of  the  Algonquin, 
Outing  and  Country  clubs,  the  Bridgeport  and  Park 
City  yacht  clubs,  as  well  as  a  member  of  Camp 
Riga.  As  President  of  the  Bridgeport  Athletic 
Club,  he  served  faithfully  and  well.  His  year  as 
President  of  the  Master  Plumbers'  Association  was 
one  of  the  most  prosperous  in  its  existence,  and  he 
was  among  the  organizers  of  the  State  Plumbers' 
Association,  calling  the  first  meeting  in  Bridgeport. 
He  was  also  a  delegate  to  the  meetings  of  the 
national  association  at  Boston  and  Milwaukee,  and 
was  placed  upon  the  legislative  committee  of  both 
the  national  and  the  state  associations.  In  addition 
he  served  upon  the  committee  on  essays  and  while 
there  wrote  a  strong  essay  upon  the  immigration 
question.  In  the  Sons  of  the  American  Revolution 
he  is  also  an  ardent  worker.  He  joined  the  state 
association  a  number  of  years  ago,  and  in  1893  was 
a  delegate  to  the  national  convention  at  Chicago. 
In  1894  he  was  elected  to  the  state  board  of  man- 
agers, of  which  he  has  ever  since  been  a  member.  He 
aided  in  the  organizing  of  the  General  Gold  Selleck 
Silliraan  branch  of  Bridgeport,  and  served  as  toast- 
master  at  the  state  banquet  in  Bridgeport,  securing 
the  presence  there  of  General  Horace  Porter  and 
many  other  distinguished  guests.  In  May  1897,  he 
was  honored  by  an  election  to  the  Presidency  of 
the  General  Gold  Selleck  Silliman  branch.  Many 
times  have  his  services  been  called  into  play  and 
never  has  he  failed  to  respond.  Before  the  Dan- 
bury  lodge  he  dehvered  an  address  upon  the  origin 
of  Masonry,  under  the  auspices  of  the  Grand 
Master,  and  before  the  local  Y.  M.  C.  A.  he  gave 
a  highly  interesting  talk  on  "  Every  Day  Topics," 
which  was  extensively  quoted.  He  is  an  ardent 
admirer  of  the  Boys'  Club,  and  presented  to  the 
fund  for  a  home  §2,400  of  the  Bridgeport  Traction 
Company's  stock.  For  years  he  was  a  Director  of 
the  Fairfield  County  Agricultural  Society  and  was 
considered  one  of  its  staunchest  workers.  The 
labor  men  of  the  city  selected  Mr.  Goodsell  to  pre- 
side at  one  of  their  mass  meetings,  and  on  numerous 
occasions  he  has  acted  as  chairman  of  large  politi- 
cal gatherings.  On  the  occasion  of  the  distribution 
of  Christmas  largesse  to  the  poor  at  the  opera  house 


MEN    OF    I'ROCRESS. 


147 


through  the  enterprise  of  the  newspapers  an<l 
charitable  people  of  the  city,  Mr.  Goodsell  was 
chosen  as  presiding  genius  and  filled  most  happily 
that  pleasant  position.  He  has  for  years  been  an 
active  member  of  the  Scientific  and  Historical 
societies  and  is  a  trustee  of  the  Connecticut  Co- 
operative Savings  Society,  being  in  addition  \'ice- 
President  of  the  local  branch.  A  pleasing  incident 
in  which  he  took  a  central  part  was  the  presenta- 
tion to  him,  by  his  employees,  of  a  hantlsome  gold- 
headetl  cane  upon  a  recent  birthday  anniversary, 
expressing  the  loyalty  of  his  workmen  and  the 
appreciation  in  which  they  held  his  honorable  treat- 
ment and  kindly  interest  in  their  well-being.  In 
brief,  Mr.  Goodsell  has  been  one  of  the  few  men 
who  could  be  depended  upon  to  do  all  in  their 
power  to  aid  every  enterprise  for  the  advancement 
of  tlie  city,  and  to  this  end  he  has  given  lavishly  of 
both  time  and  money.  He  has  been  many  times 
urged  to  accept  office  in  the  numerous  societies  with 
which  he  is  connected,  but  has  been  compelled  to 
decline  from  want  of  time  to  give  them  the  needed 
attention,  it  being  always  his  object  to  attend  fully 
to  the  duties  of  every  position  which  he  held.  He 
has  a  host  of  friends  and  continually  receives  more 
invitations  to  gatherings  of  every  description  than 
he  is  able  to  accept,  want  of  time  and  conflict  of 
dates  preventing  his  acceptance.  Though  his  pub- 
lic and  society  duties  make  great  inroads  upon  his 
time,  Mr.  Goodsell  manages  to  thoroughly  enjoy  the 
healthful  environments  of  his  pleasant  home  on 
North  avenue.  There  he  has  lived  for  many  years, 
having  established  his  residence  in  that  section  of 
the  city  upon  his  marriage  in  1868  to  Miss  Caroline 
Fox,  a  member  of  one  of  the  oldest  families  of  the 
city.  To  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Goodsell  have  been  born 
three  children  :  Zalmon,  who  died  in  infancy  ;  Eliza 
Jane,  now  at  Smith  College,  and  Mary  Caroline 
Goodsell,  both  of  whom  are  among  the  most  popular 
of  the  many  young  society  people  of  the  city. 


BREWSTER,  Ia-man  Dennison,  Lawyer,  and 
Ex-Judge  of  the  Court  of  Common  Pleas,  Dan- 
bury,  was  born  in  Salisbury,  Connecticut,  July  31, 
1832,  son  of  Daniel  and  Harriet  (Averill)  Brewster, 
and  comes  of  a  family  that  has  furnished  many 
honored  names  to  the  history  of  Connecticut.  He 
is  a  lineal  descendant  in  the  seventh  generation 
from  Jonathan  Brewster,  of  Norwich,  oldest  son  of 
William  Brewster,  "  Chief  of  the  Pilgrims."     Young 


ISrewster  attended  Sedgewick  Academy  at  Salis- 
bury, Connecticut,  and  Williams  Academy  at 
Stockbridge,  Massac:husetts.  He  then  entered  Yale 
College,  where  he  was  graduated  in  the  class  of 
1855.  "^  subsequently  took  up  the  study  of  law, 
and  was  admitted  to  the  Bar  of  Fairlield  county 
June  21,  1S5S.  He  settleil  at  Danbtiry,  where  he 
built  u[)  a  successful  [iractice.  He  is  justly  regarded 
as  one  of  the  most  learned  and  respected  members 
of  his  profession.  In  1870  he  was  appointed  first 
Judge  of  the  Court  of  Conunon  Pleas,  which  office 
he  held  for  four  years.  He  represented  Danbury 
with  great  credit  in  the  legislatures  of  1870,  1878 


LYMAN    D.    BREWSTER. 

and  1879,  and  in  1880-81  was  State  Senator,  serv- 
ing as  Chairman  of  the  important  Judiciary  Com- 
mittee. His  services  were  of  marked  value  to  the 
state  in  1878-79,  as  a  member  of  the  Commission 
that  framed  the  New  Code  of  Procedure  for  the 
state.  He  was  one  of  the  original  members  of  the 
.■\merican  Bar  Association,  and  since  1893  has  been 
Commissioner  from  Connecticut  on  the  Commission 
on  Uniform  State  Laws,  serving  in  1896-97  as  Presi- 
dent of  the  Commissioners  on  Uniform  Laws. 
Judge  lirewster's  political  affiliations  are  with  the 
Republicans.  He  was  married  January  i,  1868,  to 
Sarah  Amelia,  daughter  of  George  W.  I\es,  of 
Danbury,  Connecticut. 


•48 


MEN   OF   PROGRESS. 


BIRDSEYE,  Isaac  Washinoton,  Manufacturer, 
Bridgeport,  was  born  in  Huntington,  Connecticut, 
antl  is  the  son  of  the  late  Joseph  and  Caroline 
(Hubbell)  Birdseye.  He  traces  his  ancestry  on 
both  sides  back  to  good  old  New  England  stock. 
The  Birdseyes  originally  came  from  Berkshire, 
England,  in  1636,  and  settled  in  Stratford,  Con- 
necticut. Among  the  ancestors  of  the  present 
manufacturer  are,  the  Reverend  Nathan  Birdseye,  a 
graduate  of  Yale  in  1736,  and  Pastor  of  the  church 
at  West  Haven  and  afterwards  at  Stratford,  who 
died  in  1818  at  the  age  of  one  hundred  and  three  ; 
also    Captain    Joseph    Birdseye,   a    Revolutionary 


I.  W.   BIRDSEYE. 

patriot,  Major  Gold  of  Fairfield,  and  Thomas  Wells, 
magistrate  and  Governor  of  Connecticut  from  1637 
until  his  death  in  1659.  On  the  maternal  side  Mr. 
Birdseye  is  a  lineal  descendant  of  Richard  Hubbell, 
a  native  of  Wales  who  emigrated  to  America  in 
1645  ;  also,  of  Lieutenant  John  Hubbell  who  was 
commissioned  by  Governor  Treat  in  1690  and  died 
in  service  during  the  Indian  Wars ;  also  of  Lieu- 
tenant Richard  Hubbell,  commissioned  by  Gov- 
ernor Tolcott  in  1728,  and  who  afterwards  became 
Captain  of  a  Colonial  company.  This  ancestor 
removed  from  Stratford  to  Huntington  and  there 
became  a  large  land  owner  and  successful  planter. 
He  died  in  1758  and  was  buried  in  the  old  church 


yard  at  Huntington  Center.  Isaac  W.  Birdseye 
began  business  as  a  corset  and  hoopskirt  manufac- 
turer at  the  age  of  twenty  in  his  native  town  of 
Huntington.  He  there  remained  until  1870  when 
he  removed  his  business  to  Shelton,  Connecticut, 
where  under  the  name  of  the  Birmingham  Corset 
Company  it  is  still  carried  on.  The  business 
increased  rapidly,  a  branch  factory  was  established 
in  Newark,  New  Jersey,  and  in  1880,  in  order  to 
supply  the  constantly  growing  demand  for  his  goods 
he  leased  from  the  Howe  estate  at  Bridgeport,  one 
of  their  large  factory  buildings  and  started  the  busi- 
ness now  known  as  the  Bridgeport  Corset  Com- 
pany. This  business  has  grown  to  be  one  of  the 
largest  and  most  successful  industries  in  the  state. 
It  employs  nearly  one  thousand  hands,  has  a  whole- 
sale store  at  85  Leonard  street,  New  York  city,  and 
is  widely  and  favorably  known  in  the  trade.  Mr. 
Birdseye  has  a  wide  acquaintance  throughout  the 
state  and  is  universally  beloved  and  respected 
among  his  business  associates  and  fellow  citizens. 
He  is  a  man  of  highest  integrity,  generous  and 
genial,  with  a  warm  sympathy  for  the  unfortunate 
and  a  ready  aid  for  every  worthy  cause.  He  is  a 
member  of  the  South  Congregational  church  of 
Bridgeport  and  has  been  a  Director  and  active 
worker  in  the  Young  Men's  Christian  Association 
ever  since  its  organization.  He  is  one  of  the 
largest  stockholders  of  the  Pequonnock  National 
Bank  and  has  served  as  a  Director  for  many  years, 
and  is  also  a  Director  in  the  Bridgeport  Coffee 
House.  He  belongs  to  the  Sons  of  the  American 
Revolution  and  to  the  Seaside  Club,  and  is  a 
governor  of  the  Brooklawn  Country  Club.  Mr. 
Birdseye  was  married  in  May  1880,  to  Lizzie  Jose- 
phine, only  daughter  of  Aaron  Banks  and  Eliza- 
beth Curtiss  Sherwood.  They  have  one  daughter, 
Elizabeth  Josephine  Birdseye. 


DURAND,  Chari,es,  Ex-Speaker  of  the  Con- 
necticut House  of  Representatives  and  President  of 
the  Schneller,  Osborne  &  Cheesman  Company  of 
Ansonia,  was  born  in  Derby,  Connecticut,  January 
21,  1820,  son  of  Samuel  and  Sally  (Hawkins) 
Durand.  His  ancestors  were  Huguenots  who  came 
from  France  about  two  hundred  years  ago,  and 
settled  in  the  town  of  Derby,  where  descendants  of 
the  family  have  continued  to  reside  until  the  pres- 
ent day.  His  father  cultivated  a  farm  on  which  is 
located  the  larger  part  of  West  .-Ansonia.  At  that 
period  there  was  no  evidence  of  any  manufacturing 


MK\    Ol 


'ROC.KKSS. 


•49 


interest  in  that  section.  He  was  educated  in  a  dis- 
trict school  and  at  the  Derby  Academy.  At  the 
age  of  fifteen  he  left  home  for  New  Haven,  where 
he  entered  into  mercantile  pursuits  and  there 
remained  until  1846.  From  there  he  went  to  New 
York  and  entered  the  importing  and  wholesale  dry- 
goods  business.  There  he  remained  for  ten  years, 
when  he  returned  to  his  native  place  and  engaged 
in  manufacturing.  He  was  President  of  the  Osborne 
&  Cheesman  Company  for  many  years,  and  is  now 
President  of  the  Schneller,  Osborne  &  Cheesman 
Com])any  of  Ansonia.  He  has  always  taken  an 
active  interest  in    local    affairs.     In    1S74    he    was 


CHAS.   DURAND. 

elected  to  the  Legislature,  and  in  1875  he  was  re- 
elected and  called  by  the  unanimous  vote  of  his 
party  to  be  Speaker  of  the  House.  The  sessions  of 
that  Legislature  were  long  and  strongly  partisan, 
and  there  was  much  business  to  be  considered  ;  but 
it  was  carried  forward  with  such  fairness  towards  all 
parties  that  no  attempt  was  ever  made  to  alter  or 
amend  the  Speaker's  decisions.  His  rulings  were 
never  questioned,  and  at  the  close  of  the  session 
such  was  the  general  good  feeling  among  all  the 
members  of  the  House  that  they  formed  themselves 
into  an  association  and  agreed  to  have  annual 
reunions  which  have  been  continued  for  over 
twenty  years  until  the  present  time.     In   1S48  he 


married  Caroline,  daughter  of  the  late  Henry  Trow- 
bridge, of  New  Haven,  who  died  in  1850.  His 
second  wife  is  .Annie,  daughter  of  the  late  Amos 
Trowbridge.  The  families  of  both  of  his  wives 
were  residents  of  New  Haven  and  their  fathers 
were  brothers.  He  has  embodied  his  idea  of  archi- 
tecture in  his  beautiful  residence  known  as  "  Wood- 
cliffe,"  situated  commandingly  on  South  Cliff  street 
overlooking  the  busy  city  of  Ansonia. 


KRICHSON,  Charles  Burns,  Dentist,  New 
Britain,  was  born  in  New  Haven,  Connecticut,  May 
15,  1847,  son  of  Abraham  A.  and  Maria  (Howd) 
Erichson.  His  father  sprang  from  Danish  and 
Swedish  stock,  and  was  a  man  of  intrepid,  resolute 
character,  who  served  faithfully  in  the  Seminole 
\Var  in  Florida,  also  entered  the  ranks  of  the  Union 
army  in  the  Civil  War,  Company  I,  Eighth  New 
Jersey  Volunteers,  and  died  in  honorable  service  in 
1862.  His  mother  was  born  in  East  Hartford,  and 
descended  from  English  stock ;  sturdy  pioneers 
who,  in  our  early  Colonial  days,  left  their  native 
land  to  cast  their  fortunes  with  this,  their  adopted 
country,  and  became  settlers  in  Branford,  Connecti- 
cut. Her  son  can  trace  her  direct  descent  back  to 
1630,  while  it  is  a  matter  of  no  small  significance 
that  four  of  her  ancestors  were  soldiers  in  the  Rev- 
olutionary War.  With  such  a  notable  heritage  of 
fighting  blood  from  both  sides,  it  is  scarcely  to  be 
wondered  at  that  Colonel  Erichson  should  early 
have  felt  the  stirring  of  patriotic  impulse  in  his  veins, 
and  that  as  a  mere  boy  —  a  lad  of  fourteen  —  he 
left  the  common  school  in  answer  to  the  call  of  his 
country,  to  enlist  in  the  army  in  .i^ugust  i86r  a 
member  of  the  ICighth  New  Jersey  Volunteers.  He 
served  for  a  year,  was  disabled  and  discharged,  and 
followed  mechanical  pursuits  until  January  1864. 
At  this  time  he  began  the  study  of  dentistry  in  the 
office  of  Dr.  R.  C.  Itunham  of  New  Britain,  Con- 
necticut, where  he  continued  to  practice  success- 
fully for  the  next  four  years.  In  .Xugust  1865  Colo- 
nel Erichson  had  enlisted  as  a  private  in  Battery 
E,  Connecticut  National  C.uards,  and  served  in  all 
the  grades  to,  and  including,  that  of  Captain.  He 
received  respectful  and  honorable  discharge  in  1871 
at  the  reorganization  and  reduction  of  the  Connecti- 
cut National  Guards,  re-entering  the  state's  service 
in  March  1872  as  Captain  of  Company  E,  First 
Connecticut  National  (Uiards,  from  which  he  retired 
and  was  honorably  discharged  in  October  1883. 
In  January  1890,  he  again  entered  the  military  ser- 


ISO 


MEN   OF    PROGRESS. 


vice  as  Captain  of  Company  D,  First  Connecticut 
National  Guards,  and  was  promoted  to  be  Colonel 
of  the  same  regiment  in  April  1890.  In  January 
1892  he  resijined  and  was  honorably  discharged 
and  placed  upon  the  retired  list  with  rank  of  Colo- 
nel by  special  order,  Adjutant  General's  office, 
September  1895.  After  leaving  the  office  of  Dr. 
Dunham,  Colonel  Erichson,  in  1868,  entered  that 
of  Dr.  S.  IxG.  Crane,  acting  as  assistant  to  that 
well-known  i)ractitioner  and  remaining  in  associa- 
tion with  him  at  8  State  street,  Hartford,  Connecti- 
cut, until  August  1869.  At  this  time  he  formed  a 
co-partnership  with    Dr.  Crane,  subsequently  pur- 


C.   B.    ERICHSON. 

chased  his  interest,  and  opened  a  branch  office  in 
New  Britain  where  he  began,  what  has  since  proved, 
a  most  successful  and  extensive  practice  at  183 
Main  street.  In  1886  he  formed  a  partnership 
with  George  O.  McLean  under  the  name  of  Erich- 
son  &  McLean,  locating  at  3  Asylum  street,  Hart- 
ford, Connecticut.  The  offices  of  the  firm  at  this 
place  are  still  prosperously  maintained.  Besides 
his  private  practice  in  New  Britain,  and  that  just 
mentioned  in  Hartford,  Colonel  Erichson  supports 
an  association  of  interests  in  a  dental  practice  with 
his  son  in  New  Britain  under  the  firm  name  of 
C.  B.  &  C.  V.  Erichson.  Colonel  Erichson  is  a 
member  of  the  Grand  Army  of  the  Republic,  Stan- 


ley Post,  No.  II,  New  Britain,  having  served  in  all 
the  minor  offices  in  the  order  and  as  Post  Com- 
mander during  the  year  1890.  He  also  has  mem- 
bership in  the  Centennial  Lodge  No.  118,  F.  and 
A.  M.,  in  the  Phoenix  Lodge  No.  52,  Independent 
Order  of  Odd  Fellows,  St.  Elmo  Lodge  No.  21 
Knights  of  J'ythias,  and  United  Order  of  American 
Mechanics,  New  Britain  Lodge  No.  8.  He  belongs 
to  many  insurance  societies.  He  is  a  member  of 
the  Royal  Arcanum,  New  England  Order  of  Protec- 
tion, Ancient  Order  of  United  Workmen,  Pilgrim 
Fathers,  American  Benefit  Society,  etc.  He  is  also 
a  member  of  the  Connecticut  division  of  the  Sons 
of  the  Revolution.  While  so  actively  interested  in 
other  pursuits  it  is  hardly  to  be  wondered  at  that 
Colonel  Erichson  should  find  no  time  to  engage  in 
politics,  but  it  certainly  is  to  be  regretted,  for  the 
country  is  sorely  in  need  of  just  such  men  of  force 
and  could  only  be  the  better  for  their  association 
with  its  government.  A  man  who  has  won  his  own 
way  in  the  world,  Colonel  Erichson  has  amply 
proved  the  wisdom  of  the  worldly-wise  paragrapher 
who  says  that  "some  of  the  very  best  opportunities 
are  hand-made."  In  1868  Colonel  Erichson  mar- 
ried Annie  E.  Staples,  of  New  Britain,  Connecticut. 
They  have  two  children  :  Charles  F.  and  Josephine 
S.  Erichson. 

HEATH,  Edwin  Lansing,  was  born  in  Bristol, 
Rhode  Island,  April  15,  1850,  son  of  Nathan  Bardin 
and  Elizabeth  Lefavour  (Pitman)  Heath.  He 
traces  his  ancestry  to  the  Pilgrim  Fathers  on  both 
the  paternal  and  maternal  sides.  He  is  eighth  in 
lineal  descent  from  John  Howland,  "the  Pilgrim," 
one  of  the  signers  of  the  compact  in  the  cabin  of 
the  Mayflower.  Both  his  father  and  mother  are 
descendants  of  this  Pilgrim  ancestor.  They  are 
also  descended  from  Governor  Carver,  according  to 
the  "  Log  of  the  Mayflower,"  lately  published,  by 
which  it  appears  that  John  Tilley's  first  wife  was 
Governor  Carver's  daughter  Elizabeth,  and  their 
daughter  Elizabeth  married  John  Howland.  On 
the  paternal  side  he  traces  his  descent  back  to 
William  Heath  who  came  to  this  country  in  1632 
in  the  ship  Lyon.  Mr.  Heath  after  attending  the 
public  and  High  schools  of  his  native  town  entered 
at  the  age  of  seventeen  upon  mercantile  business  at 
Niagara  Falls,  New  York.  There  he  remained  dur- 
ing 1867-68.  He  came  to  Rockville  in  the  follow- 
ing year  and  on  June  i,  1869,  began  work  for  the 
Rock  Manufacturing  Company.  He  was  employed 
in  various  departments   during  the  succeeding  five 


MF.N    OF   PROGRESS. 


ISI 


years,  at  the  end  of  which  time  he  became  book- 
keeper for  the  company.  In  i<S93  the  office  of 
Assistant-Treasnrer  was  added  to  liis  duties.  Faith- 
ful and  capable  in  the  discharge  of  his  business 
responsibilities  it  was  natural    tliat  his  fellow  citi- 


EDWIN    L.   HEATH. 

zens  should  entrust  him  with  iKilitical  duties,  and 
his  recent  election  as  Mayor  of  Rockville  was  a 
pleasing  testimonial  to  his  popularity  and  worth. 
He  had  previously  served  for  two  years  as  Council- 
man and  for  four  years  as  Alderman  of  Rockville. 
At  the  Legislative  session  of  1897  he  was  Repre- 
sentative from  the  town  of  Vernon,  and  for  nine 
years  served  as  Registrar  of  Voters  for  the  town. 
His  politics  have  always  been  staunch  Republican, 
and  he  is  a  firm  believer  that  the  protective  policy 
is  best  for  the  business  interests  of  Rockville  and 
the  whole  country  as  well.  Mr.  Heath  is  an  Incor- 
porator and  a  Director  in  the  Savings  Bank  of 
Rockville,  and  also  a  Director  in  the  Rockville 
Building  and  Loan  Association.  He  is  counted 
upon  as  an  active  supporter  of  every  measure  that 
may  aid  the  business  or  social  interests  of  Rock- 
ville. He  is  an  Odd  Fellow,  and  a  member  of  the 
Ancient  Order  of  United  Workmen,  the  Sons  of  the 
American  Revolution,  Sons  of  Veterans,  and  several 
social  clubs.  Mr.  Heath  was  married  September 
I,    1880,  to    Gertrude    Marie  Atkins.     They    have 


three  children :  Bernice  Deane,  born  April  30, 
1SS2  ;  Charles  Lansing,  born  January  22,  1884; 
and  Harold  West  Heath,  born  January  6,  1887. 


Ki'.FLER,  Edwin  O.,  State  Senator  and  mem- 
ber of  the  wholesale  grocery  firm  of  Holmes,  Keeler 
^:  Selleck  Company,  was  born  in  Ridgefield,  Con- 
necticut, January  12,  1846,  son  of  Jonah  C.  and 
Henrietta  (Olmstead)  Keeler.  His  education  was 
received  in  the  schools  of  his  native  town.  In 
1861  he  came  to  Norwalk,  and  on  reaching  his 
majority  became  interested  in  the  grocery  business 
whicli  he  has  since  carried  on  with  such  marked 
success.  He  is  now  a  member  of  the  firm  of 
Holmes,  Keeler  &  Selleck  Company,  which  is 
widely  and  favorably  known  in  the  trade.  With  an 
honorable  record  of  business  achievement,  it  was 
fitting  that  his  fellow  citizens  should  select  him  for 
political  honors.      In    1892  he  was  chosen  Repre- 


EDWIN   O.   KEELER. 

sentative  in  the  Legislature  by  a  plurality  of  one 
hundred  and  eighty-nine  and  was  re-elected  in  1894 
by  a  plurality  of  seven  hundred  and  ten,  and  in  the 
same  year  he  was  elected  first  Mayor  of  Norwalk. 
In  1896  his  well  deserved  jjopularity  was  attested  by 
his  election  as  State  Senator  by  a  plurality  of  fifteen 
hundred  and  fifty-two,  and  a  plurality  in  his  own 


'52 


MEN    01'    PROGRESS. 


district  of  twenty-six  hundred  and  fifty-four,  or 
more  than  double  the  plurality  ever  given  any  other 
candidate.  His  record  in  the  Legislature  has  fully 
justified  the  confidence  of  his  constituents.  As 
Representative  he  served  during  his  first  term  as 
Chairman  of  the  Committee  on  Claims,  and  during 
the  second  term  as  Chairman  of  the  Committee  on 
Banks.  .As  Senator  he  acted  as  Chairman  of  the 
Committee  on  Roads,  Bridges  and  Rivers.  During 
his  Senatorial  term  he  was  a  delegate  to  the  Na- 
tional Republican  Convention  at  St.  Louis.  Senator 
Keeler's  splendid  ability  has  been  lent  to  the  man- 
agement of  many  of  Norvvalk's  most  important 
enterprises.  In  1893  he  was  elected  President  of 
the  Fairfield  National  Bank,  in  which  office  the 
late  United  States  Treasurer  Hyatt  was  his  prede- 
cessor. He  is  also  President  of  the  Norwalk 
Electric  Light  Company,  and  a  Director  in  the 
Nonvalk  Street  Railway  Company.  He  is  an  Ex- 
President  of  the  Norwalk  Club,  and  a  Director  in 
the  Norwalk  Hospital.  He  is  a  prominent  member 
of  the  Knights  Templar,  and  is  also  a  member  of 
the  Grand  Lodge,  Independent  Order  of  Odd 
Fellows.  Mr.  Keeler  takes  an  active  interest  in 
church  work,  and  for  fifteen  consecutive  years  has 
been  Chairman  of  the  Committee  of  the  First  Con- 
gregational Church  of  Norwalk.  He  was  married 
May  13,  1870,  to  Sarah  \'.  Whiting,  of  Franklin, 
Massachusetts. 


LAUDER,  Robert,  Physician,  Bridgeport,  was 
born  'in  Glasgow,  Scotland,  May  4,  1840,  son  of 
Robert  and  Martha  (King)  Lauder.  Both  his 
father  and  mother  were  Scotch.  Coming  to  this 
country  at  an  early  age  he  was  educated  in  the 
common  schools  and  at  the  Seminary  at  East 
Greenwich,  Rhode  Island.  He  then  entered  Wes- 
leyan  University  at  Middletown,  Connecticut,  in  the 
class  of  1867,  but  left  college  in  his  Junior  year. 
He  subsequently  studied  medicine  at  the  Yale 
Medical  College,  where  he  was  graduated  as  val- 
edictorian of  his  class  in  1871.  In  1886  he  took 
a  post-graduate  course  at  the  Post-graduate  School 
in  New  York.  In  1890  Wesleyan  University 
conferred  upon  him  the  honorary  degree  of 
M.  A.  Immediately  after  graduation  he  com- 
menced the  practice  of  medicine  in  Bridgeport. 
There  he  has  since  remained,  and  built  up  a  large 
and  successful  practice.  He  has  been  connected 
with  the  Bridgeport  Hospital  since  its  commence- 
ment, and  for  eight  years  has  been  its  gynecologist. 


For  fifteen  years  he  was  attending  ])hysician  at  the 
Fairfield  county  jail.  He  is  a  member  of  the 
National,  State,  County  and  City  medical  societies, 
and  has  been  President  of  the  City  and  County 
societies.  During  the  Civil  War  he  enlisted  in  the 
Eleventh  Rhode  Island  Volunteers,  and  was  honor- 
ably discharged  with  his  regiment  on  the  expiration 
of  the  nine  months'  term  of  service.  Dr.  Lauder  is 
a  member  of  St.  John's  Lodge  of  Masons,  and  of 
the  Bridgeport  Yacht  Club,  of  which  he  acts  as 
Surgeon  of  the  fleet.  He  has  been  three  times 
married.  His  first  wife  was  Clara  E.  Sexton,  of 
Windsor,  Connecticut.     She  died  in  1879.     Three 


ROBERT    LAUDER. 

children  were  born  to  them,  of  which  Robert  H. 
Lauder  alone  survives.  His  second  wife  was  Jennie 
A.  Paddock,  of  Bridgeport,  Connecticut,  to  whom  he 
was  married  in  1881,  and  who  died  in  1892  without 
issue.  He  was  married  in  1894  to  M.  Dora  Pull- 
man, of  Bridgeport,  Connecticut,  his  present  wife. 
One  child,  Dorothy  Strang  Lauder,  is  living. 


LOCKWOOD,  Edward  Morgan,  Lawyer,  was 
born  in  New  Canaan,  Connecticut,  September  20, 
1859,  son  of  Solomon  Morgan  and  Mary  Elizabeth 


MEN    OF    rUOC-.RRSS. 


'5; 


(Ayers)  Lockwood.  He  comes  of  old  New  England 
stock,  and  traces  liis  ancestry  back  to  Robert  Lock- 
wood,  who  came  from  England  in  1630,  and  to 
Captain  Phineas  Ciiapman,  a  Revolutionary  soldier. 
After  receiving  an  academic  education,  Mr.   I.ock- 


E.    M.    LOCKWOOD. 

wood  studied  law,  and  afterwards  entered  the 
Columbia  College  Law  School,  where  he  graduated 
in  June  1883.  He  was  admitted  to  the  bar  of  New 
York  in  the  same  month,  and  to  the  bar  of  Connecti- 
cut in  1S86.  Settling  in  Norwalk  he  soon  became 
recognized  as  one  of  the  leading  young  lawyers  of 
the  county.  In  1 893  he  was  chosen  Corporation 
Counsel  of  the  city  of  Norwalk,  and  continued  to 
hold  that  office  for  four  years.  He  is  now  serving 
his  second  term  as  Prosecuting  Agent  for  Fairfield 
county,  and  is  also  Prosecuting  Attorney  for  the 
Connecticut  Humane  Society.  In  politics  he  is  a 
RejJubHcan,  and  has  been  an  active  worker  for  the 
party.  Mr.  Lockwood  was  married  August  22, 
1886,  to  Margaret  Florence  Patterson,  of  New  York. 
They  have  three  children :  Dorothy  May,  Alan 
Edward  and  Mary  Patterson  Lockwood. 


ligence  and  industry  have  won  position  and  a 
competence  in  the  adopted  country.  Mr.  Linstead 
came  to  Bristol  in  187 1  and  has  since  been  actively 
engaged  in  the  mason,  building  and  real-estate 
business.  He  has  erected  many  of  the  large 
buildings  in  Bristol  all  of  which  compare  favorably 
with  the  best  work  of  their  kind,  and  are  a  credit  to 
the  town  and  their  builder.  Mr.  Linstead  belongs 
to  tlie  Masonic  Lodge  of  Bristol.  His  ]>olitical 
affiliations  are  with  the  Republicans,  and  he  has 
twice  served  as  Selectman  of  the  town.  He  is  a 
member  of  the  Board  of  Trade,  and  was  a  member 
of  the  charter  for  the  Borough.  For  tliree  years  he 
served  as  a  member  of  the  Board  of  Burgesses.     He 


WILLIAM   LINSTEAD. 

was  married  in   1866  to  Sarah    Freeman,  now  de- 
ceased.    Seven  children  were  born  to  them. 


LINSTEAD,  Wllliam,  Builder,  Bristol,  was  born 
in  England  in  1840.  He  is  one  of  the  best  exam- 
ples of  our  foreign  born  citizens,  who  through  intel- 


MILLER,  VVaison  John,  President  of  the  Derby 
Silver  Comjiany,  Sheiton,  was  born  in  Middle- 
town,  Connecticut,  November  23,  1849,  son  of 
\Vatrous  Ives  and  Ruth  Lucretia  (Prout)  Miller. 
He  is  descended  from  notable  stock  on  both  ])ater- 
nal  and  maternal  sides  :  Thomas  Miller,  an  ancestor, 
having  come  from  I'"ngland  about  1630  and  estab- 
lished himself  at  Middletown  in    1660,    where   he 


'54 


MEN    OK   PROGRESS. 


erected  and  operated  siuccssfuUy  its  first  mill,  and 
C.overnor  lienjamin  Miller,  another  forbear,  having 
the  title  of  Governor  of  the  Colony  of  Connecticut 
in  the  Colonial  times,  and  thereby  securing  to  his 
prominent  descendant  the  right  to  enroll  himself 
among  the  members  of  the  Sons  of  the  Colonial 
Wars.  From  the  maternal  branch  of  his  family  he 
is  lineally  descended  from  Timothy  Prout,  who 
came  from  England  to  Boston  about  1640  and  after 
residing  there  for  thirty  years  or  more,  removed  to 
Middletown,  Connecticut,  where  he  took  an  active 
part  in  encouraging  many  of  its  most  important 
enterprises,  not  the  least  of  which  was  his  interest 


WATSON  J.  MILLER. 

in  the  building  of  the  first  sailing  vessel  ever 
launched  upon  the  Connecticut  river  at  Middle- 
town.  The  subject  of  this  sketch  received  his  edu- 
cation at  the  Middletown  High  School  and  later 
was  a  student  in  the  Chase  Institute,  a  school,  by 
the  way,  of  uni(iue  character  which  ranked  among 
the  first  of  its  day  in  excellence  and  importance, 
and  from  which  many  of  the  most  prominent  men 
of  this  and  other  states  were  graduated.  From  the 
Chase  Institute  Colonel  Miller  repaired  to  the  New 
Haven  Business  College  where  he  received  the 
foundation  of  that  thorough  mercantile  training 
that  has  subsequently  characterized  his  successful 
commercial  career.     In  March  1868  he  first  entered 


into  the  manufacture  of  silver-plated  ware  in  his 
native  town,  and  six  years  later  in  1874  he  removed 
to  New  York  and  for  about  five  years  or  so  resided 
in  that  city,  continuing  there  with  the  Webster 
Manufacturing  Company  in  the  same  business  of 
silver-plated  ware  manufacture  which  he  had  for- 
merly carried  on  in  Middletown.  In  the  meantime 
the  Derby  Silver  Company  of  Shelton,  Connecticut, 
desiring  a  secretary,  treasurer  and  general  manager, 
and  realizing  Colonel  Miller's  value  as  an  organizer 
and  able  director,  promptly  opened  negotiations 
with  him  with  a  view  to  securing  his  services.  A 
mutually  satisfactory  conclusion  was  reached,  and 
in  1879  Colonel  Miller  removed  to  Shelton,  where, 
ten  years  later,  he  became  President  as  well  as 
Manager  of  the  company,  whose  capital  is  now 
three  hundred  thousand  dollars,  and  the  growth  of 
whose  business  is  largely  due  to  his  rare  personal 
abilities,  untiring  energy  and  capable  management. 
The  excellence  of  the  goods  made  by  the  Derby 
Silver  Company,  and  Colonel  Miller's  long  connec- 
tion and  successful  association  with  the  concern- 
place  him  easily  in  the  first  rank  of  silverware  man- 
ufacturers in  the  country.  Mr.  Miller  has  repeat- 
edly declined  political  honors  to  the  regret  of  his 
townsmen  who,  on  several  occasions,  have  urged 
him  to  accept  the  nomination  for  Representative 
from  the  town  of  Huntington  in  which  Shelton  is 
located.  Upon  the  election  of  Governor  Coffin  the 
subject  of  this  sketch  was  appointed  a  member  of 
his  staff,  and  since  becoming  Colonel  has  acted  in 
the  capacity  of  Aide-de-Camp  to  his  Excellency, 
the  Governor,  who  is  at  the  same  time  his  most 
hearty  friend.  Besides  ha\ing  held  the  prominent 
position  aforesaid.  Colonel  Miller  is  one  of  the 
founders  and  President  of  the  South  P^nd  Land 
Company,  President  of  the  Shelton  Savings  Bank,  the 
Riverside  Cemetery  Association,  the  Shelton  Build- 
ing and  Loan  Association,  and  is  a  Director  in  the 
Home  and  Trust  Company,  the  Derby  and  Shelton 
Board  of  Trade ;  and  has  succeeded  the  late 
Edward  N.  Shelton  as  a  Director  of  the  Birming- 
ham National  Bank.  He  is  also  a  prominent  and 
Thirty-second  degree  Mason ;  a  member  of  the 
Mystic  Shrine,  and  also  a  member  of  the  Ancient  and 
Honorable  Artillery  Company  of  Boston.  Colonel 
Miller's  residence  in  Shelton  is  one  of  the  handsomest 
in  the  state  ;  and  from  his  charming  home  he  dis- 
penses most  hospitable  entertainment  to  his  host  of 
appreciative  and  eminent  friends.  In  1874  Mr. 
Miller  was  married  to  Susie  J.  Waite,  daughter  of 
Alonzo  Waite,  of  Chicopee,  Massachusetts. 


MEN    (I I'    I'KOGRKSS. 


'55 


PRATT,  Lewei.lyn,  D.D.,  Clergyman,  Norwich, 
was  born  in  Saybrook,  Connecticut,  August  8,  1832, 
son  of  Selden  Mather  and  Rebecca  (Nott)  I'ratt. 
His  ancestry  is  distinguished.  Lieutenant  \\"iUiam 
Pratt  of  Hooker's  Colony,  Sergeant  John  Nott  of 
Wethersfield,  an  early  settler,  Alice  South  worth, 
wife  of  ("lovernor  Bradford,  and  the  Reverend 
Thomas  Buikingiiam,  arc  among  his  forbears  in  the 
paternal  and  maternal  lines.  I  .cwellyn  Pratt's  edu- 
cation was  aci|uired  at  Hill's  .Academy  in  Essex, 
Durham  .Academy  in  Durham,  anil  at  Williams  Col- 
lege, from  which  institution  he  was  graduated  in  the 
class  of  1S52.     He  then  studied  theology  in  I'hila- 


LEWELLYN    PRATT. 

delphia  under  the  direction  of  Albert  ]5ariies  and 
Dr.  Jonathan  Edwards,  and  was  ordained  by  the 
Philadelphia  Presbytery  in  May  1864.  Itefore  this, 
on  his  graduation  from  college,  he  had  taught  the 
deaf  in  Philadeljihia  and  Washington.  Still  con- 
tinuing in  this  work  in  1865  he  became  Professor  of 
Natural  Science  in  Gallaudet  College,  Washington, 
and  held  the  position  four  years,  leaving  it  in  1869 
to  become  Professor  of  Latin  in  Knox  College  and 
remaining  there  two  years.  He  then  began  his 
ministerial  work  as  Pastor  of  the  Congregational 
Church  at  North  Adams,  Massachusetts,  his  pas- 
torate lasting  five  years.  Ne.xt,  collegiate  work 
claimed  him  again,  and  for  the  five  years  from  1S76 


to  1S81  he  was  Professor  of  Rhetoric  at  Williams, 
going  thence  to  become  the  Professor  of  Practical 
Theology  in  the  Hartford  Theological  Seminary. 
He  stayed  eight  years  in  Hartford,  and  then,  in 
1888,  accepted  the  pastorate  of  the  Broadway 
Church  (Congregational)  in  Norwich,  Connecticut, 
one  of  the  leading  churches  of  the  state,  a  pulpit  he 
still  occupies  and  adorns.  Williams  College  made 
him  a  Doctor  of  Divinity  in  1877.  Dr.  Pratt  has 
given  of  his  aid  and  counsel  in  many  directions  out- 
side of  his  particular  church  labors.  He  was  a 
Trustee  of  the  Northwestern  Theological  Seminary, 
1866-69,  of  Williams  College  1884-89,  and  continues 
to  perform  that  service  for  the  Hartford  Seminary, 
and  the  Norwich  Free  Academy,  and  since  1891 
has  been  the  President  of  the  last-named  school. 
From  1889  to  1895  he  was  also  a  'I'rustee  of  the 
.Atlanta  University.  Dr.  Pratt  has  won  the  univer- 
sal respect  and  love  of  his  people  wherever  he  has 
settled,  and  is  today  one  of  the  ablest  and  most 
beloved  clergymen  of  his  denomination  in  the  state 
Of  fine  presence  and  great  courtliness  of  manner, 
he  is  very  popular  with  young  and  old,  and  his 
church  is  in  a  flourishing  condition.  As  a  speaker 
he  is  strong  in  thought,  broad-minded,  conservative 
in  a  good  sense  and  winning  in  his  address.  He 
ranks  by  common  consent  as  an  ornament  of  his 
sacred  calling.  Dr.  Pratt  was  married  October  17, 
1855,  to  Sarah  Putnam  Gulliver,  of  Boston,  Massa- 
chusetts. They  have  had  two  children  :  Waldo 
Selden  and  Theodore  Putnam  Pratt. 


PL^LSIFER,  Naihan  TROWBRionK,  Manufacturer, 
Manchester,  was  born  in  Newton,  Massachusetts, 
October  27,  1851,  son  of  Charles  S.  and  ICliza 
W.  (Trowbridge)  Pulsifer.  His  great-grandfather 
Nathaniel  Pulsifer  served  in  the  Revolution  as  a 
member  of  the  Coast  Guard  at  Gloucester,  Massachu- 
setts. His  grandfather  Nathaniel  Pulsifer  served  in 
the  War  of  1812.  On  the  maternal  side  his  grand- 
father was  Nathaniel  Trowbridge,  his  great-grand- 
father was  Samuel  Trowbridge,  a  Lieutenant  of  Militia 
in  the  Revolution,  and  his  great-great-grandfather 
was  James  Trowbridge  wlio  settled  at  Dorchester, 
in  1635.  He  w-as  educated  in  the  public  schools  of 
Newton  and  at  the  age  of  eighteen  entered  the  em- 
ploy of  Barnes,  Merriam  Company  of  Boston.  He 
served  the  usual  tliree  years  in  learning  the  business 
and  remained  with  the  firm  until  1875.  'l"he  year 
1876  was  spent  in  travel  in  the  West,  and  on  the 
Pacific  Coast.     During   1S77  and   1878  he  was  en- 


;6 


MEN    OF    PROGRESS. 


gaged  in  the  varnish  business  with  Valentine  & 
Company,  New  York.  In  1878  he  came  to  Man- 
chester to  engage  in  the  manufacture  of  paper,  in 
which  business  he  still  continues  as  President, 
Treasurer,   and   principal   owner    of    the   Oakland 


Canada.  He  was  married  October  13,  1880,  to 
Almira  Houghton  Valentine,  of  New  York.  They 
have  two  children  :  Lawson  Valentine  and  Harold 
Pulsifer. 


NATHAN   T.    PULSIFER. 

Paper  Company,  manufacturers  of  fine  writing 
paper.  In  addition  to  the  paper  business,  for  ten 
years  beginning  1883  he  was  Treasurer  and  General 
Manager  of  the  Mather  Electric  Company  of  Man- 
chester. On  the  death  of  his  father-in-law  in  1891 
he  was  elected  President  of  the  Lawson  Valentine 
Company  of  New  Y'ork  and  Vice-President  of  the 
Rural  New  Yorker  Company  which  position  he  still 
holds.  For  the  past  five  years  his  time  has  been 
divided  between  New  York  city  and  Manchester. 
Since  1883  he  has  been  connected  with  the  Outlook 
Publishing  Company,  most  of  the  time  as  Treasurer. 
He  has  been  a  Director  in  the  Mercantile  National 
Bank  of  Hartford  since  1890.  He  was  the  first 
President  of  the  Manchester  Board  of  Trade,  first 
President  of  the  Manchester  Building  and  Loan 
Society,  member  of  the  Road  and  Bridge  Commis- 
sion of  the  town  from  1887  to  1897,  and  President 
of  the  Orford  Golf  Club  of  Manchester.  He  be- 
longs to  the  New  York  Athletic  Club,  the  Suburban 
Riding  and  Driving  Club  of  New  York,  the  Pomfret 
Field  Club,  and  the  Touvilli  Fish  and  Game  Club  of 


ROWELL,  Charles  Emery,  M.  D.,  of  Stamford, 
was  born  in  ^Vest  Concord,  Vermont,  May  2,  1849, 
son  of  Frederick  and  Rosaline  (Banfill)  Rowell. 
He  is  a  descendant  of  Revolutionary  stock,  his 
great-grandfather,  Samuel  Rowell,  serving  during 
the  Revolutionary  War.  He  was  educated  in  the 
common  schools,  learned  the  printers'  trade  in  Coos 
Republican  office,  Lancaster,  New  Hampshire,  and 
the  machinists'  trade  at  the  Spencer  Rifle  factory, 
olil  Chickering  Building,  Boston,  Massachusetts. 
In  the  fall  of  1869,  he  joined  the  original  Greely 
Colony,  and  went  to  Colorado,  and  in  1870  joined 
the  Chicago  Colony  that  located  at  Longmont  on 
Thompson  Creek.  In  187 1  returning  to  the  East, 
he    commenced    the    study   of    medicine  with  Dr. 


C.   E.    ROWELL 

Charles  Snell  of  Whitefield,  New  Hampshire,  and 
continued  his  studies  with  Dr.  George  Norton  of 
New  York  city.  In  1873  he  was  graduated  from 
the  New  York  Homceopathic  College  and  in  1874 
from  the  New  York  Ophthalmic  Hospital.  He  com- 
menced the  practice  of  medicine  at  Lancaster,  New 
Hampshire,  in  March  1874,  removing  to  Stamford, 


MEN    OF    PROGRESS. 


'57 


Connecticut,  in  February  i8So,  where  he  has  since 
successfully  practiced.  Dr.  Rowell  has  creditably 
filled  several  important  positions.  lie  was  Mcalth 
Officer  and  Higliway  Surveyor  at  Lancaster,  New 
Hampshire,  in  1S7.S-79  ;  Pension  Surgeon  for  North- 
ern New  Hampshire  from  1876  to  1880;  Post- 
Surgeon  for  Fairfield  county  from  1887  to  1S97; 
Coroner's  Medical  {•".xaniiner  for  Stamford  since 
1SS6;  Councilman  I'"irst  Ward,  city  of  Stamford, 
1894  and  1 89  7  ;  Registrar  of  N'oters  from  1885  to 
i8g6,  and  Chairman  of  Republican  Town,  Borough, 
City  and  Ward  committees  for  many  years.  He  is 
a  prominent  member  of  the  Masons,  Odd  Fellows, 
American  Mech.inics  and  New  England  Order  of 
Protection.  He  lias  been  a  Director  of  the  Stam- 
ford Board  of  Trade  since  its  formation  and  is  a 
Director  of  the  Celebrated  Schleicher  Piano  Manu- 
facturing Company,  of  Stamford.  Dr.  Rowell  is  a 
staunch  Republican  and  was  an  active  member  of 
the  House  in  1897-98,  taking  a  prominent  part  in 
many  of  the  most  important  debates.  He  married 
December  25,  1872,  Miss  Arietta  Polles,  of  Dalton, 
New  Hampshire.  They  have  three  children  :  Dr. 
James  Frederick,  George  Press  and  Dr.  Edward 
Everett  Rowell. 


STEARNS,  Henry  Putnam,  M.  D.,  Superin- 
tendent of  the  Hartford  Retreat  for  the  Insane,  was 
born  in  Sutton,  Massachusetts,  Aph\  18,  1828,  son 
of  Asa  Stearns  and  Polly  (Putnam)  Stearns,  the 
former  a  direct  descendant  of  Charles  Sterne  who 
in  Watertown,  Massachusetts,  in  1647  was  made  a 
freeman ;  he  was  a  nephew  of  Isaac  Sterne  who 
accompanied  John  Winthrop  to  America  in  1630. 
On  the  maternal  side  Polly  Putnam  was  a  direct 
descendant  of  Nathaniel  Putnam,  who  with  his 
father  John  emigrated  to  this  country  about  1634 
and  settled  in  Salem,  Massachusetts.  Dr.  Stearns 
was  educated  at  the  common  schools  and  at  the 
Monson  (Massachusetts)  Academy;  he  then  went 
to  Vale  and  was  a  member  of  the  class  of  1853. 
Then  came  a  varied  and  thorough  training  for  the 
profession  of  medicine  which  he  was  to  tiignify  and 
honor.  He  studied  a  year  at  Harvard  and  another 
at  Yale,  received  his  M.  D.  degree  in  1855  '"""' 
spent  still  another  year  in  study  abroad,  principally 
at  the  University  at  lulinburgh.  From  1857  to 
1859  Dr.  Stearns  engaged  in  general  practice  in 
Marlboro,  Massachusetts.  In  the  latter  part  of  1859 
he  removed  to  Hartford  and  continued  to  prosecute 
his  profession  there   until  April  of    1S61,  when   the 


strong  summons  came  to  take  the  jiost  of  Surgeon 
of  the  First  Connecticut  Regiment,  his  commission 
ilating  .April  18  of  liiat  historic  year.  After  three 
months'  service  he  was  commissioned  Surgeon  of 
the  United  States  Volunteers  anil  ordered  to  report 
to  Major-General  Fremont,  then  commanding  the 
Western  Department.  He  remained  in  the  West 
and  South  during  tlie  \Var  and  was  mustered  out  of 
service  in  the  autumn  of  1S65  with  the  rank  of 
Brevet  Lieutenant-Colonel.  In  1861-62  Dr.  .Stearns 
was  on  the  staff  of  General  (Jranl  and  was  after- 
wards assigned  by  that  C/eneral  as  Medical  Director 
of  the  right  wing  of  the  army  when  it  was  reorgan- 


H.    p.   STEARNS. 

ized  to  move  up  the  Tennessee  River ;  he  was  on 
the  staff  of  Major-General  McClernand  and  in  this 
campaign  was  jiresent  at  such  important  engage- 
ments as  Fort  Donaldson  and  Pittsburgh  Landing. 
During  1862  Dr.  Stearns  was  at  St.  Louis  as  Medi- 
cal Inspector  of  Hospitals,  on  the  staff  of  Colonel 
R.  C.  Wood,  Assistant  Surgeon-General,  ITnited 
States  Army ;  and  later  was  Medical  Director  of  the 
United  States  General  Hospitals  of  the  Northern 
Division  of  the  .\rniy  of  the  Mississippi,  holding  the 
same  position  in  Nashville,  Tennessee,  when  the 
seat  of  the  \\'ar  was  moved  South  and  I-list.  By 
these    varied   important    and   valuable   professional 


•58 


MEN   OF  PROGRESS. 


sen-ices  in  the  war-times  he  gained  an  exceptional 
experience   for  his   subsequent  labors.     For  eight 
years   after   the   close   of  the   war  he    engaged  in 
general  practice  in  Hartford,  being  also    Surgeon 
and  Medical  Adviser  of  the  Traveler's    Insurance 
Company  of  that  city.     In  1874  he  was  appointed 
Superintendent   and    Physician    of    the    Hartford 
Retreat  for  the  Insane,  an  institution  of  high  rank 
and   deserved   reputation,  a  position  he  has  ably 
filled  for  over  twenty  years  and  now  holds.     Dr. 
Stearns  in  addition  to  his  prominence  as  the  head 
of  the    Retreat,   is  recognized  far  and  wide  as  a 
distinguished  specialist  upon  mental  diseases  and  is 
the  author  of  several  volumes,  among  them  :  "  Med- 
ical  Examination    for  Life  Insurance,"  "  Insanity  ; 
Its   Causes   and    Prevention,"    and    "  Lectures  on 
Mental  Diseases."     He  is  also  the  author  of  numer- 
ous monographs  and  reports  embracing  the  results 
of  his  researches  in  morbid  psychology   and  with 
regard   to   the    condition   of   hospitals.     For   over 
twenty  years  he  has  been  a  lecturer  on  Insanity  at 
the   Yale    Medical  School.     Nor  has  Dr.  Stearns' 
vigorous   mind  confined   itself  alone  to  medicine. 
His  executive  and  business  ability  is  demonstrated 
by  the  fact  that  he  is  a  Director  in  the  Traveler's 
Insurance    Company,    in     the    Connecticut     Fire 
Insurance  Company,  in  the  Connecticut  Humane 
Society,    the    Billings    and    Spencer   Company,    a 
Trustee  of  the  Hartford  Trust  Company  and  mem- 
ber  of    the   Advisory    Board   of   the    Connecticut 
Institute  for  the  Blind.     Of  positions  more  related 
to    his   own   profession   he    is   a    member   of   the 
American     Medical     .Association,     the     American 
Medico-Psychological  Association,  of  which  he  has 
been  President,    the    New  England   Psychological 
Society,  the  Connecticut   Medical  Society,  honor- 
ary member  of    the    British    Medico-Psychological 
Association,      the      Boston     Medico-Psychological 
Society,  and    still   others.     He  is,  too,  a  member 
of   such  patriotic   organizations  as  the   Loyal   Le- 
gion, Society  of  Colonial    Wars,  and  Sons  of   the 
American    Revolution.       He    is  a  Republican    in 
politics.      Dr.   Stearns   has   thus    touched    the  life 
of  his  community  widely  and  is  one  of  Hartford's 
sterling  and  distinguished  men  who  have  brought 
honor  to  the  city  as  bringing  it  to  themselves,  and 
whose  name  is  known  far  beyond  its  limits.     He 
married    on    August  29,    1857,    Annie    Elizabeth 
Storrer,    daughter  of    Captain   James   Storrer,    of 
Glasgow,  Scotland.      They   have   had   three   chil- 
dren:    Henry   Stuart,  Ellen   Brodie,   and   Charles 
Storrer  Stearns. 


SKINNER,  William  Converse,  of  the  firm  of 
Dwight,  Skinner  &  Company,  wool  merchants,  was 
born  in  Malone,  New  York,  January  26,  1855,  son 
of  Calvin  and  Jane  Porter  (Blodgett)  Skinner.  Mr. 
Skinner's  ancestry  is  of  good  English  stock,  he 
being  eighth  in  descent  from  John  Alden  and  a 
direct  descendant  of  the  Calvin  Skinner  of  Wood- 
stock, Connecticut,  who  served  honorably  in  the 
War  of  Independence.  His  early  education  was 
received  in  the  common  and  High  schools  of  his 
native  town  ;  he  then  entered  Trinity  College,  Hart- 
ford, in  1872,  and  was  graduated  from  that  Institu- 
tion in  the  class  of  1S76.     Mr.  Skinner  first  thought 


WILLIAM   C.   SKINNER. 

of  the  law  as  a  profession,  and  with  this  in  mind 
attended  a  law  school  in  Albany,  New  York,  for  one 
year ;  but  then,  deciding  upon  a  business  career, 
he  came  to  Hartford  and  in  1882  became  a  member 
of  the  firm  of  wool  merchants  mentioned  above. 
Mr.  Skinner  held  the  post  of  Colonel  on  Governor 
Morgan  G.  Bulkeley's  staff  during  the  entire  four 
years  of  that  Governor's  administration.  He  is  a 
member  of  both  the  Hartford  and  Colonial  clubs  of 
his  city  of  residence,  and  of  the  society  of  the  Sons 
of  the  American  Revolution  and  of  Colonial  Wars. 
In  politics  he  has  always  been  a  Republican  and  has 
taken  an  active  interest  in  the  welfare  of  his  party, 
but  has  always  declined  office.     He  is  a  Director 


MEN    OF   PROGRESS. 


•59 


of  the  Connecticut  Mutual  I.ife  Insurance  Company, 
the  Hartford  Fire  Insurance  Company,  the  Pino 
nix  National  Hank,  the  Fidelity  Company,  the 
Society  for  Savings,  the  Smyth  Manufacturing 
Company,  and  is  President  of  the  Anclior  Pajicr 
Company.  On  October  20,  1880,  Mr.  Skinner 
married  Florence  Clarissa  Roberts,  daughter  of  the 
late  Ebenezer  Roberts,  of  Hartford,  one  of  the 
city's  wealthiest  and  most  respected  merchants  and 
citizens.  They  have  had  three  children  :  Marjorie 
R.,  born  August  6,  1881  ;  Roberts  Keney,  born 
October  i,  1886;  and  William  Converse  Skinner, 
Jr.,  horn  December  27,  18S8. 


dom.  He  is  noticeable  for  an  uncompromising 
honesty,  bluntly  spoken,  which  is  tempered  by  great 
kindliness  of  nature.  A  son  of  Connecticut  has 
rarely  a  position  of  wider  and  more  beneficent  influ- 
ence in  both  public  and  private  life.  He  is  recog- 
nized in  tiie  state  and  beyond  it  as  one  of  the 
rejiresenlative  men  of  New  England,  whose  high 
place  has  been  well  won.  His  (jtialities,  native  and 
develoi)ed,  fit  him  admirably  for  the  judicial  bench, 
and  in  his  present  office  his  services  are  being 
appreciated  in  a  larger  field,  as  they  were  for  years 
in  the  narrower  of  his  own  state.  In  his  family, 
which    is   socially  a    leading   one,  he   is  peculiarly 


SHIPMAN,  N.ATH.4NIEL,  Judge  of  the  Circuit 
Court,  Hartford,  was  born  in  Southbury,  Connecti- 
cut, .August  22,  1828,  son  of  Thomas  L.  and  Mary 
T.  (Deming)  Shipman.  His  ancestry  is  English  on 
both  sides.  On  his  father's  side  his  descendants 
came  to  Saybrook,  Connecticut,  in  the  colony  of 
Lords  Say  and  Seal.  A  leading  ancestor  was 
Thomas  ]-efifingwell,  prominent  as  an  Indian  war 
fighter  in  Colonial  times.  In  his  mother's  line,  he 
derives  from  the  Champions  of  Colchester,  in  the 
same  state,  who  were  active  in  the  Revolutionary 
War.  After  the  usual  school  training,  he  entered 
Yale  College,  and  was  graduated  from  that  institu- 
tion in  1848.  He  then  studied  law,  and  in  Octo- 
ber 1850  was  admitted  to  the  Bar  of  Hartford 
county,  and  began  the  practice  of  his  profession  in 
Hartford,  being  continuously  active  in  that  city  as  a 
lawyer  for  twenty-three  years.  He  was  a  member 
of  the  firm  of  Welch  &  Shipman  until  Mr.  Welch's 
death  in  1870.  On  May  i,  1873,  he  began  service 
as  District  Judge  of  Connecticut,  and  held  this 
important  position  until  March  17,  1892,  when  he 
began  to  perform  the  duties  of  a  Circuit  Judge,  an 
office  he  now  holds.  His  professional  career  has 
thus  been  increasingly  useful  and  honorable,  making 
his  name  known  far  beyond  the  boundaries  of  his 
residential  city  and  native  state.  Judge  Shipman 
in  1857  was  a  member  of  the  Connecticut  House  of 
Representatives  from  Hartford,  and  from  1858  to 
1862  was  Executive  Secretary  of  Governor  Bucking- 
ham. He  has  long  been  actively  and  deeply  inter- 
ested in  the  religious  life  of  his  community,  and  is 
a  prominent  and  much  valued  member  of  the  Con- 
gregational Church.  As  private  citizen,  lawyer  and 
judge,  he  is  universally  respected  and  esteemed  in 
Hartford,  and  wherever  he  goes,  his  name  is  a 
synonym  for  uprightness,  fair-mindedness  and  wis- 


NATHANIEL   SHIPMAN. 

blessed  and  haiipy.  His  wife  is  of  another  distin- 
guished Hartford  family,  and  his  sons  are  taking 
the  rank  in  the  legal  and  ministerial  professions 
which  might  be  expected  of  them.  In  1859,  Judge 
Shipman  married  Mary  C.  Robinson.  They  have 
had  five  children  :  Frank  R.,  Arthur  L.,  Mary  D., 
now  Mrs.  Stephen  15.  L.  Penrose,  of  Walla  Walla, 
Washington,  I'homas  L.,  who  died  in  childhood, 
and  Henry  R.  Shipman. 


STANLEY,  Frederic  North,  Secretary  of  the 
Stanley  Rule  and  Level  Company,  New  Britain, 
was  born  in  that  city  March  17,  1844,  son  of  Henry 


i6o 


MEN   OF   PROGRESS. 


and  Catharine  Amelia  (Andrews)  Stanley.  On 
both  the  paternal  and  maternal  side  he  is  a  direct 
descendant  of  Captain  John  Stanley,  son  of  John 
Stanley  the  original  emigrant  to  this  country.  Mr. 
Stanley's  grandparents  were  Amon  and  Abi  (North) 
Stanley,  and  the  successive  links  in  the  ancestral 
chain  are  as  follows :  Amon  was  son  of  Lot  and 
Rhoda  (W'adsworth)  Stanley;  Lot  was  the  son  of 
Thomas  and  Mary  (Francis)  Stanley;  Thomas  was 
son  of  Thomas  and  Esther  (Cowles)  Stanley; 
Thomas  was  son  of  Thomas  and  Anna  (Peck) 
Stanley;  Thomas  was  son  of  Captain  John  and 
Sarah  (Scott)  Stanley;  and  Captain  John  was  son 


FRED  N.   STANLEY. 

of  John  Stanley  the  original  emigrant.  His  mother's 
parents  were  Gad  and  Chloe  (Andrews)  Stanley, 
and  on  this  side  of  the  house  the  links  are  as  fol- 
lows :  Gad  was  son  of  Colonel  Gad  and  Mary  ( Judd) 
Stanley;  Colonel  Gad  was  son  of  Thomas  and 
Esther  (Cowles)  Stanley;  and  the  grandson  of 
Captain  Stanley  the  lineal  ancestor  on  the  paternal 
side  as  well.  With  the  blood  of  all  the  Stanleys 
thus  flowing  in  his  veins,  it  was  natural  that  the 
present  manufacturer  should  remain  in  his  native 
city  where  the  name  is  honored  and  respected  and 
to  whose  prosperity  the  family  has  contributed  so 
largely.  Young  Stanley  was  educated  in  the  public 
schools  of   New  liritain,  at    Dr.    Gold's   school  at 


West  Cornwall  and  at  the  Academy  at  Monson, 
Massachusetts.  The  outbreak  of  the  Civil  War 
found  him  still  in  school,  but  in  November  1861, 
when  but  seventeen  years  old,  he  enlisted  in  the 
Thirteenth  Connecticut  Volunteers  for  the  term  of 
three  years.  His  gallant  service  was  rewarded  by 
promotion,  first,  to  Second  Lieutenant  in  1863,  and 
one  year  later  as  Adjutant  in  the  same  regiment. 
Returning  from  the  war  he  at  once  began  work  for 
the  Stanley  Rule  and  Level  Company  at  New  Britain 
and  in  New  York  city.  In  1865  he  became  Assis- 
tant Secretary,  and  in  1879  was  made  Secretary, 
which  office  he  continues  to  fill  with  great  efficiency. 
Besides  the  exacting  duties  of  this  position  Mr. 
Stanley  is  a  Director  in  the  Mechanics  National 
Bank  of  New  Britain,  the  New  Britain  Gas  Light 
Company,  the  LTnion  Manufacturing  Company,  the 
New  Britain  Club,  the  Russwin  Corporation,  the 
Stanley  Works  and  the  Stanley  Rule  and  Level 
Company.  He  is  a  member  of  the  Loyal  Legion 
(N.  Y.  Commandery),  Grand  Army  of  the  Republic, 
Army  and  Navy  Club  of  Connecticut  and  the  New 
Britain  Club.  His  political  affiliations  are  with  the 
Republicans.  He  was  married  April  15,  1866,  to 
Mary  A.  Welch  who  died  leaving  one  child,  Alix 
W.  Stanley.  His  second  wife  is  Alice  S.  Moore,  to 
whom  he  was  married  November  2,  1876. 


SMITH,  Alonzo  Evander,  Builder,  Cheshire, 
was  born  in  that  town  June  8,  1835,  son  of  Orson 
B.  and  Lydia  A.  (Judd)  Smith.  His  paternal 
grandparents  were  Lemuel,  a  soldier  of  the  War  of 
i8i2,and  Loraine  (Ailing)  Smith.  His  maternal 
grandfather  was  Thomas  Judd,  a  valiant  soldier  of 
the  War  of  1812,  who  was  severely  wounded  in  the 
Battle  of  Lundy's  Lane.  The  latter  was  a  son  of 
Stephen  Judd,  a  Revolutionary  soldier.  Mr.  Smith's 
grandmother  was  Betsy  Clark  of  Wallingford,  whose 
father  Daniel  Clark  was  a  Revolutionary  soldier. 
Young  Smith  was  educated  in  the  little  red  school 
house  of  his  native  town  and  at  the  Episcopal  Acad- 
emy of  Connecticut.  As  a  boy  he  had  a  reputation 
for  being  "  quick  at  figures  "  and  his  skill  in  solving 
puzzles  and  arithmetical  problems  is  still  remem- 
bered. At  seventeen  years  of  age  he  began  to  learn 
the  carpenter's  trade  and  at  twenty-two  he  com- 
menced business  as  a  builder  in  Cheshire.  From 
1872  to  1879  he  was  in  business  as  a  manufacturer 
at  Middletown  and  Yalesville.  Since  18S8  he  has 
been  engaged  as  a  builder  in  Cheshire  and  occupies 
the  shop  which  he  built  for  himself  in   1859,  ^nd 


MEN    OF    I'ROGRESS. 


i6i 


where  he  has  gained  a  distinct  success  in  his  chosen 
occupation.  He  was  reared  a  Democrat  but 
revolted  from  President  I'ierce's  action  on  liie 
slave  question  and  cast  his  first  vote  for  "  l'"renicint 
and  Jessie  "  and  has  ever  since  sujiported  ami  voted 
the  Republican  ticket.  He  acted  as  .Assessor  for 
the  town  in  1870-71  and  in  the  following  year  was 
chosen  Rc|iresentative  in  the  Legislature.  He  was 
Selectman  in  1 88 1  and  in  1885-87.  He  was  elected 
Judge  of  Probate  in  1883  and  has  filled  tliat  office 
ever  since  with  rare  ability  and  discretion.  The 
district  included  the  towns  of  Chcshireund  Prospect, 
and   the  iiicl  that  at  the  last  election  his  oi)ponent 


ALONZO  E.  SMITH. 

received  only  si.x  votes  in  Prospect,  testifies  to  the 
appreciation  with  which  he  is  regarded  by  his  fellow- 
citizens.  Like  his  ancestors  before  him  Judge 
Smith  responded  to  the  call  of  his  country  in  the 
time  of  war,  and  on  September  8,  1862,  enlisted  as  a 
private  in  Company  A,  Twentieth  Connecticut  Vol- 
unteers, and  three  days  later  left  for  the  front.  He 
had  previously  served  in  the  Second  Regiment  of 
the  State  Militia  in  1857-58  when  the  late  Major 
General  Terry  was  Major  and  Lieutenant-Colonel 
of  the  regiment.  His  record  during  the  war  was  a 
most  honorable  one.  He  marched  every  mile  with 
his  regiment  and  partici])atcd  in  every  battle  in 
which  it  was  engaged.     After  thirty-four  months  of 


uninterrupted  service  he  was  discharged  at  the 
close  of  the  war  with  the  rank  of  Sergeant.  He  was 
a  charter  member  of  the  Grand  Army  of  the  Repub- 
lic, i'ost  \o.  5,  has  been  its  Commander  for  one 
term,  and,  with  the  exception  of  his  term  as  Comman- 
der, has  been  continuously  the  Aiijulant  of  the  Post. 
Since  1884  he  has  been  the  Secretary  of  the  Twen- 
tieth Connecticut  \"olunteer  Association.  He  joined 
the  Free  Masons  in  1885  and  has  served  as  Senior 
\\'ardcn.  He  is  not  a  member  of  any  churcli  but 
his  sympathies  are  l)road  enough  to  recognize  the 
good  in  them  all.  He  was  married  February  22, 
1859,  to  Cynthia  A.,  daughter  of  Zenas  Tolles,  of 
Plymouth.  He  was  married  to  his  second  wife, 
Mary  Simons,  of  Cheshire,  ;\pril  21,  1861.  Four 
children  were  born  to  him  :  Whitney  A.,  who  was 
married  January  13,  1892,  to  Annie  A.  Uristol,  and 
has  a  daughter  Doris  Loraine  Smith  ;  Raymond  W., 
Nettie  C  ,  and  Jennie  L.  Smith,  who  was  married 
October  17,  1888,  to  William  J.  Simons,  of  Stamford, 
Connecticut. 

SCOFIELD,  Edwin  Lewis,  Attorney-at-Law, 
Stamford,  was  born  in  that  city,  June  18,  1852,  son 
of  F>astus  Ellsworth  and  Jane  Ann  (Brown)  Scofield. 
He  is  a  lineal  descendant  of  Richard  Scofield,  one 
of  the  first  settlers  of  the  town  who  came  to  Stam- 
ford in  1640.  Edwin  L.  Scofield  was  educated  at 
the  private  schools  of  Stamford,  and  commenced 
the  study  of  law  at  the  Columbia  Law  School  where 
he  was  graduated  in  1873.  He  was  admitted  to 
the  Fairfield  County  Bar  in  September  1873,  and  on 
January  i,  1874,  formed  a  co-partnership  with  Hon. 
James  H.  Olmstead,  then  State  Attorney  for  Fair- 
field county.  This  partnership  was  continued  until 
January  i,  1880,  since  which  date  he  has  practiced 
alone.  Mr.  Scofield  has  a  clear  and  logical  mind 
and  has  been  entrusted  with  much  important  litiga- 
tion. His  politics  have  always  been  Republican. 
It  was  natural  that  the  citizens  of  his  native  city, 
recognizing  his  ability,  should  have  frequently 
honored  him  with  office.  He  was  Prosecuting 
Agent  for  Fairfield  county  from  1875  to  1880,  Cor- 
poration Counsel  of  the  Borough  of  Stamford  from 
1879  to  1882,  .Attorney  for  the  town  of  Stamford  for 
a  like  period,  member  of  the  House  of  Representa- 
tives in  1 88 1,  serving  as  Chairman  of  the  Com- 
mittee on  New  Counties  and  County  Seats,  and 
member  of  the  Senate  in  1882-83,  serving  in  both 
sessions  as  Chairman  of  the  important  Judiciary 
Committee.  During  1895-96  he  was  Mayor  of  the 
city  of  Stamford  and  is  at  present  State  Commissioner 


l62 


iMEN   OF    PROGRESS. 


of  Building  and  Loan  Associations.  This  record 
tells  its  own  story  of  successive  promotions  for 
faithful  and  capable  public  service.  Mr.  Scofield  is 
a  member  of  the  Suburban  Club  of  Stamford,  and 
of  the  Wee  Burn  C.olf  Club  of  Noroton.     Uc  was 


E.   L.   SCOFIELD. 

married  October  15,  1879,  to  .Annie  W.  Candee. 
They  have  one  child  :  Edwin  L.  Scofield,  Jr.,  born 
August  22,  1887. 


SCH  AVOIR,  Frederic,  Physician  and  Surgeon, 
Stamford,  was  born  in  Aix-la-Chapelle,  Germany, 
December  11,  1859,  son  of  Lambert  and  .\nna 
Schavoir.  He  received  a  thorough  educational 
training  in  the  schools  of  Germany  and  Belgium, 
first  attending  the  Latin  School  at  Aix-la-Chapelle, 
the  University  preparatory  college,  then  the  special 
school  for  classics  at  Brussels  and  the  Royal  Uni- 
versity of  Brussels.  During  1882-84  he  was  Surgeon 
on  the  White  Cross  Line  of  steamships  sailing  from 
Antwerp.  Coming  to  this  country  he  took  a  course 
at  the  College  of  Physicians  and  Surgeons,  Balti- 
more, where  he  was  graduated  in  1887.  In  the 
meanwhile  he  served  as  Assistant  in  the  Maryland 
Woman's  Hospital,  of  Baltimore.  Dr.  Schavoir 
settled  in  Stamford  in  1887  and  has  there  built  up  a 
most  successful  practice.  He  makes  a  specialty  of 
women's  diseases,  and  is  proprietor  and  Medical 
Director  of  the  well-known  Stamford  Sanitarium  for 


women.  Dr.  Schavoir  has  had  a  wide  and  note- 
worthy practice  in  his  specialty,  having  served  since 
1894  as  Assistant  Gynecologist  at  the  West  Side 
German  Dispensary,  New  York,  and  is  now  holding 
the  position  of  Gynecologist  at  the  Stamford  Hos- 
pital. In  1896  he  became  a  non-resident  fellow  of 
the  New  York  Academy  of  Medicine  and  in  the 
same  year  a  member  of  the  American  Electro-ther- 
apeutic Association.  During  1895-96  he  was  Health 
Officer  of  the  city  of  Stamford.  The  typhoid  epi- 
demic which  occurred  during  his  tenure  of  office 
was  very  fully  reported  by  him,  and  his  report  is 
regarded  as  the  best  on  record  covering  this  form  of 
epidemic.  Dr.  Schavoir  belongs  to  the  most  pro- 
gressive school  of  surgeons,  and  has  successfully 
performed  many  difficult  operations.  He  is  highly 
regarded  both  as  physician  and  surgeon,  and  as  a 
contributor  to  medical  publications.  At  the  last 
meeting  of  the  American  Electro-Therapeutic  Asso- 
ciation, a  national  organization  of  scientists,  he  was 


F.   SCHAVOIR. 

elected  first  Vice-President.  He  is  an  active  mem- 
ber of  the  Socie'te  Franc^aise  d'filectrotherapie,  the 
New  York  Society  for  Medical  Progress,  Connecti- 
cut State  Medical  Society,  Fairfield  County  Medical 
Society,  and  is  Vice-President  of  the  Stamford  Med- 
ical Society.  Dr.  Schavoir  is  very  partial  to  out- 
door exercise  and  belongs  to  a  number  of  athletic 


MEN    OF    I'ROC.KF.SS. 


16- 


organizations  among  which  are  the  Knickerbocker 
Athletic  Ckib,  New  York,  Stamford  Yacht  Club, 
Stamford  (lolf  Club,  Stamford  Wheel  Club,  etc. 
In  1889  he  became  affiliated  with  Union  Lodge 
No.  5  Free  and  Accepted  Masons.  On  December 
24,  1889,  he  was  married  to  Eleanor  James,  of 
Decatur,  Illinois,  a  very  acconi])lished  lady  who 
comes  of  old  Scott  county,   Kentucky,  stock. 


SYKES,  George,  Manufacturer,  Rockville,  was 
born  in  Honley,  New  Huddersfield,  Yorkshire,  Eng- 
land, April  4,  1840,  son  of  John  and  Harriott 
(Durrans)  Sykes.  Huddersfield  was  then,  and  has 
continued  to  be  to  the  present  time,  a  principal 
centre,  in  England,  of  the  woolen  manufacture, 
especially  in  fancy  coatings  and  trouserings  of  the 
best  quality.  Mr.  Sykes'  grandfathers,  paternal 
and  maternal,  were  skilled  workmen,  each  of  them 
in  the  department  of  the  woolen  manufacture,  the 
former  in  the  weaving,  and  the  latter  in  the  finish- 
ing department.  His  father,  John  Sykes,  in  his 
youth  and  early  manhood,  was  trained  to  the 
woolen  manufacture  in  all  its  branches,  and  worked 
at  it  near  Huddersfield  until  his  son  George  was 
about  eleven  years  of  age,  when  he  came  to  this 
country  and  obtained  employment  at  Millville, 
Massachusetts,  in  the  woolen  mills  of  E.  S.  Hall  & 
Company,  a  firm  which  then,  and  for  many  years 
afterwards,  enjoyed  the  highest  reputation  as  manu- 
facturers of  fancy  cassimeres.  For  many  years  be- 
fore coming  to  this  country,  George  Sykes  had  en- 
joyed the  advantage  of  attendance  at  a  national 
school ;  and  coming  with  his  parents  to  this  country 
he  became  a  pu])il  in  the  district  school  in  Millville, 
and  for  some  time  longer  pursued  his  studies,  secur- 
ing a  good  F^ngli^h  education.  When  about  fourteen 
years  of  age,  he  entered  the  mill  of  E.  S.  Hall  & 
Company  as  a  boy  in  the  carding  room.  With  a 
natural  a]5titude  for  mechanical  work  and  a  diligent 
attention  to  his  duties,  he  passed  from  one  branch 
of  the  industry  to  another,  becoming  a  weaver,  then 
loom-fixer,  and  afterwards  second  hand  in  the 
weave  room.  In  1863,  Mr.  Sykes  removed  to  Cav- 
endish, Vermont,  having  been  engaged  to  take 
charge  of  the  weaving  in  the  woolen  mill  of  that 
town,  then  belonging  to  Fred  l''ullerton  &  Com- 
pany. In  less  than  a  year  he  was  appointed  Super- 
intendent of  the  mill,  which  ])osition  he  held  for 
about  three  years.  In  1866,  he  was  invited  to  take 
the  charge,  as  Manufacturing  Manager,  of  the 
Hockanum  Mill,  and  accepting   the   appointment, 


he  immediately  removed  to  Rockville,  Connecticut, 
where  he  has  since  resided.  Under  his  manage- 
ment, the  goods  of  this  mill  became  well  known  in 
the  market,  and  today  the  name  of  the  Hockanum 
Conii)any  stands  prominent  among  the  manufactur- 
ing establishments,  which  have  secured  for  Rock- 
ville its  high  reputation  as  an  important  centre  of 
the  fine  woolen  industries  of  New  England.  In 
1S74,  the  Saxony  Mill,  at  Rockville,  was  bought 
and  filled  with  looms,  and  became  part  of  the 
Hockanum  Company.  In  1879,  George  Maxwell 
and  Mr.  Sykes  bought  the  New  F^ngland  Company's 
Mill,  reorganized  it,  and  made  it  into  a  joint  stock 


GEO.  SYKES. 

company.  In  1886,  the  Springville  Manufacturing 
Comjjany's  stock  was  bought  by  Mr.  Maxwell  and 
Mr.  Sykes,  and  is  now  being  operated  under  the  old 
charter,  the  old  mill  being  removed  and  a  new 
modern  mill  erected  on  its  site,  being  considered 
one  of  the  best  equipped  and  successful  woolen 
mills  of  its  kind  in  the  country.  Mr.  Sykes  is  Pres- 
ident of  the  three  mentioned  corporations  —  Hock- 
anum Company,  New  England  Company  and 
Springville  Manufacturing  Company.  All  of  these 
mills  manufacture  fancy  cassimeres  and  worsted 
goods  for  men's  wear.  The  Hockanum  Company 
has  a  capital  of  three  hundred  thousand  dollars,  ten 
sets  of  cards  and  one  hundred  and  sixty-two  broad 


■  64 


MEN    OF   PROGRESS. 


looms.  This  company  was  organized  in  1833,  with 
two  sets  of  woolen  machinery  for  tlie  manufacture 
of  satinets,  which  was  its  product  until  1858,  when 
the  manufacture  of  all-wool  fancy  cassimeres  was 
commenced.  Since  then,  the  aim  of  the  company 
has  been  to  make  high  grade  cassimeres,  in  both 
material  and  style.  For  this  purpose,  the  finest 
native  and  imported  wools  have  been  selected.  In 
1873,  the  company  sent  a  number  of  pieces  of  its 
goods  to  the  Vienna  Exposition  to  compete  with 
foreign  makes,  and  were  awarded  a  medal  for  the 
superiority  of  its  manufacture.  At  the  Philadelphia 
Exposition,  in  1876,  an  award  was  given  to  the 
company's  exhibit  ior  "a  superb  display  of  fancy 
cassimeres  and  worsted  suitings,  excellent  in  all 
respects."  At  the  World's  Columbian  Exposition, 
in  1893,  the  products  of  the  mills  were  greatly 
admired  by  foreign  experts,  and  others,  and  were 
given  an  award  on  fancy  cassimeres  "  for  beautiful, 
fine  and  even  spinning,  excellent  designs  and 
beauty  of  finish  "  ;  and  on  worsteds  "  for  beautiful 
new  designs,  splendid  colorings  and  excellent 
finish."  Mr.  Henry  Latzko,  the  Imperial  Commis- 
sioner of  .Austria  to  this  exposition,  a  successful 
worsted  manufacturer  at  Brunn,  and  one  of  the 
judges  on  textile  exhibits,  pronounced  the  goods  of 
the  company  equal  in  every  respect  to  the  best 
made  in  Europe.  The  New  England  Company  has 
a  capital  of  two  hundred  and  forty  thousand  dollars, 
nine  sets  of  cards,  and  one  hundred  and  nine  broad 
looms.  It  was  organized  in  1837  for  the  manufac- 
ture of  satinets,  but,  in  1842,  the  product  of  the 
mill  was  changed  over  to  fancy  cassimeres,  for 
which  Cronipton  looms  were  put  in.  In  1879,  the 
manufacture  of  worsted  goods  was  commenced. 
The  fabrics  made  by  the  mill  rank  among  the  best 
in  the  country.  The  Springville  Manufacturing 
Company  is  a  recent  organization,  having  a  capital 
of  two  hundred  and  fifty  thousand  dollars,  five  sets 
of  cards,  and  one  hundred  and  fourteen  broad 
looms.  The  present  mill  was  built  in  1886.  This 
company  furnished  the  cloth  for  the  suit  of  clothes 
worn  by  President  Harrison  on  the  occasion  of  his 
inauguration  in  March  1889.  Mr.  Sykes  is  a  Direc- 
tor in  the  Rockville  National  Bank,  Rockville  Sav- 
ings Bank,  Rockville  Aqueduct  Water  Power  Com- 
pany, and  the  Rockville  Railway.  In  politics  he  is 
a  Republican.  He  was  a  presidential  elector  in 
1892,  and  a  delegate  to  the  Republican  Convention 
in  St.  Louis  in  1896,  but  has  never  accepted  public 
office.  He  was  married  in  1864,  to  Sarah  A.  Frit- 
ton,  of  Cavendish,  Vermont.    They  have  four  chil- 


dren :  Lizzie  M.,  wife  of  Charles  E.  Bond,  of  Brook- 
line,  Massachusetls ;  Eva  L.,  wife  of  Everett  J. 
Lake,  of  Hartford ;  Elsie  E.  and  George  E.  Sykes. 


TINKER,  William  Richard,  Physician  and 
Surgeon,  South  Manchester,  Connecticut,  was  born 
in  Tolland,  Massachusetts,  August  8,  1853,  son  of 
William  and  Emily  Catherine  (Slocum)  Tinker. 
On  both  the  paternal  and  maternal  sides  his  ances- 
tors were  of  good  old  New  England  stock.  He  is 
the  seventh  descendant  from  Thomas  Tinker  who 
came     over     in    the     Mayflower.      John    Tinker, 


W.   R.  TINKER. 

his  son,  was  the  Governor-General  of  the  New 
London  Colony.  Dr.  Tinker's  mother  belongs  to 
one  of  the  well-known  New  England  families  of 
Slocums,  her  mother  being  a  direct  descendant  from 
Colonel  Timothy  Robinson,  a  Revolutionary  soldier 
of  distinction.  The  prospective  physician  first 
attended  the  South  Berkshire  Institute  at  New 
Marlboro,  Massachusetts,  and  the  Wesleyan  Acad- 
emy at  Wilbraham,  Massachusetts.  He  then  took 
the  course  in  the  Medical  Department  of  the 
University  of  the  city  of  New  York  where  he  was 
graduated  in  1880.  Immediately  after  graduation 
he  came  to  South  Manchester,  Connecticut,  where 
he  has  remained  in  the  active  and  successful  prac- 


MKX    OF    PROGRESS. 


165 


tice  of  his  profession.  Dr.  Tinker  has  the  confi- 
dence and  esteem  of  his  fellow  citizens  who  in 
1897  elected  him  to  represent  them  in  the  Legisla- 
ture. His  ])olitical  affiliations  are  with  the  Repub- 
licans. He  is  a  member  of  the  Masons,  Odd 
Fellows,  the  Red  Men  and  the  .-\ncient  Order 
of  United  Workmen,  besides  belonging  to  the 
county  and  state  medical  societies.  He  was  mar- 
ried September  12,  1888,  to  Eugenie  A.  Sault,  of 
South  Manchester.  Two  children  have  been  born 
to  them:  William  Richard,  Jr  ,  and  Mary  Emily 
Tinker. 

TAYLOR,  Thomas  Porter,  Manufacturer  and 
Mayor  of  Bridgeport,  was  born  in  Philadelphia, 
Pennsylvania,  August  29,  1S57,  son  of  Alfred  and 
Agnes  (Grier)  Taylor.  His  father  was  a  Presby- 
terian clergyman.  Through  his  mother  he  is  de- 
scended from  General  Andrew  Porter,  a  gallant 
officer  of  the  Revolution.  He  was  educated  in  the 
Hastings  Academy  of  Philadelphia  and  the  Brook- 
lyn Polytechnic  Institute,  and  was  graduated  from 
Packard's  Business  College,  New  York  city,  in  1S75. 
With  this  good  equipment  for  a  business  life  he 
began  work  the  same  year  as  a  clerk  in  New  York 
city.  After  two  years  in  this  position  he  came  to 
Bridgeport  in  1877  and  became  a  bookkeeper  in 
one  of  the  local  corset  factories.  His  position 
drew  his  attention  to  the  making  of  corsets  and 
other  similar  goods,  and  he  soon  began  to  take  out 
patents  for  these  articles  and  for  improved  machin- 
ery for  their  manufacture.  Altogether  he  has  taken 
out  nearly  one  hundred  patents,  the  most  famous  of 
which  is,  perhaps,  the  Taylor  Folding  Bustle, 
invented  in  1887.  In  the  same  year  he  started  in 
business  for  himself,  making  dress  steels,  hose- 
supporters,  bustles  and  many  other  articles  of 
woman's  wear.  At  the  factory  on  Harrall  avenue 
four  hundred  people  are  given  employment  and  the 
business  is  recognized  as  the  leading  one  in  its  line. 
Mr.  Taylor  is  a  large  advertiser.  He  attends 
closely  to  the  details  of  the  manufacture,  but  at  the 
same  time  keeps  closely  in  touch  with  his  custom- 
ers through  frequent  business  trips  through  the 
South  and  West.  He  is  a  thorough  business  man 
and  possesses  that  rare  combination  of  executive 
ability  and  inventive  skill.  Mr.  Taylor's  political 
affiliations  are  with  the  Republicans.  For  many 
years  he  has  been  a  member  of  the  Executive  Com- 
mittee of  the  Republican  Club.  He  is  a  man  of 
genial  and  frank  personality  and  through  his  per- 
sonal  popularity    and    acknowledged    ability    and 


integrity  has  always  proved  a  strong  candidate  at 
the  polls.  He  was  elected  Mayor  of  Bridgeport  in 
.April  1897  by  a  Republican  majority  of  eleven  hun- 
dred and  ninety-seven,  in  a  city  which  usually  goes 
Democratic  by  fully  that  majority.  His  election  was 
a  tribute  to  his  personal  worth  and  a  deserved 
endorsement  of  his  past  record,  having  served  in 
1882-83,  and  again  in  1892-93,  as  a  member  of 
the  Common  Council.  He  is  a  forceful  and  easy 
speaker.  In  1893  as  a  member  of  the  Railroad 
("ommittee  he  led  the  minority  and  was  successful 
in  defeating  the  plan  of  the  New  York,  New  Haven 
&    Hartford   Railroad  to  dejiress  their  tracks  west 


THOS.    p.  TAYLOR. 

of  Park  avenue.  He  has  been  a  strong  opponent 
of  the  American  Protective  .Association  in  politics 
and  in  the  famous  revolt  of  the  Independent  Re- 
publicans against  the  American  Protective  Asso- 
ciation in  1895,  was  chairman  of  the  Independents. 
He  is  a  good  fighter  yet  gains  the  respect  of  his 
opponent  by  his  fair  and  straightforward  methods. 
Mr.  Taylor  is  President  of  the  Algonquin  Club, 
a  member  of  the  Seaside  and  County  clubs, 
the  Board  of  Trade,  St.  John's  Lodge  of  Masons, 
Hamilton  Commandery  of  Knights  Templar,  Lafay- 
ette Consistory,  Thirty- second  degree,  Poquonnock 
Lodge  of  Odd  Fellows,  and  the  Sons  of  the  Revo- 
lution.    Mr.  Taylor  is  a  large  property  owner  and 


1 66 


MEN    OF   PROGRESS. 


tax  payer  and  his  liaiulsonie  residence  is  located 
on  Park  place.  He  was  married  in  January  1878, 
to  Alma  Augusta  Hammond,  of  Marathon,  New 
York.     They  have  one  son  :  Harry  H.  Taylor. 


WHITNEY,  A.Mos,  Manufacturer,  of  the  firm  of 
Pratt  &  Whitney,  Hartford,  was  born  in  Biddeford, 
Maine,  October  8,  1832,  son  of  Aaron  and  Rebecca 
(Perkins)  Whitney.  The  Whitney  family  traces  back 
to  John  Whitney,  who  came  from  England  and  settled 
in  Watertown,  Massachusetts,  in  1635.  One  ances- 
tor, Jonathan,  served  in  I^ing  Philip's  War  in  1676, 


AMOS    WHITNEY. 

and  a  later  Whitney,  Jonathan,  son  of  Jonathan, 
was  an  officer  in  the  Revolutionary  War  in  the 
Commissary  Department,  a  man  of  marked  mechan- 
ical ability.  Ever  since,  the  Whitneys  have  been 
skilled  mechanics,  so  that  the  present  distinguished 
representative,  Amos,  conies  by  his  tastes  and  abil- 
ity naturally.  He  was  educated  at  the  common 
schools  of  Saccarappa,  Maine,  and  Exeter,  New 
Hampshire,  but  began  the  training  for  what  was  to 
be  his  life  work  early,  at  the  age  of  fourteen  years 
entering  the  employ  of  the  Essex  Machine  Com- 
pany in  Lawrence,  Massachusetts,  and  thoroughly 
mastering  the  machinists'  trade.  Mr.  Whitney 
came  to  Hartford  in  1850  and  worked  for  ten  years 


for  the  Plucnix  Iron  Company,  getting  much  valu- 
able experience.  Before  he  left  this  company,  he, 
in  connection  with  F.  A.  Pratt,  formed  a  firm  for 
the  manufacture  of  machinists'  tools  and  from  this, 
in  a  modest  way,  they  started  what  is  now  the  great 
business  of  Pratt  &  Whitney,  manufacturers  of 
machinists'  tools  and  special  machinery,  one  of  the 
notable  industries  of  Hartford  today,  and  having  a 
reputation  both  at  home  and  abroad.  Mr.  Whitney 
is  the  Superintendent  of  this  complex  and  impor- 
tant organization  To  his  business  he  has  devoted 
all  his  time,  energy  and  talent  and  has  felt  little 
inclination  for  outside  activity.  He  enjoys  home 
life  and  has  declined  participation  in  political  affairs 
though  a  consistent  Republican  and  always  inter- 
ested in  the  welfare  of  his  party.  He  is  one  of  the 
solid  representative  self-made  men  of  Hartford,  a 
credit  to  himself  and  to  the  community  which  is 
the  seat  of  his  great  business  life.  A  firm  like  Pratt 
&  Whitney  does  an  incalculable  amount  towards 
the  natural  prosperity  of  a  town,  and  Hartford  owes 
much  to  Mr.  Whitney  for  his  long  and  conspicuously 
successful  work  in  building  up  such  an  industry. 
On  September  8,  1856,  Mr.  Whitney  married  Laura 
Johnson.  Their  three  children  are :  Nellie  Hor- 
tense,  who  died  on  June  8,  1865,  Nettie  Louise, 
aged  thirty-two,  and  Clarence  Edgar  Whitney,  aged 
twenty  seven. 

YOUNG,  Alden  March,  President  of  the  New 
England  Engineering  Company,  of  Waterbury,  Con- 
necticut, was  born  in  Hadley,  New  York,  September 
6,  1853,  son  of  William  S.  and  Esther  (Kilbourne) 
Young.  His  paternal  ancestors  were  of  Scotch 
descent,  and  his  mother's  family,  the  Kilbournes, 
were  among  the  earliest  settlers  in  New  England, 
his  grandparents  making  their  home  in  New  Hart- 
ford. Connecticut,  where  his  mother  was  born. 
Alden  March  Young  received  his  education  in  the 
common  schools,  and  on  leaving  school  he  immedi- 
ately began  active  life  by  entering  the  employ  of 
the  Atlantic  &  Pacific  Telegraph  Company,  with 
which  company  he  remained  several  years,  holding 
many  responsible  positions  in  Albany,  Syracuse, 
Buffalo  and  New  York  city,  and  before  he  reached 
his  twenty-fifth  year  he  was  acting  as  Manager  for 
the  company  at  Buffalo,  New  York.  In  1878,  Mr. 
Young  came  to  Waterbury,  Connecticut,  and  organ- 
ized the  telephone  company  of  that  city.  Mr. 
Young's  unusual  executive  ability,  combined  with 
his  knowledge  of  modern  science,  has  been  recog- 
nized and  called  into  service  by  the  city  and  state 


Mi:X    OK    I'KOC.RESS. 


167 


of  his  adoption  a?id  he  holds  many  responsible  ]iosi-  early  boyhood  on  the  farm,  and  from  the  age  of 
tions  ;  lie  is  President  of  tiie  Central  Railway  and  twehe  until  he  was  sixteen  worked  iii)on  the  farm, 
Electric  Company  of  New  Britain,  Secretary  of  the  during  the  summer,  spring  and  fall,  attending  the 
Waterbury  Traction  Company,  President  of  the  New  \  illage  school  for  three  months  during  the  winter. 
England  ICngineering  Company  of  Waterbury,  and      At  the  age  of  sixteen  lie  found  employment  at  the 

trade  of  carriage-body  making  in  the  old  Nichols 
carriage  sho|)  at  Nichols  ]'"arms.  He  soon  became 
a  skilled  workman,  and  deciding  to  go  West,  went 
to  Soutli  Bend,  Indiana,  where  he  found  work  in 
the  carriage  shops  of  that  city.  His  health,  how- 
ever, broke  down  and  he  was  compelled  to  return 
East.  For  a  time  he  became  a  teacher  of  drawing 
at  New  Britain  and  Harwinton,  Connecticut.  In 
1858  he  entered  the  needle  department  of  the 
Wheeler  &  Wilson  Manufacturing  Company,  in 
wiiich  business  he  has  continued  for  a  period  of 
forty  years.  His  only  leave  of  absence  during  this 
period  was  taken  at  the  call  of  his  country.  He 
enlisted  for  a  three  months'  service  in  the  First 
Regiment  Connecticut  \'olnnteers,  at  the  beginning 


A.    M.    YOUf.'G. 

an  officer  in  eight  other  electric  and  gas  companies 
in  the  state  of  Connecticut,  and  five  large  com- 
panies in  the  states  of  New  York  and  New  Jersey. 
In  politics  Mr.  Young  is  a  Republican,  but  has 
never  accepted  political  office.  He  was  married 
May  7,  1874,  to  Ellen  Antoinette  Shepardson. 
They  have  four  children  :  Olive  N.,  I'lla  -S.,  I.ucy  C. 
and  Elizabeth  K.  Young. 


BEERS,  Philo  M.,  Manufacturer,  Bridgeport, 
was  born  in  Cornwall,  Connecticut,  July  23,  1835, 
son  of  Alpheus  and  Tabitha  C.  (Lewis)  Beers. 
He  comes  of  good  old  New  t^ngland  stock  on  both 
the  maternal  and  paternal  side.  His  father  was  a 
tailor,  a  conscientious  and  accomplished  workman, 
from  whom  he  inherits  not  only  an  ability  for 
thorough  work  but  an  executive  capacity  for  large 
undertakings.  His  mother  was  a  sister  of  Henry 
C.  Lewis,  many  times  Mayor  of  New  Haven,  whose 
citizens  have  honored  his  memory  by  a  monument 
erected    on    East   Rock.     Young    Beers   spent   his 


p.  M,    BEERS. 

of  the  war  and,  with  his  comrades,  was  the  first  to 
leave  the  state  at  the  first  call  for  troojis.  Mr. 
Beers  has  devoted  his  time  and  ingenuity  to  the 
manufacture  and  improvement  of  the  sewing  ma- 
chine needle.  From  the  time  that  Elias  Howe  hit 
upon  the  idea  of  putting  the  eye  of  the  needle  at 
the    point,  until    the    present    period  of    ingenious 


i68 


MEN   OF    PROGRESS. 


machinery  and  automatic  devices,  Mr.  Beers  has 
followed  this  specialized  business  with  unvarying 
intelligence,  fidelity  and  success.  Tlie  firm  of  P. 
M.  lieers  &  Son  is  located  in  a  building  directly 
opposite  the  main  shop  of  the  Wheeler  &  Wilson 
Company  and  now  furnishes  the  entire  needle  prod- 
uct of  that  company.  Mr.  Beers  has  always  been 
a  staunch  Republican  in  politics,  and  was  a  mem- 
ber of  the  city  council  of  Bridgeport  for  two  terms. 
For  five  years  he  belonged  to  Company  K,  Con- 
necticut National  Cuards,  when  the  company  was 
located  at  Stratford.  He  is  an  ( )<lcl  Fellow,  a 
Thirty-second  degree  Mason,  and  a  member  of  the 
Roof  Tree  Club  of  East  Bridgeport.  He  was  mar- 
ried October  12,  1S61,  to  Augusta  S.  Hubbard, 
daughter  of  Timothy  S.  Hubbard,  sea  captain  and 
shipbuilder  of  East  Haddam,  Connecticut.  Mrs. 
Beers  is  a  most  estimable  woman,  and  in  their 
elegant  home  on  Kossuth  street,  is  ever  a  generous 
and  entertaining  hostess.  Five  children  are  the 
result  of  this  union  :  Mrs.  Fanny  Richards  of 
Albany,  New  York;  Mrs.  Calesta  Winter  of  New 
Haven ;  John  W.  H.  Beers,  the  associate  of  his 
father  in  business;  Eleanor  Lewis  and  Esther  Beers. 


CURTIS,  Julius  Bolivar,  Lawyer,  Stamford,  w-as 
born  in  Newtown,  Connecticut,  December  10,  1825, 
son  of  Nichols  and  Sarah  .Ann  (Bennitt)  Curtis.  He 
traces  his  ancestry  back  to  Captain  William  Curtis 
of  Stratford,  Connecticut,  whose  son  was  Captain 
Josiah  Curtis  of  the  same  town.  The  latter's  son 
was  Benjamin  Curtis  who  first  settled  Newtown. 
From  him  the  line  descends  to  a  second  Benjamin 
Curtis,  great-grandfather  of  the  subject  of  this  sketch, 
to  Philo  Curtis,  his  grandfather,  also  a  resident  of 
Newtown.  Young  Curtis  was  educated  in  the  pub- 
lic schools  of  his  native  town,  finishing  with  the 
academy  and  a  private  school.  He  then  began  the 
study  of  law,  and  was  admitted  to  the  Bar  Decem- 
ber 27,  1850.  In  June  1851  he  commenced  the 
practice  of  law  in  Greenwich,  Connecticut,  but 
removed  to  Stamford  in  November  1864.  He  has 
practiced  successfully  in  the  State  and  United  States 
Courts,  and  is  recognized  as  one  of  the  oldest  and 
most  respected  lawyers  in  the  county.  He  was  one 
of  the  Burgesses  of  the  Borough  of  Greenwich  from 
185s  to  1865,  and  Borough  Attorney  during  the 
same  period.  He  was  a  member  of  the  State  Sen- 
ale  in  1858  and  i860,  during  the  latter  session 
being  senior  member  and  Ex-ofificio  member  of  the 
Corporation  of  Yale   College.     During  the  war  he 


served  from  1861  to  1864  as  Military  Committee  of 
the  town  of  Greenwich.  In  1867  he  was  elected 
Judge  of  Probate  for  the  district  of  Stamford,  and 
served  until  1870.  F'rom  1887  to  1893  he  was 
Judge  of  the  Borough  Court  of  Stamford.  Judge 
Curtis  has  been  a  Republican  since  the  organization 
of  the  party.  His  political  allegiance  dates  back 
however  to  the  Free  Soil  Party  and  later  to  the 
American  Party  with  both  of  w^iich  movements  he 
was  in  sympathy.  He  has  been  a  member  of  the 
General  Council  of  the  American  Bar  Association 
since  1889,  and  from  1885  to  1889  served  as  one 
of  the  Vice-Presidents.     He  has  been  a  Director  in 


JULIUS   B.   CURTIS. 

the  Stamford  Street  Railroad  Company  since  1887. 
Judge  Curtis  has  been  twice  married.  His  first 
wife  was  Mary  Acker,  to  whom  he  was  married 
October  30,  1854,  and  who  died  February  23,  1884. 
By  this  union  were  two  children:  Louis  J.  Curtis 
and  Sarah  L.,  now  Mrs.  Sarah  L,  Mackey.  He 
was  a  second  time  married  May  11,  1886,  to  Mrs. 
Alice  (Kneeland)  Grain. 


CALHOUN,  John  Edward,  Farmer  and  Town 
Treasurer  of  Cornwall,  was  born  in  New  York  city, 
December  5,  1859,  son  of  John  Clark  and  Sarah 
Maria    (Warner)   Calhoun.     His  father's  ancestors 


MEN    OF    I'KOC.RF.SS. 


169 


were  of  Scotch  descent  and  early  settlers  of  Strat- 
ford. From  there  some  members  of  the  family 
moved  to  "  ancient  Woodbury  "  in  what  is  now  the 
town  of  Washington  where  Dr.  John  Calhoun  was  a 
well  known  physician.  His  son,  Deacon  Jedediah 
Calhoun,  removed  to  Cornwall  Bridge,  wliere  John 
C.  Calhoun,  the  father  of  the  subject  of  this  sketch 
was  born.  The  latter  went  into  business  at  Ply- 
mouth, Connecticut,  and  later  formed  a  partnership 
in  New  York  city,  under  the  firm  name  of  Calhoim, 
Robbins  &  Company,  in  which  business  he  ac- 
quired a  large  fortune.  Young  Calhoun  was  edu- 
cated in  a  prixate  school  in  New  York  city  and  by 


JOHN    E.  CALHOUN. 

a  private  tutor.  He  then  spent  two  years  in  the 
Columbia  School  of  Mines  which  was  followed  by  a 
two-years  course  at  the  Yale  Sheffield  Scientific 
School.  Though  not  studying  for  a  degree,  he  was 
honored  by  the  University  with  a  degree  several 
years  later.  To  a  university  training  he  added  the 
hardly  less  valuable  educational  experience  of 
travel.  He  visited  the  West  and  South,  saw  Egypt 
and  Palestine,  and  spent  a  year  in  Europe.  He 
had  inherited  from  his  father  the  summer  residence 
in  Cornwall,  and  in  1883  he  jiurchased  a  farm  of 
five  hundred  acres  in  that  town,  which  he  is  culti- 
vating by  the  most  intelligent  and  progressive 
methods.      He  takes  pride  in   a   choice   grade    of 


slock  and  with  both  wealth  and  intelligence  at  his 
command  he  takes  pleasure  in  carrying  on  that 
much  neglected  industry,  a  New  England  farm. 
The  pro]ierty  includes  a  fine  pine  grove  and  one  of 
the  most  beautiful  mountain  valleys  in  the  state,  and 
upon  it  are  located  a  saw-mill,  planing  mill  and 
shingle  mill.  Mr.  Calhoun  has  also  an  interest  in 
the  Cornwall  Creamery  which  is  famous  for  the  ex- 
cellence of  its  products.  He  was  elected  to  his 
jiresent  office  of  Town  Treasurer  in  1895  on  the 
Republican  ticket.  For  many  years  he  has  been 
actively  interested  in  movements  for  the  reform 
and  purification  of  political  methods.  He  is  recog- 
nized as  a  conspicuously  public- spirited  citizen, 
whose  time  and  purse  are  ever  generously  given  to 
every  worthy  enterprise.  He  has  been  a  leading 
supporter  of  the  Cornwall  Cemetery  Association, 
Yillage  Improvement  Society,  Library  Association, 
church,  Sunday-school,  Housatonic  Valley  Institute, 
and  Ecclesiastical  Society,  in  all  of  which  he  has 
served  in  some  official  capacity.  He  has  won  both 
popularity  and  esteem  from  his  fellow  townsmen. 
He  is  recognized  as  a  careful,  conservative  investor, 
and  a  capable  business  man.  He  has  acted  as 
Trustee  of  many  large  estates.  Mr.  Calhoun  re- 
tains his  connection  with  his  early  friends  by  his 
membership  in  the  University  Club  of  New  York, 
and  the  Graduates  Club  of  New  Haven.  His  only 
brother  is  Henry  W.  Calhoun,  a  prominent  young 
lawyer  and  club  man  of  New  York  city.  He  was 
married  in  New  York  city  April  28,  1896,  to  Mar- 
jorie  Rowena,  daughter  of  Rev.  F.  F.  Ellinwood, 
1).  1).,  Secretary  of  the  Presbyterian  Board  of  For- 
eign Missions.  'I'hey  have  one  daughter:  Jean 
Ellinwood  Calhoun. 


FLINT,  George  Wilus,  Managing  Editor  of  the 
Danbury  News,  Danbury,  was  born  in  St.  Johnsbury, 
\'ermont,  November  5,  1853,  son  of  Loami  15.  and 
Mary  B.  Flint.  He  has  been  connected  witli  news- 
]}aper  work  from  boyhood.  Starting  at  the  bottom 
of  the  ladder  through  his  intelligence  and  industry 
he  has  made  himself  editor  and  part  owner  of  one 
of  New  England's  most  famous  newsiiajiers.  At  the 
age  of  sixteen  he  commenced  to  learn  the'printer's 
trade  in  the  office  of  the  St.  Johnsbury  Times.  Two 
years  later  he  found  employment  in  the  office  of 
the  Record  and  I'anner  of  Brattleboro.  There  he 
remained  until  1873  when  he  came  to  Danbury, 
Connecticut,  and  found  a  jjosition  on  the  Danbury 
News.     He  first  filled  various  places  in  the  mechan- 


I/O 


MEN    OF   PROGRESS. 


ical  department  of  the  News,  but  in  1880  became  ary  pensioner  whose  father,  in  turn,  was  Captain 
a  reporter  and  soon  afterwards  City  Editor.  In  Samuel  Frisbie  of  Ikanford,  Connecticut.  The 
1888  he  was  transferred  to  the  business  manage-  subject  of  our  sketch  was  reared  in  his  native  town 
ment  of  the  paper,  and  in  a  few  years  the  entire  and  received  his  early  education  in  the  public 
business    management    devolved  upon    him.       In      schools,  and  later  attended   the  Lewis  Academy  of 

that  place.  He  was  brought  up,  as  so  many  robust 
representatives  of  New  England  who  have  since  won 
distinction  were,  as  a  farmer's  boy.  He,  however, 
left  the  farm  at  an  early  age  and  for  three  years 
devoted  himself  to  school- teaching.  But  with  a 
conscientiousness,  as  rare  as  it  is  invaluable  (though 
in  this  case  unduly  exacting,  we  are  sure),  he  relin- 
quished his  position  as  a  teacher  from  the  inner 
~3fc  flMj^^^^H  conviction  that  he  was  not   properly  fitted  for  that 

vocation  ;  giving  up  a  congenial  and  remunerative 
calling  for  one  that  was  neither  the  one  nor  the  other. 
This  latter  was  in  the  form  of  mechanical  employ- 
ment and  Mr.  Fri.ibie  received  for  his  first  services 


GEO,   W.   FLINT. 

March  1893,  upon  the  death  of  J.  M.  Bailey,  the 
famous  Dansburj'  News  man,  Mr.  Flint  was  be- 
(|ueathed  an  interest  in  the  paper,  and  soon  after- 
wards upon  the  death  of  one  of  the  owners,  he 
became  half  owner  of  the  News.  The  paper  is  now 
owned  and  published  by  the  firm  of  Flint  &  Smith, 
of  which  Mr.  Flint  is  senior  member.  He  is  also 
the  efficient  managing  editor  and  devotes  his  entire 
time  to  the  interests  of  the  journal.  Mr.  Flint  has 
never  taken  any  personal  part  in  politics.  He  is  a 
member  of  a  number  of  the  fraternal  organizations 
of  the  city.  He  was  married  in  1S81  to  Ida  A. 
Smith.     They  have  no  children. 


FRISBIE,  Samuel,  Director  and  Treasurer  of 
the  Upson  Nut  Company,  Unionville,  was  born  at 
Southington,  Connecticut,  February  21,  1838,  son 
of  Samuel  Frisbie  of  the  same  jilace,  and  Martha 
(Atwater)  Frisbie,  formerly  of  Wallingford,  Con- 
necticut. Mr.  Frisbie's  grandfather  was  Ichabod 
Cullpepper  Frisbie  of  Southington,   a  Revolution- 


SAMUEL    FRISBIE. 

thirteen  dollars  a  month,  a  sum  our  fastidious  youths 
of  today  would  regard  with  scorn,  but  which  this 
more  sturdy  character  accepted  with  cheerfulness  and 
worked  for  with  energy.  In  July  i86o  he  became 
connected  with  a  manufactory  of  bolts  and  nuts  in 
Unionville,  Connecticut,  as  book-keeper,  the  firm 
subsequently  becoming  the  Upson  Nut  Company, 
and  now  being  carried  on  under  that  name.  Mr. 
Frisbie's  sterling  qualities,  his  ability  and  integrity, 


MEN   OF   PROGRESS. 


171 


were  not  long  left  unrecognized  for  on  March  6, 
1866,  he  was  created  Director  and  Treasurer  of  the 
aforesaid  company  and  has  held  those  responsible 
positions  ever  since.  Mr.  Frisbie  wa.s  a  member  of 
the  General  Assembly  in  1877-78-79,  1885  and 
1897,  a  record  that  needs  no  comment,  amply  speak- 
for  itself,  and  he  has  held  chairmanship  of  the  fol- 
lowing committees  :  Railroads,  Insurance,  and  twice 
of  Appropriations  and  other  minor  committees  in 
the  Assembly.  In  politics  Mr.  Frisbie  has  always 
been  associated  with  the  Republitran  party  and  has 
held  important  positions  in  connection  with  town 
offices  under  its  administration.  He  has  been  a 
member  of  the  School  Boards,  as  well  as  of  various 
societies  connected  with  the  Congregational  Churcli 
of  Unionville,  Connecticut,  with  which  he  is  prom- 
inently identified.  It  was  upon  Christmas  day  in 
the  year  1863  that  Mr.  Frisbie  was  united  to  Miss 
Minerva  M.  Langdon,  of  Unionville,  Connecticut. 
They  have  had  no  children. 


RUSSELL,  Thomas  Wright,  President  of  the 
Connecticut  General  Life  Insurance  Company, 
Hartford,  was  born  in  Greenfield,  Massachusetts, 
May  22,  1824,  son  of  Charles  and  Adaline  (Nash) 
Russell.  His  ancestors  were  of  English  descent 
and  on  the  paternal  side  Mr.  Russell  has  traced 
back  his  record  in  a  direct  line  for  some  eight  hun- 
dred years.  He  was  educated  in  the  common 
schools,  supplementing  this  by  two  terms  in  an 
academy  and  much  private  study,  for  Mr.  Russell 
is  naturally  a  lover  of  books,  and  by  subsequent 
reading,  travel  and  observation  has  made  himself 
a  man  widely  informed  and  possessing  genuine 
culture.  He  began  his  practical  life  by  going 
into  the  drygoods  business  in  Mystic,  Connecticut, 
but  after  six  years  of  this  experience,  no  doubt 
useful  in  its  way,  came  to  Hartford  in  1856  and 
entered  upon  a  long  career  of  honorable  activity  in 
insurance  interests.  For  eighteen  months  he  trav- 
eled for  the  Charter  Oak  Life  Insurance  Company 
as  its  General  .Agent,  and  in  November  1857  "''i^ 
elected  Vice-President  of  the  Company,  remaining 
until  October  1864,  when  he  was  induced  to  enter 
the  service  of  the  Connecticut  Mutual  Company. 
While  with  that  company  its  directors  obtained  a 
charter  for  the  Connecticut  General  Life  Insurance 
Company,  which  was  organized  primarily  to  insure 
at  adequate  rates  those  declined  by  other  com- 
panies as  not  first-class  risks.  Mr.  Russell  was 
asked  to   take   the  management  of  this    company. 


which  he  accepted  after  enlarging  its  scope  so  as 
not  to  be  limited  to  impaired  risks.  He  remained 
Secretary  of  the  company  for  ten  years,  and  for 
twenty-one  years  has  been  its  much  respected  and 
efficient  President.  Under  his  management  the 
company  has  steadily  developed  and  taken  rank  as 
one  of  the  safe,  conservative  and  relialile  institu- 
tions of  the  city  and  country.  In  the  military, 
political,  religious  and  social  life  of  this  city,  he  has 
also  been  active  and  prominent.  A  Republican 
with  independent  leanings,  he  was  a  Representative 
in  the  Legislature  from  Stonington  and  for  three 
years  a  member  of  the  Common  Council  in  Hart- 


THOS.   W.   RUSSELL. 

ford,  being  also  a  valued  member  of  the  First 
Comj^any  of  (}overnor's  Foot  Guards,  an  historic 
military  organization.  For  thirty  years  he  had  been 
a  member  of  the  Hartford  City  Mission  Society 
and  furthered  its  interests  by  his  help  and  counsel, 
and  for  many  years  an  influential  member  of  the 
Park  Congregational  Church  of  which  he  has  been 
a  deacon  for  more  than  thirty  years.  He  is  a  mem- 
ber of  the  Hartford  Colonial  Club.  In  all  these 
different  functions  and  capacities,  Mr.  Russell  has 
ever  won  the  good -will  and  respect  of  the  commu- 
nity. Personally  he  is  a  quiet,  courteous  gentleman 
of  refinement  and  sensibility  and  his  professional 
career  has  been  one  of  which  he  may  well  be  proud. 


172 


MEN    OF   PROGRESS. 


He  has  been  twice  married :  his  first  wife  was 
Harriet  Talnier  of  Stonington,  Connecticut,  the 
date  of  the  marriage  being  in  May  1852.  His  sec- 
ond wife  was  Klhe  F.  Fuller  of  Boston,  Massachu- 
setts, who  was  married  to  him  in  October  1S76  ; 
they  have  one  son  :  Thomas  W.  Russell,  Jr.,  born 
September  i,  1880. 

ST.  JOHN,  Sa.xu  El.  Benedict,  M.  D.,  Hartford, 
was  born  in  Hudson,  Ohio,  July  24,  1845,  son  of 
Samuel  and  Amelia  Palmer  Cranch  (Curtis)  St. 
John.     His  ancestry  is  of  the  kind  it  is  pleasant  to 


S.  B.   ST.  JOHN. 

recall.  His  mother's  grandfather  was  Brigadier- 
General  Joseph  Pearse  Palmer,  one  of  the  "Indians  " 
of  the  Boston  tea-party,  and  a  son  of  Major-General 
Joseph  Palmer.  His  father's  grandfather  too  was 
an  officer  of  the  Revolution,  at  one  time  imprisoned 
on  the  British  ships  at  Brooklyn.  His  father, 
Samuel,  was  i)roniinently  identified  with  early  col- 
legiate education  in  the  Western  Reserve;  was  a 
professor  there,  also  in  the  Cleveland  Medical  Col- 
lege, and  in  the  College  of  Physicians  and  Surgeons 
in  New  York.  Dr.  St.  John  was  educated  at 
schools  in  Cleveland,  Ohio,  and  New  Canaan,  Con- 
necticut ;  he  then  went  to  Yale  and  was  graduated 
in   the    class   of    1866;  and    after  a  course  at  the 


Columbia  College  of  Physicians  and  Surgeons  in 
New  York  city,  was  graduated  with  a  medical 
degree  in  1870.  He  was  an  exceptional  student 
and  served  in  various  New  York  hospitals ;  also 
taking  a  subsequent  course  abroad  from  1872-74  at 
the  University  of  Berlin,  the  University  of  Vienna, 
and  the  eye  hospitals  of  Paris  and  London,  in  order 
thoroughly  to  fit  himself  for  his  profession.  The 
early  positions  he  held  during  his  period  of  study 
indicate  his  ability  :  he  was  House  Surgeon  at  the 
Manhattan  Eye  and  Ear  Hospital,  New  York,  in 
1869  ;  House  Surgeon  at  Bellevue  Hospital  in  1870  ; 
Assistant  Demonstrator  of  Anatomy  and  instructor 
in  Chemistry  at  the  College  of  Physicians  and  Sur- 
geons in  1871.  His  official  positions  have  been 
many.  He  was  Secretary  of  the  Connecticut  State 
Medical  Society  1883-88  ;  Secretary  of  the  American 
Ophthalmological  Society  since  1888  ;  President  of 
the  New  York  Ophthalmological  Society  in  1890-gi, 
President  of  the  New  England  Ophthalmological 
Society  1895-97,  Ophthalmic  and  Aural  Surgeon  to 
the  Hartford  Hospital  1896,  and  Consulting  Surgeon 
to  St.  Francis  Hospital,  Hartford,  1897.  He  is  a 
member  of  many  societies,  of  all  those  above  men- 
tioned, and  of  the  Hartford  County  Medical  Society, 
the  Hartford  Medical  Society,  the  American  Oto- 
logical  Society,  the  New  York  Academy  of  Medicine 
and  the  Colonial  Club  of  Hartford.  He  is  a  mem- 
ber also  of  the  Board  of  Directors  of  the  Hartford 
Public  Library,  and  was  for  fifteen  years  of  its  pre- 
decessor, the  Subscription  Library.  He  was  the 
first  President  of  the  present  library.  It  will  be 
seen  by  these  many  connections  with  his  profession 
and  with  the  social  and  other  life  of  Hartford  and 
Connecticut  that  Dr.  St.  Jolin's  activity  has  been 
honorable  and  much  appreciated.  He  is  a  man  of 
utmost  personal  modesty  who  has  won  his  place 
purely  by  hard  work  and  talent.  He  married  Mary 
Harris  Morgan  in  October  of  1882,  and  they  have 
two  daughters. 

SEGUR,  Gideon  Cross,  M.  D.,  Hartford,  was 
born  in  Springfield,  Massachusetts,  August  22,  185  i, 
son  of  Dr.  Gideon  Cross  and  Harriet  (Cundall) 
Segur.  The  subject  of  this  sketch  is  the  second  of 
the  name  in  direct  succession,  and  is  a  descendant 
of  John  Segur,  Esq.,  of  Kingston,  Rhode  Island. 
His  mother  also  is  of  Rhode  Island  stock,  his 
maternal  great-grandfather  being  Joseph  Bennett 
of  Tiverton,  who  served  in  the  Revolutionary  army. 
Dr.  Segur  attended  the  public  schools  of  his  native 
city,  and  also  private  schools  in  both  Springfield  and 


MEN    OF    1'KC)(;RESS. 


'73 


Putnam,  Connecticut ;  he  was  a  student  of  the  Wood- 
stock Academy,  and  also  of  the  New  Britain,  Con- 
necticut, State  Normal  School.  It  was  Dr.  Segiir's 
early  intention  (o  make  teaching  his  profession,  and 
from  1869  to  icSy^  he  taught  in  the  district  schools 
of  Connecticut  and  New  Jersey.  In  187,5,  'le 
accepted  a  ]K)siiion  to  teach  l''.nglish  and  mathema- 
tics in  the  Authon  C.rammar  School,  New  York  city, 
which  [losition  lie  held  until  1S79,  and  for  fo\ir 
years  he  also  taught  geometry  and  algebra  in  the 
Cooper  I'nion  Free  Evening  Scliool.  \Vhen  about 
thirty  years  of  age,  he  decided  to  study  medicine 
and  entered  tlie  College  of  Physicians  and  Surgeons 


GIDEON    C.    SEGUR. 

at  Columbia  University,  from  which  college  he  was 
graduated  May  16,  1882.  Since  receiving  his  degree, 
Dr.  Segur  has  held  many  positions  of  trust  and 
responsibihty.  From  1883  to  1886  he  filled  the 
posts  of  Assistant  Gynaecologist  in  the  New  York 
Hospital,  and  of  District  Physician  in  the  New  York 
Lying-in-Asylum,  and  the  last  year  acted  also  as 
Assistant  Neurologist  in  the  New  York  Orthopedic 
Hospital.  In  1886,  he  moved  to  Hartford  and 
accepted  a  position  as  Surgeon  in  the  Hartford 
Free  Dispensary,  which  ])osition  he  held  until  1895 
(giving  special  attention  to  the  treatment  of  the 
diseases  of  women  and  children).  In  1891,  his 
brother  physicians  showed   their  ;;|)i>reciation  of  his 


ability  by  electing  him  Secretary  of  the  Hartford 
Medical  Society,  and  at  the  [iresent  time  Dr.  Segur 
ranks  among  the  foremost  physicians  of  the  city. 
During  his  residence  of  a  dozen  years  in  Hartford, 
he  has  won  the  rcsiiccl  of  the  community  as  man 
and  physician.  lie  has  been  active  in  Christian 
work,  and  prominent  in  the  local  \'oung  Men's 
Christian  .Association  affairs,  and  in  his  profession 
has  shown  himself  to  l)e  a  man  of  ability,  culture 
and  character.  In  politics  Dr.  Segur  is  a  Republi- 
can ;  he  was  a  member  of  the  Hartford  Republican 
Club,  and  in  1896  was  elected  amember  of  the  City 
Council.  Besides  his  membership  in  the  Hartford 
Medical  Society,  Dr.  Segur  is  a  member  of  the  Con- 
necticut Medical  Society,  the  NewNork  Physicians' 
Mutual  .Aid  Association,  the  New  York  Academy 
of  Medicine,  the  Connecticut  Congregational  Club, 
the  Connecticut  Historical  Society,  the  Connecti- 
cut Society  of  the  Sons  of  the  .American  Revo- 
lution, and  the  Twentieth  Century  Club,  of  Hartford. 
Dr.  Segur  was  married  in  Hartford,  May  4,  1S86, 
to  Mary  Amelia  Hubbard,  daughter  of  Edward 
.A.  and  Charlotte  Hunt  Hubbard.  They  have 
four  children  :  Raymond,  Charlotte,  Marjorie  and 
C.erald  Segur. 


SEARS,  CusHiMAN  .Ai.i.EN,  Physician,  of  Portland, 
was  born  in  Chatham,  Connecticut,  Sejitember  26, 
1840,  son  of  Deacon  Stephen  Griffith  and  I'.mily 
(Veazy)  Sears.  Dr.  Sears'  grandfather  was  \\'illard 
Sears,  who  married  Betsey  Clark.  His  great-grand- 
father, Elkanah  Sears,  was  one  of  the  Revolutionary 
patriots.  He  was  the  wealthiest  man  of  his  time 
( I  734-1816)  in  Chatham,  and  sent  supplies  for  the 
army  in  his  own  vessel.  On  the  maternal  side  Dr. 
Sears'  grandfather  was  Captain  Eleazur  Veazey,  a 
man  of  prominence  in  the  church  and  town,  and 
who  married  F^lizabeth  \Yest.  The  subject  of  this 
sketch  received  his  early  education  at  the  district 
school  of  his  native  town.  When  sixteen  years 
of  age  he  entered  Dr.  Chase's  school  at  Middle- 
town,  Connecticut,  after  which  he  attendeil  the 
High  School  at  East  Ham])ton,  Connecticut.  l'"roni 
there  he  went  to  Wilbraham,  Massachusetts.  On 
leaving  the  latter  school  he  looked  towards  the 
study  of  medicine,  and  accordingly  began  study 
with  Dr.  Sabin  Stocking,  of  Glastonbury.  In  1S60 
he  atten<led  medical  lectures  at  I'ittsfield,  Massa- 
chusetts, and  in  1 86 1  went  to  New  York  and  be- 
came a  student  of  Dr.  Hodgeman,  then  physician 
and  surgeon  at  the  City  Prison,      lie  was  graduated 


'74 


MEN    OF   PROGRESS. 


from  the  New  York  I'niversity  Medical  College  in 
1S62,  and  commenced  the  practice  of  his  profes- 
sion at  East  Haddam,  Connecticut,  the  same  year. 
He  was  soon  called  to  Glastonbury  to  take  the 
place  of  Dr.  Stocking  who  had  joined  the  Union 


C.   A.   SEARS. 

Army  as  Surgeon.  He  moved  to  Portland,  Connecti- 
cut, in  1865,  and  has  since  then  resided  there,  en- 
joying a  very  successful  practice.  He  has  been 
actively  identified  with  the  school  interests  of  Port- 
land, and  for  twenty-eight  years  has  been  Chairman 
of  the  School  Uoard  and  acting  School  Visitor. 
Dr.  Sears  is  an  Odd  Fellow,  and  also  a  member  of 
the  Order  of  United  .American  Mechanics.  He 
was  married  November  11,  1865,  to  Flvelyn,  daugh- 
ter of  Judge  O.  I.  Lay,  of  Lyme,  Connecticut. 
Three  children  have  been  born  to  them :  Anna 
Belle,  Walter  Chadwick  and  Bertha  Evelyn  Sears. 


VANCE,  Robert  Johnston,  Mayor,  and  Editor 
of  the  New  Britain  Herald,  was  born  in  New  York 
city.  New  York,  March  15,  1854,  son  of  John 
and  Elizabeth  (Johnston)  Vance.  His  ancestry  is 
Scotch,  his  grandparents  being  members  of  the 
little  band  of  Scots  which  ascended  the  Connecti- 
cut river  and  started  the  well-known  carpet  industry 
in  Thompsonville.     Mr.  Vance  received    his  early 


education  in  the  public  schools  of  New  York,  and 
on  his  removal  to  New  Britain,  attended  the  High 
School  of  that  city.  On  leaving  school,  he  was  for 
a  time  in  the  employ  of  the  Stanley  Rule  &  Level 
Company,  and  later  held  the  position  of  Paymaster 
in  the  New  Britain  Knitting  Company.  Subse- 
quently, he  became  interested  in  newspaper  work 
and  at  the  early  age  of  twenty-two  years  started  the 
New  Britain  Observer.  In  1887,  this  paper  was 
consolidated  with  the  New  Britain  Herald,  of  which 
paper  Mr.  Vance  is  still  the  very  able  editor.  In 
1888-90,  Mr.  Vance  also  held  the  position  of  staff 
correspondent  of  the  New  York  Sun,  with  head- 
quarters in  Washington.  Notwithstanding  the  de- 
mands of  an  exacting  profession,  Mr.  Vance  has 
found  time  to  travel  extensively  in  this  country  and 
in  Europe,  and  has  been  officially  connected  with 
various  business  enterprises,  holding  the  position  of 
Treasurer  of  the  Herald  Publishing  Company,  and 
he  was  also  the  Treasurer  of  the  New  Britain  Elec- 


R.   J,  VANCE. 

trie  Light  Company  from  its  organization  until  it 
was  sold  out.  In  politics,  Mr.  Vance  has  always 
been  a  Democrat,  and  for  fifteen  years  was  a  mem- 
ber of  the  Democratic  State  Committee.  He  has 
held  many  prominent  positions  of  public  trust; 
from  1878  to  1887  he  served  as  City  Clerk  of  New 
Britain;  in  1886  he  was  elected  a  member  of  the 


iMKN    OF    PROGRESS. 


'75 


Connecticut  General  Assembly,  and  in  1887-88 
represented  his  state  in  the  Fiftieth  Congress.  In 
1 888  he  was  sent  as  Delegate  to  the  National  Con- 
vention   (Democratic)   at  St.  Louis,  and    again    in 

1892  filled  the  same  position  at    Chicago.     From 

1893  to  1895  he  was  Labor  Commissioner  of  Con- 
necticut, and  in  1896  he  was  elected  Mayor  of  New 
Britain.  All  of  these  offices  Mr.  Vance  has  filled  in 
a  creditable  manner,  and  his  whole  career  has  been 
honorable  and  useful  to  his  city  and  state.  He  is 
a  Mason  and  an  Odd  Fellow.  Mr.  Vance  was  mar- 
ried January  24,  1890,  to  Matilda  O'Connor,  of 
Alabama.  They  have  three  children :  Johnston, 
Agnes  and  Robert  Cummings  Vance. 


BURPEE,  LuciEN  Francis,  Attorney-at-Law,  and 
Colonel  of  the  Second  Regiment,  Connecticut 
National  Guard,  Waterbury,  was  born  in  Rock\ille, 


LUCIEN    F.   BURPEE. 

Connecticut,  October  12,  1855,  elder  son  of 
Thomas  Francis  and  Adeline  (Harwood)  Burpee. 
His  father  was  Colonel  of  the  Twenty-first  Regi- 
ment of  Connecticut  Volunteers  in  the  Civil  War, 
and  was  mortally  wounded  at  Cold  Harbor  in  June 
1864.  The  son  prepared  for  college  at  the  Rock- 
ville  High  School.  He  entered  \'ale  in  1875,  and 
was  graduated  with  high  honors  in  i<S79,  being  a 
Phi  Beta  Kappa  man,  an  editor  of  the  Vale  Literary 
Magazine,  a  Townsend  prize  orator,  and  a  member 


of  the  leading  societies.  He  then  studied  at  the 
Yale  Law  School,  at  the  same  time  taking  a  post- 
graduate course  in  history.  He  took  his  law  degree 
at  Hamilton  College  Law  School,  and  was  admitted 
to  practice  at  the  Bar  in  New  York  in  1880.  In 
September  1881  he  settled  in  Waterbury  and 
entered  the  law  office  of  Hon.  S.  W.  Kellogg.  His 
abilities  were  at  once  recognized  by  that  distin- 
guished lawyer,  who  subsequently  admitted  him  to 
partnership.  The  firm  style  was  first  Kellogg  & 
Burpee,  and  later,  Kellogg,  Burpee  &  Kellogg,  thus 
continuing  until  1889.  In  1883  he  was  appointed 
Prosecuting  Attorney  for  Waterbury,  and  in  1890 
he  was  made  City  Attorney.  He  was  appointed 
Judge  of  the  City  Court  of  Waterbury  in  1897. 
Colonel  Burpee  is  widely  known  for  his  connection 
with  military  matters.  In  :886  he  was  elected 
Second  Lieutenant  of  Company  A  of  the  Second 
Regiment.  His  rise  to  the  rank  of  Captain  and 
Major  followed  in  course;  in  May  1892  he  was 
elected  Lieutenant-Colonel,  and  in  July  1895,  he 
was  elected  Colonel.  His  administration  has  been 
marked  by  great  efficiency.  He  belongs  to  Mili- 
tary Order  of  the  Loyal  Legion  of  the  U.  S  ;  to  the 
Masons;  the  Odd  Fellows;  and  to  the  W'aterbury 
Club.  In  politics  he  is  a  Republican.  Col.  Burpee 
was  married  Sept.  26,  1882,  to  Lida  Wood,  of 
Cornwall,  N.  Y.  She  died  in  July  1889,  leaving 
three  children  :  Lida  and  Helen,  twins,  and  F'rancis 
Burpee.  In  August  1894,  he  married  Annie,  daugh- 
ter of  Thomas  C.  Morton,  of  Waterbury,  Conn. ;  she 
died  April  4,  1897.  There  were  no  children  by 
this  marriage. 


BEEBE,  Gf.okge  Hoxik,  M.  I).,  (Juilford,  was 
born  in  Westerly,  Rhode  Island,  February  i, 
1855,  son  of  Reverend  Daniel  Forbes  and  Sarah 
E.  (Witter)  Beebe.  His  grandparents  on  both 
sides  were  Ivnglish ;  his  great-grandmother  was 
Scotch.  On  the  maternal  side  he  is  related  to  the 
Noyes  family,  early  settlers  of  Stonington,  Con- 
necticut, and  of  Westerly,  Rhode  Island.  His  early 
education  was  received  in  the  public  schools  of 
Westerly,  and  at  the  Hopkinton  .Academy  and 
Westerly  High  School.  He  began  the  study  of 
medicine  at  the  Yale  Medical  School,  but  later  went 
to  New  York  and  graduated  from  the  Medical 
Department  of  the  University  of  the  city  of  New 
York  in  June  1878.  He  spent  the  year  following 
graduation  in  the  hospitals  and  dispensaries  of  New 
York,    principally  at  the  Northeastern  Dispensary. 


176 


MEN    OF    PROGRESS. 


In  1S79  he  went  to  Illinois  and  practiced  for  nearly 
three  years,  but  owing  to  ill  health  returned  East 
and  settled  at  Charlestown,  Rhode  Island.  .Mter  a 
four-years  i)ractice  at  the  latter  place  he  removed  to 
C.uilford,  Connecticut,  where  he  has  since  remained. 
There  in  the  quiet  of  a  New  England  village  he  has 
built  up  a  successful  and  profitable  practice.  He 
has  been  a  member  of  the  Board  of  School  Visitors 
{.\cting  Visitor  and  Secretary)  for  ten  years.  He 
is  also  a  member  of  the  County  and  State  Medical 
Society,  St.  Alban's  Lodge,  A.  F.  &  A.  M.,  and  Hal- 
leck  Chapter,  R.  A.  M.  Dr.  I3eebe  is  an  earnest 
member  of  the  Congregational  Church  of  (kiilford. 


GEORGE  H.  BEEBE. 

His  father  was  a  Baptist  clergyman,  and  through 
his  influence  and  that  of  his  noble  mother,  he  early 
embraced  those  Christian  principles  in  the  practice 
and  teaching  of  which  the  physician  has  scarcely 
less  opportunity  than  the  clergyman.  Dr.  Beebe's 
happy  home  is  located  on  the  northeast  corner  of 
Guilford  Green,  in  the  former  Major  Lathrop  or 
Squire  Smith  property.  He  was  married  April  29, 
1879,  to  Mary  E.  Lewis,  of  North  Stonington,  Con- 
necticut. Three  children  bless  their  union  :  Grace, 
born  September  15,  1884;  Florence,  born  Decem- 
ber 7,  1886;  and  Albert  Lewis  Beebe,  born  May  6, 
1889. 


BREWER,  William  Henry,  Scientist  and  Pro- 
fessor of  Agriculture  in  the  Sheffield  Scientific 
School  of  Yale  Uni\ersity,  New  Haven,  was  born  in 
Poughkeepsie,  New  York,  September  14,  1828,  son 
of  Henry  and  Rebecca  (DuBois)  Brewer.  He 
comes  of  old  Dutch  stock,  the  original  emigrant 
being  Adam  Brouwer  Berkhoven,  who  came  from 
Cologne  in  1642  and  became  one  of  the  earliest 
settlers  of  Brooklyn,  New  York.  He  built  Brewer's 
Mill  at  Gowanus,  Brooklyn,  which  was  a  noted 
establishment  and  landmark  until  long  after  the 
Revolutionary  War.  Professor  Brewer's  paternal 
grandfather  was  Nazareth  Brewer,  his  paternal 
grandmother  was  Mary  (Polly)  Wiltsie,  descended 
from  Hendrick  Martensen  Wiltsie,  a  Dane  from 
Copenhagen,  and  an  early  settler  in  New  Amster- 
dam. His  maternal  grandfather,  Henry  DuBois, 
descendant  of  Louis  DuBois,  a  Huguenot  clergy- 
man from  the  province  of  Artois  in  northeastern 
France,  who  emigrated  in  1660,  was  one  of  the 
Huguenot  Patentees  of  the  region  about  New  Palz, 
near  Catskill,  and  the  founder  and  first  Pastor  of 
the  old  Huguenot  church  at  New  Palz.  His  mater- 
nal grandmother,  Nelly  Covenhoven,  descended 
from  Wolphert  tlerretsen  Van  Couwenhoven,  who 
emigrated  from  Holland  in  1630,  and  in  1636  was 
one  of  the  five  who  bought  land  of  the  Indians  and 
became  the  patentees  of  the  land  of  Western  Long 
Island,  embracing  the  present  Brooklyn.  He  and 
his  descendants  (the  Wolpherstens  and  Van  Cou- 
wenhovens)  played  a  prominent  part  under  the 
Dutch  administration.  All  his  emigrant  ancestry 
came  over  very  early,  and  besides  its  nationalities 
mentioned  above,  one  (Lucky)  was  Scotch-Irish, 
one  (Archer)  was  English,  and  there  are  several 
other  Dutch  and  French  strains,  a  very  composite 
stock.  Several  branches  served  in  the  Revolution- 
ary War,  and  some  in  the  French  War,  and  several 
in  the  still  earlier  Indian  Wars.  His  parents  were 
born,  reared  and  married  in  the  town  of  Pough- 
keepsie, and  in  1829  they  emigrated  to  Central  New 
York,  and  settled  in  Enfield,  Tompkins  county, 
near  Ithaca,  where  as  a  child  he  attended  the  coun- 
try common  schools,  and  later  went,  winters,  to  the 
Ithaca  Academy.  In  the  fall  of  1848  he  entered 
the  newly  opened  Scientific  Department  of  Yale 
College  (now  the  Sheffield  Scientific  School),  to 
study  agricultural  chemistry.  A  regular  course  of 
two-years  study  in  science  was  soon  after  estab- 
lished, which  he  took,  leaving  in  1850;  and  when, 
later,  the  degree  of  Ph.  B.  was  established  he 
returned  and  graduated  in  1852,  with  the  first  class 


MKN    Ol'    I'KOORESS. 


// 


receiving  that  degree.  Later  he  received  the  de- 
gree of  I'h.  D.  from  Washington  and  Jefferson  Col- 
lege, in  Pennsylvania.  His  course  in  the  Labora- 
tory at  Yale  had  been  to  fit  himself  as  a  teacher  of 
agricultural  chemistry,  then  rapidly  assuming  im- 
portance. There  was  then  much  discussion  over 
agricultural  education,  and  there  was  a  widespread 
and  deep  prejudice  against  book  farming,  as  all 
branches  of  agricultural  science  was  popularly 
called.  He  taught  and  lectured  on  chemistry  and 
agricultural  chemistry,  in  the  .Academy  at  Ithaca,  in 
the  winter  of  ICS50-S1,  and  the  next  spring  took 
charge  of  the  new  Oakwood  Agricultural  Insti- 
tute, which  opened  in  April  185 1,  at  Lancaster, 
near  Buffalo,  New  York,  but  which  closed  the  next 
year.  After  graduation  in  1852,  he  taught  chemistry, 
botany  and  agricultural  chemistry,  for  three  years, 
in  the  Ovid  Academy  at  Ovid,  Seneca  county.  New 
York,  and  delivered  public  lectures  each  winter,  in 
connection  with  the  school,  on  chemistry  and 
botany,  more  especially  applied  to  agriculture. 
During  this  period  he  took  an  active  part  in  the 
movement  for  locating  the  State  .'\gricullural  Col- 
lege at  Ovid,  which  came  about  a  little  later.  To 
better  fit  himself  as  a  teacher  of  the  sciences  applied 
to  agriculture,  he  went  to  Kurope  in  1855,  spending 
a  year  in  the  University  of  Heidelberg,  studying 
chemistry  under  Professor  Bunsen  and  botany  under 
Professor  Schmidt ;  then  eight  months  in  the  Uni- 
versity of  Munich,  studying  chemistry  under  Pro- 
fessor Liebig  and  geology  under  Professor  Wagner  ; 
then  three  months  attending  lectures  on  chemistry 
and  botany  in  Paris.  He  returned  in  September 
1857,  and  renewed  instruction  in  the  Ovid  Academy, 
remaining  there  a  year.  While  in  Europe,  the  legis- 
lation necessary  for  the  establishment  of  the  New 
York  State  Agricultural  College  at  Ovid  had  been 
obtained.  About  the  same  time  the  People's  Col- 
lege, in  the  adjoining  county,  at  Havana,  had  also 
been  chartered,  and  he  accepted  nominal  professor- 
ships in  both  in  order  to  aid  and  advise  as  to  their 
buildings  and  organization  before  duties  as  actual 
professor  could  be  possible.  In  the  early  part  of 
1858  the  building  of  both  institutions  was  begun. 
In  the  fall  of  the  same  year,  he  was  elected  Professor 
of  Chemistry  and  Geology  at  Washington  (now 
Washington  and  Jefferson)  College,  at  Washington, 
Pennsylvania,  where  he  remained  two  years.  In 
the  summer  of  i860  he  lost  both  wife  and  child, 
resigned  his  professorship  there,  also  the  nominal 
professorships  in  both  the  Peo])le's  and  the  New 
York  State  Agricultural  Colleges.     He  was  a])pointed 


first  assistant  on  the  State  Oeological  Survey  of  Cal- 
ifornia, then  being  organized  under  Professor  J.  1>. 
Whitney,  and  in  October  of  that  year  went  to  Cali- 
fornia. His  appointment  was  more  especially  for 
the  agricultural  and  botanical  survey  of  the  stale, 
but  circumstances  soon  placed  the  chief  part  of  the 
general  geological  field  work  in  his  care.  For  four 
years  he  had  charge  of  the  chief  field  work,  the 
general  geological  and  topographical  work  as  well  as 
the  botanical.  The  careful  mapping  of  the  rougher 
and  higher  mountain  regions  in  the  United  States 
was  begun  by  that  party,  as  well  as  the  measurement 
of  the  higher  mountains  with  any  degree  of  accuracy. 


WM.   H.   BREWER. 

His  climbing  and  measuring  of  Mt.  Shasta,  in  Sep- 
tember 1862,  was  the  first  careful  measurement  of 
any  peak  more  than  fourteen  thousand  feet  high  in 
the  United  States.  In  this  work  he  traversed  the 
coast  ranges  most  of  the  distance  from  San  Ber- 
nardino to  the  Oregon  line,  and  crossed  the  great 
Sierra  Nevada  in  more  than  a  dozen  places.  In 
these  explorations  the  highest  mountains  in  the 
Ignited  States  were  explored,  ma]ii)ed  and  named, 
in  1864.  A  hardy  constitution,  much  more  than 
ordinary  strength  and  ])ower  of  endurance,  com- 
bined with  an  ardent  love  of  nature,  especially  fitted 
him  for  success  in  this  ardtious  and  often  hazardous 
work.     Mount   P.rewer  in  the  Sierra  Nevada  range 


178 


MEN    OF    PROC.RESS. 


is  named  fur   Professor  Brewer.      This  mountain, 
tiiirteen  liioiisand  eight  hundred  and  eighty-six  feet 
high,   has   rarely  been   ascended.       It   was   twice 
climbetl  by  iiim  and   measured    for   topograjDhical 
and  geological  purposes.     In  1S63  he  was  elected 
Professor  of  Natural  Sciences  in  the  College  of  Cali- 
fornia (later  merged  into  the  University  of  Califor- 
nia, when  the  latter  was  established),  and  delivered 
lectures  in  the  winter  to  the  first  class  graduating 
from  that  institution.     In  1864  he  was  elected  Pro- 
fessor  of    Agriculture    in    the   Sheffield   Scientific 
School  of  Yale  College.      He  resigned  his  positions 
in  California  and  returned  East  at  the  end  of  that 
year   and  assumed  duties  at  Yale.     In  1869  he  had 
charge  of  the  field  work  of  the  Harvard  expedition 
in  the  Rocky  Mountains  in  Colorado,  which  trian- 
gulated and  mapped  about  three  thousand  or  more 
square  miles,  climbing  and  measuring  a  consider- 
able number  of  high  peaks.     In  fact,  this  was  the 
first   measurement   of    any   of    the   higher   Rocky 
Mountains  with  any  greater  degree  of  accuracy  than 
could  be  done  by  the  casual  barometric  observations 
of  passing  travellers.     His  early  education,  intended 
for  promoting  agricultural  science,  was  never  lost 
sight  of.     After  returning  to  Yale,  aside  from  work  in 
the  College,  he  lectured  on  agriculture  in  all  parts  of 
the  state,  under  the  auspices  of  the  State  Board  of 
Agriculture  and  took  an  active  part  in  the  movement 
for  establishing  the  State  Agricultural  Experiment 
Station,  in  Connecticut,  which  was  the  first  of  the 
Agricultural  Experiment  Stations  to  be   started  in 
this  country,  and  on  its  establishment  in  1877  was 
appointed  on  its  Board  of  Control,  and  he  has  been 
its  Secretary  and  Treasurer,  and  a  member  of  the 
Executive   Committee   from   that   time.     He    also 
took  an  active  part  in   having  the    Storrs    School 
established  by  the  state,  as  an  agricultural  school, 
intermediate  in  grade  between  the  common  schools 
and  the  agricultural  colleges.     He  has  thus   been 
identified  with  agricultural  education  in  this  country 
for   nearly   half   a   century.     He   was   one   of    the 
members  of  the  Board  of  Health  of  the  city  of  New 
Haven  from  its   organization  in  1872    until  1889, 
and  was  its  acting   President  from  1876  until  the 
same  date.     He    has   also  been  a  member  of  the 
State  Board   of    Health  from  its  establishment   in 
1877  until  the  present  time,  and  has  been  its  Presi- 
dent since  1892.     He  was  one  of  the  judges  at  the 
Centennial  Exposition  at  Philadelphia  in  1876,  was 
special  agent  of  the  Census  in  1880,  and  prepared 
the  monograph  on  the  Production  of  Cereals  in  the 
United   States.     He    has   served   on   several  com- 


missions  appointed    by  the  National   Academy  of 
Science,  in  reference  to  applications  from  several 
departments   of  the  general  government,  of  which 
the  most  important  and  noteworthy  was  the  recent 
"  Forestry     Commission,"     which    was    asked    to 
examine  into  the  conditions  of,  and  recommend  a 
rational  policy  for,  the  conduct  and   administration 
of  the  forest  lands  belonging  to  the  United  States. 
He  took  an  active  part  in  having  a  topographical 
survey  made  of  the  state  of  Connecticut,  brought 
the  matter  before  the  Governor  and  the  State  Leg- 
islature, and  after  action  by  them  was  Chairman  of 
the  State  Commission  that  saw  this  work  so  success- 
fully carried  through  and  the  maps  published.     In 
none  of  the  commissions  or  boards  on  which  he  has 
served  has  there  been  any  remuneration ;  the  work 
has  been  done  as  a  citizen  laboring  for  the  public 
welfare.     He  was  elected  member  of  the  National 
Academy  of  Science  in  1880,  and  has  been  a  mem- 
ber  of    the    Connecticut    Academy    of    Arts    and 
Sciences  since  1865,  and  its  President  since  1887. 
He  became  a  member  of  the  American  Association 
for  the  Advancement  of  Science  in  1850,  and  pub- 
lished his  earliest  scientific  papers  in  its  transactions 
of  that  year,  and,  under  its  present   form  of  organi- 
zation, is  now  one  of  the  "  fellows."     He  has  been 
a  member  of  the  American  Public  Health  Associ- 
ation since    1874,   and  is  a  member   of  numerous 
minor  scientific  associations,   societies   and   clubs, 
among  others  the  American  and  the  National  Geo- 
graphical societies,  the  Appalachian  and  the  Sierra 
clubs,  and  the  Mazamas.     He  is  also  President  of 
the  Arctic  Club.     He  married  first  at  Ovid,  New 
York,  August  15,  1858,  Angelina  Jameson,  daughter 
of  Reverend  Thomas  and  Elizabeth  (Lord)  Jameson, 
of  Maine.     She  died  June  5,  i860.     They  had  one 
son,  Edward  Jameson  Brewer,  born  at  Washington, 
Pennsylvania,  April  26,  i860;  died  July  12,  1S60. 
He  married  for   the  second  time  at  Exeter,  New- 
Hampshire,  September  i,  1868,  Georgiana  Robin- 
son, daughter  of  Jeremiah  L.  Robinson,  Esq.,  and 
Irene  (Fellows)  Robinson  of  Exeter,  New  Hamp- 
shire.    She  died  January  3,  1889.     They  had  four 
children  :  Nora,  Henry,  Arthur  and  Carl  Brewer,  all 
of  whom    survive.     He    has    published   about   one 
hundred  and   forty   papers,    pamphlets   or   books; 
edited  and  prepared  with    other   scientists,    "  The 
Botany  of  California,"  two  volumes  ;  this,  and  "  The 
Production  of  Cereals  in  the  United  States,"  are  the 
most  considerable  works.     The  various  other  papers, 
published  lectures  and  addresses,  relate  chiefly  to 
agriculture,   geology   and    sanitary    science.       The 


MF\    OF    I'ROCRKSS. 


'79 


name  of  Professor  Brewer  is  one  of  the  towers  of 
strength  of  Yale.  His  lecture  courses  have  long 
been  among  the  most  popular  in  the  University. 
Through  his  writings  and  lectures,  and  his  many- 
sided  activities,  his  name  is  known  and  lionorcd  in 
all  parts  of  the  United  States  and  luirope. 


CHASE,  Charles  Marshall,  of  the  firm  of  Cliase 
&  Norton,  West  Winsted,  was  horn  in  Millbury, 
Massachusetts,  January  29,  1S63,  son  of  David  15. 
and  Sarah  C.  (Newton)  Chase.  In  spite  of  the 
fact  that   liis  early  education   rerei\ed   at   tlie  coni- 


CHARLES   M.   CHASE. 

mon  school  of  his  native  place  was  followed  by  no 
further  course  of  academic  study,  Mr.  Chase  has  by 
his  own  personal  energy  and  determination  devel- 
oped himself  steadily  until  he  now  holds  a  position 
of  no  mean  imiiortance  in  the  town  of  his  ado]ition. 
West  Winsted.  At  the  early  age  of  fifteen  he  first 
entered  into  active  business  life  in  the  humble 
capacity  of  workman  in  a  tin  and  plumbing  shop, 
but  he  labored  with  such  faithful  and  untiring  zeal 
that  in  1886  he  gained  control  of  the  establishment 
where,  eight  years  previously,  he  had  entered  as  a 
mere  subordinate.  His  management  of  the  con- 
cern proved  so  successful  that  in  1895  he  was 
encouraged  to  venture   ujion  an  enterprise    of  his 


own,  bearing  the  firm  name  of  Chase  &  Norton, 
which  business  is  now  in  a  prosperous  and  flour- 
ishing condition,  giving  ample  promise  of  rapid 
and  substantial  growth.  Mr.  Chase's  sterling  (|ual- 
ities  have  not  been  unajjpreciatcd  by  his  fellow- 
townsmen,  anti  they  have  testified  publicly  to  that 
effect  by  making  him  Warden  of  the  Borough  of 
Winsted,  which  office  he  has  held  since  May  i, 
1S94,  serving  at  present  his  fourth  term  in  that 
capacity.  He  is  a  member  and  Past  Grand  of 
Clifton  Lodge  No.  30,  Independent  Order  of  Odd 
Fellows,  Past  Sachem  of  Waramaug  Tribe  No.  13, 
Independent  Order  of  Red  Men,  also  a  member  of 
Bidwell  Encamjiment  No.  12,  Independent  Order 
of  Odd  Fellows,  and  the  Clifton  Club.  In  jjolitics 
Mr.  Chase's  sympathies  are  staunchly  Republican. 
He  is  unmarried. 


COWFJ.L,  Gkorck  Huhkrt,  Judge,  Waterbury, 
was  born  in  Waterbury,  Connecticut,  March  25, 
1S40,  son  of  Nelson  and  Jeannette  (Bronson) 
CowoU.  Through  his  parents  he  is  descended  from 
patri(5tic  stock,  from  lirave  men  and  true,  who 
fought  for  their  liberty  and  that  of  their  country  in 
the  troublous  times  of  the  Revolution.  James 
Cowell,  one  of  the  forefathers  of  the  present  Judge, 
was  a  soldier  in  the  ReNolution,  and  John  Baldwin, 
another  ancestor  on  his  father's  side,  was  killed  by 
the  British  in  the  invasion  of  Ne\v  Haven,  July  5, 
1779,  while  bravely  struggling  to  repel  their  attack. 
On  the  maternal  side  the  line  is  no  less  distin- 
guished, Samuel  Hotchkiss,  who  settled  in  New 
Haven,  Connecticut,  as  early  as  i6.(i,  being  the 
great-grandfather  of  Captain  Gideon  Hotchkiss,  a 
soldier  of  the  French  and  Revolutionary  wars  and 
the  first  of  the  family  to  loc'ate  in  Waterbury. 
judge  Cowell  received  his  early  education  at  the 
High  School  of  his  native  town,  and  later  in  the 
Wesleyan  Academy  at  Wilbraliam,  Massachusetts. 
He  graduated  from  Yale  University,  a  member  of 
the  class  of  1868.  During  his  senior  year  he 
attended  the  Yale  Faw  School,  not  alone  accom- 
jilishing  the  regular  and  difficult  curriculum  of  the 
Academic  senior  year  but  doing  junior  I, aw  School 
work  as  well.  Subsequently  he  entered  the  Colum- 
bia Law  School,  graduated  with  honors  and  the 
degree  of  LL.  B.  in  the  class  of  1869,  and  was 
admitted  to  the  Bar  of  both  New  York  and  Con- 
necticut in  the  same  year,  his  admission  to  the 
former  being  granted  in  May  and  to  the  latter  in 
September.     Judge  Cowell   began    his  practice  of 


I  So 


MEN    OF   PROGRESS. 


law  in  Waterbury,  Connecticut,  and  filled  the  office 
of  Judge  of  the  City  Court  from  1877  to  1883. 
Four  years  later  he  was  made  Deputy  Judge  of  the 
Waterbury  District  Court,  his  term  of  office  extend- 
ing over  six  years.  From  1895  to  1897  he  was 
Judge  of  the  City  Court  and  was  chosen  Judge  of 
the  Waterbury  District  Court  in  1897  for  four  years 
from  April  first  of  that  year.  He  has  held  various 
offices,  civil  and  political,  and  his  name  is  associ- 
ated with  many  of  the  most  important  organizations 
in  the  state.  He  was  Assistant  Clerk  of  the  Con- 
necticut House  of  Representatives  in  1871,  Clerk 
of  the  same  the  following  year  and  Clerk  of  Senate 


GEO.    H.  COWELL. 


Representative  to  the  Supreme  Lodge  in  1892  and 
1S93.  He  belongs  to  the  Speedwell  Lodge,  Knights 
of  Pythias.  In  addition  he  was  one  of  the  charter 
members  of  Mattatuck  Council,  Royal  Arcanum,  and 
has  been  a  member  of  the  Supreme  Council.  He 
was  a  charter  member  of  Patucko  Assembly  of 
Good  Fellows  and  is  now  a  member  of  the  Supreme 
Assembly  of  that  order.  He  has  been  active  in 
Heptasophs,  Improved  Order  of  Red  Men,  Home 
Circle,  Patrons  of  Husbandry  and,  last  but  not  least, 
his  name  is  enrolled  among  the  members  of  the 
Sons  of  the  Revolution.  While  officiating  as  Grand 
Master  of  the  Odd  Fellows  Order,  Judge  Cowell 
was  active  in  establishing  the  Home  of  the  associa- 
tion at  Groton,  Connecticut,  and  donated  the  first 
five  hundred  dollars  subscribed  for  its  purchase. 
The  list  of  offices  held  by  Judge  Cowell  would  be 
incomplete  were  no  mention  made  of  his  being 
Representative  to  the  General  Assembly  of  Con- 
necticut in  1895,  and  of  his  re-election  in  1897. 
As  a  member,  both  sessions,  of  the  Judiciary  Com- 
mittee, he  was  part  of  the  time  its  chairman  on  the 
part  of  the  House,  and  took  an  active  part  in  the 
proceedings.  Judge  Cowell  has  filled  most  ably 
numerous  local  offices.  For  four  years  he  was  a 
member  of  the  Board  of  Aldermen  and  Chairman 
of  the  Law  Committee  ;  a  member  of  the  Board  of 
Education,  both  town  and  city,  and  clerk  of  the 
Board  of  Health ;  Town  Clerk  and  Registrar  of 
votes.  He  was  Chairman  of  the  Republican  Town 
Committee  for  six  years,  and  a  member  of  the 
Republican  State  Committee  for  four  years.  He  is 
a  Director  in  the  West  Side  and  Watertown  Savings 
banks  and  in  other  corporations.  On  November 
II,  1878,  he  was  united  to  Miss  Alice  Sewell  Bar- 
ton, daughter  of  Joseph  Barton,  Esq.,  the  marriage 
being  solemnized  at  Washington,  D.  C.  They  have 
one  living  daughter,  Jeannette  Elizabeth  Cowell. 


in  1873.  Following  this  he  was  appointed  Chief 
Clerk  of  the  Post  Office  Department  at  Washington 
in  1875-76,  and  was  First  Lieutenant  of  Company 
A,  Second  Regiment  of  Connecticut  National  Guards 
from  187 1  to  1875.  The  patronage  of  a  man  of  his 
qualities  would  naturally  be  eagerly  sought  by  the 
social  societies  of  his  community,  and  Judge  Cowell 
is  identified  with  numerous  associations  of  high 
standing  throughout  the  state.  He  is  a  member  of 
Clark  Commandery,  Knights  Templar,  and  Nosa- 
hogan  Lodge,  Independent  Order  of  Odd  Fellows, 
and  has  held  all  the  Connecticut  Grand  Lodge 
Offices,  becoming  Grand  Master  in  1892.     He  was 


DeLAMATER,  Richard  Storm,  Photographer, 
was  born  in  Hudson,  New  York,  October  23,  1833, 
son  of  James  E.  and  Catherine  (Storm)  DeLama- 
ter.  His  general  education  was  received  at  a 
boarding-school  in  Stockbridge,  Massachusetts,  and 
at  Hudson  Academy,  New  York,  of  which  institu- 
tion he  is  a  graduate.  At  the  age  of  fourteen,  Mr. 
DeLamater  began  his  business  life  as  an  apprentice 
in  the  coach-making  trade  and  followed  that  occu- 
pation until  1856,  when  he  became  interested  in 
photography,  and  decided  to  make  that  his  profes- 


.MI'lN    Ol 


I'KOC.RKSS. 


I. Si 


sion.  His  first  venture  was  in  New  Haven,  but  in 
1 86 1  he  removed  to  Hartford,  where  he  has  Hveii 
ever  since,  occupying  one  studio  a  quarter  of  a  cen- 
tury. Mr.  DeLamatcr  is  one  of  the  jjioneers  of 
photography  in  America,  and  for  many  years  has 


R.  a.  DeLAMATER. 

been  regarded  as  tlie  foremost  photographer  of 
Hartford  ;  he  has  kept  pace  with  the  latest  develop- 
ments and  improvements  in  his  art,  and  his  name  is 
a  synonym  for  skilful  and  artistic  work.  His  long 
residence  in  the  city  and  steady  good  results  have 
made  his  studio  one  of  the  business  landmarks  of 
the  place,  and  there  are  few  of  Hartford's  promi- 
nent citizens  who  have  not,  at  one  time  or  another, 
patronized  UeLamater.  In  politics  he  is  a  Repub- 
lican, and  is  a  member  of  the  Republican  Club  of 
Hartford,  and  from  1890  to  1893  held  the  office 
of  First  Lieutenant  in  the  Veteran  Corps  of  the 
Putnam  Phalanx.  Mr.  DeLamater  was  married 
August  28,  1854,  to  Sarah  Jane  Woolsey.  They 
have  one  child,  Richard  Woolsey  DeLamater,  who 
is  associated  with  his  father  in  the  business. 


FRENCH,  Howard  Truman,  ^L  I).,  Deep 
River,  was  born  in  Hartland,  Connecticut,  .\ugust 
24,   1866,    son    of    Orton    15.   and  Jane     ((Jsborn) 


French.  After  an  early  education  received  in  the 
common  schools,  he  was  sent  to  the  Wesleyan  Acad- 
emy of  Wibraham,  Massachusetts,  and  subsequently 
entered  the  Medical  Department  of  Columbia 
University,  New  York,  and  was  graduated  from  the 
College  of  Physicians  and  Surgeons  in  the  class  of 
189 1.  Shortly  after  graduation.  Dr.  French  began 
his  professional  career  in  Deep  River,  Connecticut, 
where  he  has  since  practiced  and  resided,  and 
where  he  has  attained  much  prominence  in  his  pro- 
fession. Since  August  14,  1894,  he  has  held  the 
position  of  Medical  Examiner  for  the  town  of  Say- 
brook  ;  he  is  also  a  member  of  the  Middlesex 
County  Medical  Society,  and  the  State  Medical 
Society.      Dr.    French   was   married  October    13, 


H.  T.   FRENCH. 


1891,  to  Carrie  P.  Hunt,  of  Somers,  Connecticut. 
They  have  one  child  :  Marion  E.  French,  born 
August  15,  1895. 


CROSVENOR,  Charles  W.,  Treasurer  of  the 
State  of  Connecticut,  was  born  in  Pomfret,  May 
II,  1839,  eldest  son  of  joim  W.  and  I'hebe  G. 
(Spaulding)  Crosvenor.  Tlie  Crosvenor  family  in 
Pumfrel  antedates  the  Revolution.  It  has  always 
held  a  foremost  place  in  that  town  of  distinguished 


l82 


MEN    OF    PROGRESS. 


name.  Many  of  the  descendants  have  held  place 
and  power  in  the  councils  of  the  state  and 
nation.  Charles  W.  Grosvenor  acquired  his  early 
education  in  District  and  State  Normal  Schools. 
During   the   late    rebellion    he  faithfully  served  as 


of  a  thorough  gentleman,  and  a  capable  man  of 
affairs.  Mr.  Grosvenor  was  married  on  March  7, 
1866,  to  Elizabeth  Mathewson,  daughter  of  George 
B.  Mathewson,  of  Pomfret,  Connecticut.  They 
have  three  daughters  ;  Mary  M.,  Julia  E.  and  Louise 
P.  Grosvenor. 


HULL,  George  Sylvanus,  Physician,  Bristol,  was 
born  in  Burlington,  Connecticut,  March  27,  1847,  son 
of  Sylvanus  and  Florilla  M.  Hull.  His  father's  ances- 
tors were  English  and  his  mother's  French.  His 
early  education  was  obtained  in  the  common  schools 
of  his  native  town  and  at  the  Connecticut  Literary 
Institute  at  Suffield.  He  began  the  study  of  medi- 
cine at  the  Yale  Medical  School  where  he  spent  one 
year.  He  next  attended  one  course  of  lectures  at 
the  College  of  Physicians  and  Surgeons,  New  York 
city,  which  was  followed  by  a  course  at  the  New 
York   Homoeopathic  Medical  College  where  he  was 


CHA3     W     GROSVENOR. 

Sergeant  of  Company  D,  Eighteenth  Connecticut 
Yolunteers.  He  is  a  prominent  Republican,  and 
twice  creditably  represented  his  native  town  in  the 
State  Legislature  and  once  in  the  Senate.  He  and 
his  brother  Benjamin  have  been  largely  the  means 
of  making  Pomfret  one  of  the  leading  summer 
resorts  of  New  England.  Mr.  Grosvenor  has  always 
taken  a  deep  interest  in  the  welfare  of  our  soldiers 
and  farmers,  and  his  earnest  efforts  in  their  behalf 
have  been,  as  they  should  be,  highly  appreciated. 
He  is  the  efficient  and  popular  President  of  the 
Windham  County  Agricultural  Society  and  President 
of  the  Woodstock  Agricultural  Society.  He  has 
also  been  honored  by  the  Eighteenth  Connecticut 
Volunteers'  Association,  and  is  now  serving  his 
fourth  term  as  President  of  that  body,  which  indi- 
cates that  his  valuable  services  are  recognized  by 
"  the  brave  Eighteenth."  He  was  elected  to  his 
present  position  as  State  Treasurer  in  November 
1896.  He  is  well  equipped  by  education  and 
business  experience  for  the  important  place  he  has 
been  selected  to  fill,  which  he  graces  with  the  fitness 


GEORGE   S.    HULL. 

graduated  in  1872.  Thus  well  grounded  in  the 
principles  of  both  the  allopathic  and  homoeopathic 
schools,  he  commenced  practice  at  Bristol  in  March 
1872,  where  he  has  built  up  a  very  successful  prac- 
tice. He  has  been  medical  examiner  for  Bristol 
since  the  establishment  of  the  office.  He  was 
elected  surgeon  of  the  First  Regiment  Connecticut 


lMi;.N    Ol' 


K(  XlKKSS. 


183 


National  (luards  in  1S87  which  office  he  retained 
until  1S90  when  he  was  appointed  to  the  same 
position  in  the  Second  Regiment.  A  few  weeks 
afterwards  he  received  the  appointment  of  Assist- 
ant Surgeon-General  on  Brigadier-Ccneral  E.  F. 
Durand's  Staff.  Dr.  Hull  is  a  member  of  the  Alumni 
Medical  .Association  of  the  New  York  HomcKO- 
pathic  Medical  College,  and  is  also  a  member  of 
the  Connecticut  Homceopathic  Medical  Society. 
He  is  an  enthusiastic  believer  in  the  principles  of 
fraternal  organizations  and  belongs  to  the  Masons, 
Knights  of  Pjthias  and  Odd  Fellows.  He  was 
a  charter  member  and  the  first  Past-Chancellor 
of  Ethan  Lodge  Knights  of  Pythias  of  Bristol, 
and  was  the  organizer  of  Hull  Division,  No.  5, 
of  the  Uniform  Rank  of  Knights  of  Pythias  in 
Bristol.  In  18S8  he  was  appointed  Grand  Master 
at  Arms  at  the  Grand  Lodge  Session  of  that  year ; 
in  1889  was  elected  Grand  Prelate;  in  1890  Grand 
Yice-Chancellor  and  in  1891  Grand  Chancellor.  In 
1894  he  was  elected  a  Supreme  Representative  to 
the  Supreme  Lodge.  He  joined  the  Franklin 
Lodge  of  Masons  of  Bristol  in  1872  and  the  follow- 
ing year  the  Deijuabuck  Chapter.  He  then  joined 
in  order  the  Doric  Council  of  New  Britain,  the 
Washington  Commandery,  the  Knights  Templar  of 
Hartford,  and  Pyramid  Temple  of  the  Mystic  Shrine 
of  Bridgeport.  In  1S89  he  became  a  Thirty-second 
degree  Scottish  Rite  Mason  of  the  Sovereign  Con- 
sistory at  Norwich.  Dr.  Hull  has  been  a  member 
of  the  Baptist  Church  of  Bristol  for  thirty  years,  and 
has  been  one  of  the  Trustees  for  the  past  ten  years. 
In  politics  he  is  a  Republican.  He  has  been  twice 
married.  His  first  wife  (deceased)  was  Sarah  Alice 
Curtiss  of  Forestville,  Connecticut.  His  present 
wife  is  Hattie  A.  Fenn  of  Bristol.  They  have 
one  child,  George  W.  Hull. 


chosen  corporation  counsel  for  the  city  of  South 
Norwalk,  which  position  he  continues  to  hold. 
The  fact  tliat  he  has  retained  this  office  through 
both  Republican  and  Democratic  administrations 
testifies  to  his  popularity  and  etiiciency.  He  is 
also  prosecuting  attorney  for  the  Criminal  Court  of 
Common  Pleas  for  Fairfield  county,  to  which  office 
he  was  chosen  February  1,  1896.  He  has  been  a 
member  of  the  School  Board  and  .-Xcting  School 
\'isitor  for  the  town  of  Norwalk  for  nine  years.  He 
is  also  a  member  of  the  District  Committee  of  the 
South  Norwalk  Union  School  district,  and  Vice- 
President  of  the  Hoard  of  Directors  of  the  South 


JOHN    H.    LIGHT. 


LIGHT,  John  Henry,  Attorney-at-Law,  South 
Norwalk,  was  born  in  Carmel,  Putnam  county.  New 
York,  March  27,  1855,  the  son  of  Belden  and 
Annie  (Keenan)  Light.  His  father,  a  typical  Yan- 
kee, traced  his  ancestry  back  to  a  jicriod  before  the 
Revolutionary  War.  His  mother  was  born  in  the 
north  of  Ireland  of  sturdy  Scotch-Irish  ])arentage. 
Young  Light  received  his  early  education  in  the 
common  schools,  finishing  at  Chamberlain  Insti- 
tute, Randoljih,  New  York,  where  he  was  graduated 
in  1880.  He  then  took  up  the  study  of  law,  and 
was  admitted  to  the  Bar  of  Fairfield  coimty  in  Sep- 
tember 1883.      In  May  of  the  following  year  he  was 


Norwalk  Public  Library.  He  is  one  of  the  mana- 
gers and  directors  of  the  South  Norwalk  Savings 
Bank,  is  President  of  the  South  Norwalk  Improve- 
ment Society,  and  member  of  the  Congregational 
Church  of  South  Norwalk.  He  belongs  to  the 
Knob  Outing  Club  and  Norwalk  Yacht  ('lub,  and  is 
a  member  of  Butler's  Lodge  of  Odd  Fellows,  and 
Old  Wall  Lodge  of  Masons.  He  is  also  a  Knight 
Tcnii)lar  and  member  of  the  Mystic  Shrine.  In 
politics  he  is  a  Republican  and  has  taken  an  active 
part  in  every  campaign,  making  many  speeches 
throughout  the  state.  Possessed  of  a  nuiscular  ath- 
letic build,  a  pleasing  ])ersonalily,  and  the'keen, 
persuasive  ability  of  the  trained  lawyer,  his  speeches 


1 84 


MKN    OK    I'ROGRKSS. 


•ire  always  forceful  and  his  talents  uniformly  recog- 
nized. He  was  married  August  3,  18S1,  to  Ida  M. 
Lockwood.     They  have  one  son  :  Freeman  Light. 


PHELPS,  William  Lyon,  Assistant  Professor  of 
English  Literature  at  Yale  University,  New  Haven, 
Connecticut,  was  born  in  New  Haven,  January  2, 
1865.  He  is  the  son  of  the  Reverend  S.  Dr)'den 
I'helps,  D.  D.,  and  S.  Emilia  (Linsley)  Phelps;  is  a 
great-grandson  of  Colonel  William  Lyon  of  Revolu- 
tionary fame,  and  is  descended  in  direct  line  from 
Theophilus  Eaton,  the  first  C.ovcrnor  of  the  New 


WM.   LYON    PHELPS. 

Haven  Colony.  He  prepared  for  college  at  the 
Hartford  High  School,  and  was  graduated  from 
Yale  in  the  class  of  1887.  He  received  the  degree 
of  M.  A.  from  Harvard  in  1S91,  and  the  degree  of 
Ph.  D.  from  Yale  in  the  same  year.  He  was  In- 
structor in  English  at  the  Westminster  School, 
Dobbs  Ferry,  New  York,  in  1888-89,  and  was  Mor- 
gan Fellow  at  Harvard  in  1890-91.  In  1891-92 
he  was  Instructor  in  English  at  Harvard,  and  in  the 
autumn  of  1892  returned  to  New  Haven  to  occupy 
a  similar  position  as  Instructor  in  English  Litera- 
ture at  Yale.  He  so  continued  until  1896,  when  he 
was  elected  to  his  present  position  of  Assistant  Pro- 
fessor of  English  Literature.     Professor  Phelps  oc- 


cupies an  uniipie  position  among  the  instructors  at 
Yale.  The  graduating  class  of  1896  in  the  Academ- 
ical Department  not  only  voted  him  their  most 
popular  instructor,  but  presented  him  with  a  silver 
loving  cup  ;  and  he  has  thus  frequently  received  tes- 
timonials of  the  warm  affection  with  which  he  is 
universally  regarded  by  the  undergraduates  of  the 
university.  He  brings  to  his  work  a  thorough  prep- 
aration, the  enthusiasm  of  youth,  and  an  earnest- 
ness of  purpose  which  wins  and  inspires.  His 
course  on  English  fiction  attracted  attention  within 
and  without  the  university,  and  he  is  in  active  de- 
mand as  a  lecturer  on  literary  topics,  having  given 
courses  in  New  York  and  Philadelphia.  He  has 
published  the  following  books  :  "  The  Beginnings  of 
the  English  Romantic  Movement,"  Boston,  1893; 
"  Selections  from  the  Poetry  and  Prose  of  Thomas 
Gray,"  Boston,  1894;  Irving's  "Tales  of  a  Travel- 
ler," New  York,  1894;  Irving's  "Sketch  Book," 
New  York,  1895;  Chapman's  "Plays"  (Mermaid 
Series),  London,  1895;  Shakespeare's  "As  You 
Like  It,"  New  York,  1896;  and  many  articles  in 
magazines  and  periodicals.  His  book  on  the 
Romantic  Movement  was  reviewed  with  high  praise 
in  London,  Paris  and  Leipzig,  as  an  original  study 
and  contribution  to  literary  history.  In  politics 
Professor  Phelps  is  a  Republican,  was  a  delegate  to 
the  jMichigan  State  Convention  of  1896,  and 
stumped  Michigan  for  McKinley  during  the  sum- 
mer of  the  last  campaign.  While  at  Harvard  dur- 
ing 1891-92  he  was  President  of  the  Harvard 
Graduate  Club.  He  was  married  at  Huron  City, 
Michigan,  December  21,  1892,  to  Annabel  Hub- 
bard. 

RORABACK,  Willard  Andrew,  Attorney-at- 
Law,  Torrington,  was  born  in  New  Marlborough, 
Massachusetts,  March  12,  i860,  son  of  James. and 
Martha  E.  (Bartholomew)  Roraback.  He  was 
educated  in  the  common  schools  and  at  the  High 
Schools  of  Shefifield,  Massachusetts,  and  Canaan, 
Connecticut.  He  studied  law  in  the  office  of  Judge 
A.  T.  Roraback  of  Canaan,  under  whose  instruction 
he  remained  from  1877  to  1884.  In  June  1883  he 
was  admitted  to  the  Bar,  and  in  April  of  the  follow- 
ing year  began  the  practice  of  law  at  Torrington, 
where  he  still  remains.  He  is  recognized  as  one  of 
tlie  leading  young  lawyers  of  the  county.  In  1887 
he  was  elected  Town  Clerk  of  Torrington,  and  held 
the  same  office,  with  the  exception  of  one  year, 
from  1889  to  1897.  He  also  holds  the  office  of 
Borough  Clerk  of  Torrington,  to  which  office  he  was 


mi;n  oi'  i'Kocrkss. 


1S5 


elected  in  1891.  He  was  Representative  in  tlic 
Legislature  of  1S95,  and  served  as  Clerk  of  the 
Finance  Committee.  On  October  6,  1897,  he  was 
appointed  Judge  of  the  Borough  Court  of  'I'or- 
rington  by  Governor  Cook.  He  takes  an  active 
interest  in  politics  and  has  been  Chairman  of  the 
Republican  Town  Committee  since  1885.  Mr. 
Roraback  is  a  Mason,  being  a  member  of  the  Chap- 
ter and  Council ;  he  is  also  a  Knight  Templar  and 
an   t)(ld   ['"ellow.     He  was  married   December  28, 


W.   A.    RORABACK. 

1S92,  to  Emma  E.  Pierson,  of  Hartford,  Connect- 
icut. They  have  one  child :  James  Willard 
Roraback. 

RHOADES,  Charles  Lyman,  Baptist  Clergy- 
man, Stamford,  was  born  in  Elbridge,  Onondaga 
county.  New  York,  May  1,5,  1849,  son  of  John 
Dickinson  and  Seviah  (lirown)  Rhoades.  On 
both  sides  of  the  house  he  traces  his  descent 
back  to  staunch  old  Colonial  stock.  The  Rhoades 
genealogy  is  very  complete  and  is  traced  back 
to  Henry  Rhoades,  a  settler  of  Marblehead,  Mas- 
sachusetts, prior  to  1C39,  whose  eight  children 
were :  Eleazur,  Samuel,  Josejih,  Joshua,  Josiah, 
Jonathan,  Eliza  and  Henry  Rhoades,  Jr.  Samuel, 
the  second  son,  was  born  in  1642,  and  married 
Abagail  Coabs  in   1681.     Their  ten  children  were  : 


Jonathan,  Sanuiel,  Abigail,  Kleazur,  Sarah,  Obadiah, 
Sarah,  Jane,  Josejih  and  Benjamin  Rhoades. 
Joseph,  tlie  ninlli  cliild  of  Samuel,  was  born  August 

25,  I  701,  and  lived  at  Marblehead.  He  was  a  man 
of  character  and  sterling  worth.  His  will  filed  at 
Salem  bequeaths  an  estate  of  the  value  of  seven 
hundred  pounds  sterling,  a  considerable  fortune 
for  those  early  times.  He  married  Mary  Fuller, 
and  their  children,  all  born  at  Marblehead,  were 
named  :  Mary,  Joseph,  Sarah,  Lydia,  Abagail, 
Samuel  and  Joseph.  Joseph,  their  youngest  son, 
was  born  March  1,  1741,  and  married  Emma  Chap- 
man December  18,  1766.  He  died  at  Chesterfield, 
iNLissachusetts,  June  12,  1830,  having  served  as 
Ensign  during  the  Revolutionary  War.  His  wife,  a 
woman  of  great  beauty  and  unusual  mental  attain- 
ments, was  still  living  when  the  youngest  of  her 
twelve  children,  all  then  living,  had  attained  the  age 
of  fifty  years.  These  twelve  children's  names  were  : 
Joseph,  Emma,  Samuel,  John,  Benjamin,  Hannah, 
Stephen,  Polly,  Jacob,  Thomas,  Betsy  and  Chap- 
man.    John,  the  fourth  child,  was  born  December 

26,  1773,  at  Marblehead,  and  died  at  Elbridge, 
New  York,  February  25,  1854.  He  married  May 
8,  1797,  Clarissa  Dickinson,  who  died  in  childbirth 
May  13,  1799.  He  was  again  married  January  27, 
i8or,  to  Hannah  Cook,  a  cousin  of  his  first  wife. 
He  was  a  farmer,  removing  in  1810  from  Marble- 
head to  Skaneateles,  New  York,  and  from  the  latter 
place  moving  to  Elbridge.  His  ten  children  were  : 
John  Dickinson,  the  father  of  the  subject  of  this 
sketch ;  Francis,  Clarissa,  Eliza,  Maria,  Clarissa, 
Hannah  Smith,  Mary  Ann,  Orpha  and  Francis 
Cook  Rhoades.  Charles  Lyman  Rhoades,  the 
present  clergyman,  received  his  early  education  in 
the  typical  red  schoolhouse  of  his  native  town.  He 
then  attended  the  Monroe  Collegiate  Institute,  but 
a  further  collegiate  training  was  abandoned  owing 
to  the  need  of  his  services  at  home.  Though  dis- 
appointed in  his  college  course,  with  that  indom- 
itable spirit  that  conquers  success,  he  decided  to 
study  law  at  home  during  his  evenings  after  the 
hard  day's  work  on  the  farm.  This  he  continued 
to  do  for  two  years,  and  in  November  1871  was 
able  to  leave  home  for  Toledo,  Ohio.  The  follow- 
ing May  he  was  admitted  to  practice  before  the 
Supreme  Court  of  Ohio,  and  on  December  16,  1872, 
he  was  admitted  to  the  Circuit  Court  of  the  United 
States.  While  still  practicing  the  legal  ])rofession 
he  was  always  active  in  church,  mission  and  Sunday- 
school  work.  Feeling  more  and  more  inclined  to 
religious    work,    he    finally,    in    November    1879, 


iS6 


MKN    OF    PROC.RllSS. 


acceiUeil  the  General  Secretaryship  of  the  Young 
Men'sChristian  Association  of  Haverliill,  Massachu- 
setts. Me  continued  his  work  at  Haverhill  and  at  Man- 
chester, New  Hampshire,  for  three  years,  when  in 
September  1882  he  entered  the  Newton  Theological 
Seminary.  One  month  later  he  was  called  to  the 
liaptist  Church  of  Lexington,  Massachusetts,  where, 
in  January  18S3,  he  was  ordained.  The  care  of  the 
church  developed  so  fast  that  he  was  compelled  to 
cut  his  seminary  course  down  to  a  year's  work.  His 
subsequent  pastorates  have  been  at  West  .'\cton,  Som- 
erville  and  Boston,  Massachusetts,  and  his  present 
successful  pastorate  at  Stamford.     Mr.  Khoades  is  an 


^^^ 


born  January  13,  1876,  married  January  17,  1895, 
to  Henry  George  Quimby ;  Charles  Lyman,  born 
February  13,  1878,  died  in  1888;  Mary  Elizabeth, 
born  October  18,  1881  ;  and  Alva  Spencer  Rhoades, 
born  August  2,  1885.  Since  the  foregoing  was  in 
type,  Mr.  Rhoades  has  accepted  the  position  of  Dis- 
trict Secretary  of  the  American  Baptist  Missionary 
Union,  with  office  in  New  York  city,  and  has 
removed  to  Mount  Vernon,  New  York.  This  posi- 
tion is  one  of  the  most  important  in  the  country 
and  in  the  denomination,  representing  the  Union 
for  Southern  New  York  and  Northern  New  Jersey, 
including  all  the  Baptist  churches  of  Greater  New 
York  in  the  District.  The  American  Baptist  Mis- 
sionary Union  has  one  of  the  finest  records  for 
active  and  successful  work  of  any  foreign  mission- 
ary society  in  the  world,  and  to  represent  it  among 
three  hundred  churches,  including  those  of  the 
metropolis  of  the  United  States,  is  indeed  a  high 
calling.  Rev.  Mr.  Rhoades  has  made  foreign  mis- 
sions a  special  study  during  his  ministry,  which  is 
undoubtedly  the  reason  why  he  has  been  called  to 
this  work. 


C.   L.    RHOADES. 

omnivorous  reader,  and  with  his  retentive  memory, 
wide  e.\perience  of  men  and  ability  to  speak  forci- 
bly, entirely  without  notes,  is  peculiarly  fitted  for  his 
position  and  profession.  Joining  the  Baptist  church 
when  a  farmer's  boy  at  Elbridge,  and  following  the 
faith  consistently  through  all  his  varied  life,  he 
brings  to  his  work  both  the  precept  and  example  of 
an  earnest  Christian  life.  He  is  not  a  member  of 
any  club  or  society,  believing  that  his  power  for 
good  would  be  stronger  if  he  remained  indepen- 
dent. He  was  married  at  Toledo,  Ohio,  February 
'5.  1875,  to  Mary  Elizabeth  Fitch,  a  lineal  descend- 
ant of  Thomas  Fitch,  Governor  of  Connecticut. 
Four  children  have  been  born  to  them  :  Julia  Fitch, 


WOLFF,  Arthur  Jacob,  M.  D.,  Physician  and 
Bacteriologist,  Hartford,  was  born  in  London,  Eng- 
land, June  7,   1855,    son  of  Arthur  S.  Wolff,  M.  D., 
and  Sarah  (Ansell)  Wolff.     His  maternal  ancestors 
lived  in  London  and  Ipswich,  England,  and  the  line 
is  traced  back  to  the  thirteenth  century.     His  grand- 
father was  a  constructing  engineer  under  Napoleon  I 
in  the   French   Army.     His  father   served   through 
the  Crimean  War  in  the   French  service,  and  was 
Surgeon  of  the  Fifty- fifth  Regiment,  New  York  Vol- 
unteers, a  French  Regiment  in  the  Civil  War.     At 
present  he  is    a    Texas    State    Quarantine    Officer. 
The    subject  of    this    sketch   was    educated  at  the 
Plattsburgh  (New  York)  High  School.     At  the  age 
of  fifteen  he  began  the  study  of  medicine   with  his 
father  with  whom  he  thus  continued  for  seven  years. 
He  obtained  a  license  to  practice  in  New  York  but 
in  the  same  year  he  moved  with  his  father  to  Texas 
and  was  entered  as  a  student  in  the  Texas  Medical 
College  and   Hospital  where  he  was  graduated  in 
1876.       For   one    year   he   practiced   medicine    at 
Galveston,  at   the    end  of   which  time  he  became 
Assistant  Surgeon  at  the  United  States  Army  Post, 
stationed  at  Fort  Brown.     From   1877  to  1881   he 
had  varied  service  along  the   Rio  Grande   in   the 
army  under  General  George  Sykes  for  whom  he  was 
the  attendant  physician  at  the  time  of  his  death. 
During  this  period  he  made  good  use  of  his  oppor- 


MKN    t)F    I'R()i;KI';sS. 


iSy 


tunities  to  study  the  Soutlicrn  climate  and  its 
peculiar  diseases.  Coming  North  in  iSSi  he  took 
a  special  course  of  medicine  at  liellevue  College 
where  he  obtained  a  second  degree  of  ^[.  D.  in 
1883.  In  that  year  he  moved  to  Hartford  where  he 
has  since  been  located,  lie  has  made  a  specialty 
of  women's  diseases  and  of  microscopic  w-ork  and 
has  been  called  in  as  an  expert  in  many  noted 
murder  trials  in  Connecticut,  New  York,  New  Jersey 
and  Texas.  He  was  called  in  the  Souder  Murder 
Case,  and  in  the  Trebbe,  liushenhargen,  Daly, 
Rogers,  Buchanan  and  ISestero  cases.  He  is  at 
present  Bacteriologist   for   the    Hartford    lioard   of 


ARTHUR  J.   WOLFF. 

Health.  He  is  a  member  of  the  City,  County  and 
State  medical  societies,  the  Royal  Microscopical 
Society  of  London,  and  the  Kings  County  Medical 
Society  of  New  York.  In  politics  he  is  an  Inde- 
pendent. He  was  married  February  17,  1886,  to 
Hattie  Krotoshiner,  of  Hartford.  They  have  had 
one  daughter,  Beatrice,  who  died  in  infancy. 


BLISS,  Francis  Edward,  of  Hartford,  Publisher, 
was  born  in  Springfield,  Massachusetts,  September 
23,  1843,  son  of  Elisha  Bliss,  Jr.,  and  I.ois  .Ann 
(Thayer)    Bliss.      He  is  of   good   English  descent, 


his   ancestry   including   well-known    New    I'.iigland 
stock,  deriving  on  the  paternal  side  from  'J'homas 
Bliss,  of   Belstone,   Devonshire  county,  in  the  six- 
teenth century,  whose  son  Thomas  was  one  of  the 
first  settlers  in  Hartford,  Connecticut ;  and  on  the 
maternal  side,  from  Richard  Thayer,  who  emigrated 
from  England    in   1636,  and   settled    in   Braintree, 
Massachusetts.     Mr.  Bliss  was  educated  at  jjrivate 
schools  in  and  about  New  York  ;  later  in  Springfield, 
Massachusetts,  and  finally  at  the  Collegiate  Prepara- 
tory School  of  .Mexander  Hyde,  in  Lee,  Massachu- 
setts.     His  delicate  health  prevented  further  study. 
I'ntil  the  age  of   thirteen  he  resided   in   Brooklyn 
and  Jersey  City;  he  then  divided  his  time,  as  health 
permitted,  between  study  and  \arious  outdoor  pur- 
suits, s])ending  some  winters  in    the  early  logging 
camps  of  Michigan.     On  the  breaking  out  of  the 
war   of    the    Rebellion    he    enlisted    but    was    not 
accepted  because  of  youth  and  physical  condition; 
he  became,  however,  quite  familiar  with  army  life 
through  several  extended  visits  to  the  Union  lines, 
and    witnessed    many    stirring   scenes.      Thus    his 
experiences  of   rough    outdoor   life,  acting  upon  a 
receptive  mind  and  his  ipiick  observation,  stored  up 
valuable  information  for  life  use.     .At  twenty-one  he 
entered  the  Ninth  National  Bank  of  New  York  and 
began  his  business  education,  where  his  ability  and 
close  attention  to  duties  resulted  in  rapid  promo- 
tion.    He    was   connected   w-ith  this  institution  in 
1864  and   1865  ;  then  for  a  short  time  he  was  em- 
[iloyed  in  the  Tenth  National  Bank  of  the  same  city, 
and  finally  coming   to    Hartford    in    1866,  became 
connected  with  the  American  Publishing  Company, 
being  made   its   Treasurer  in   1868,  Secretary  and 
Treasurer  in  1872,  and  President  and  Treasurer  in 
1 887,  which  positions  he  continues  to  hold.     Under 
his  management  the  company  has  prospered,  doing 
a  large  and  growing  business  and  bringing  out  the 
works  of  many  noted  writers,  foremost  among  them, 
Mark  Twain,  whose  early  books  published  by  Mr. 
IJliss's  firm    had   an    enormous    sale.     Other   well- 
known  publications  of  the  house  are  J.  T.  Headley's 
"  History  of  the  Rebellion,"  of  which  a  quarter  of  a 
million  copies  were  sold,  and  the  works  of  Albert  D. 
Richardson,  Bret  Harte,  Miss  Holley  (Josiah  Allen's 
wife)  and  Colonel  Thomas  W.  Kno.x.     The   Amer- 
ican Publishing   Company  has  sold    books   by  the 
hundreds  of   thousands  and  this  satisfactory  result 
has  largely  come,  not  only  from  Mr.  Bliss's  thorough 
practical  knowledge  of  the  many  stages  of  his  pro- 
fession, from  the  various  details  of  manufacture  and 
shipping  of  goods,  but  the  putting  of  a  book  on  the 


iSS 


MEN    OF    PROGRESS. 


market  and  conducting  its  sale  tlirough  the  agency 
of  canvassers  ;  often  as  many  as  five  tliousand  being 
employed  at  one  time.  The  business  is  purely  by 
the  subscription  plan.  Mr.  Bliss  has  also  paid  close 
attention  to  the  literary  side  of  his  business  and 
been  thrown  much  into  contact  with  writers.  For 
twenty  years  he  has  applied  himself  closely  to  his 
work,  scarcely  taking  time  for  an  occasional  vaca- 
tion, and  he  has  reason  to  be  proud  of  the  result. 
Recently  the  firm  has  again  become  the  publishers 
of  Mark  Twain,  bringing  out  his  book,  "  Follow- 
ing the  Equator."  Mr.  Bliss  was  for  some  time 
a  member  of  the  Lotus  Club  of  New  York,  and  is 


F.   E.   BLISS. 

now  a  member  of  several  clubs  and  societies  of  New 
York  and  Hartford.  In  1879  he  was  honorably  dis- 
charged from  the  Governor's  Foot  Guard.  He  is  a 
Republican  in  politics,  but  has  never  sought  or  held 
office.  His  tastes  lead  him  to  prefer  a  quiet  home 
life.  He  is  a  type  of  the  New  Englander  who,  by 
persistent  energy  and  natural  ability,  has  attained  a 
marked  and  deserved  success.  On  September  28 
1870,  he  was  married,  on  the  summit  of  Mt.  Holy- 
oke,  Massachusetts,  to  Frances  T.  French.  They 
have  had  two  children,  both  living  :  Elisha  F"rench, 
aged  twenty-seven,  and  Francis  Edward  Bliss,  aged 
twenty-three. 


CUTLER,  Ralph  William,  President  of  the 
Hartford  Trust  Company,  Hartford,  was  born  in 
Newton,  Massachusetts,  February  21,  1853,  son  of 
Eben  and  Caroline  Elizabeth  (Holman)  Cutler. 
He  is  a  descendant  of  James  Cutler  who  came  from 
England,  in  1634,  was  one  of  the  original  settlers 
of  Watertown,  Massachusetts,  and  was  "assigned" 
twenty-eight  acres  of  land  in  the  "  First  Great 
Divide."  In  1642  he  was  also  "  assigned  "  eighty- 
two  acres  additional,  but  in  165 1  he  sold  his  share 
and  removed  to  Lexington,  Massachusetts,  where 
the  cellar  of  his  house  is  still  to  be  seen  upon  the 
farm  which  he  purchased  at  that  time,  and  which 
has  remained  in  the  Cutler  family  until  very 
recently.  His  son,  James  Cutler,  served  in  King 
Philip's  War,  lived  and  died  in  Lexington,  but 
Thomas  Cutler,  his  son,  removed  to  Western  (now 
Warren),  Massachusetts,  where  he  purchased  a  farm 
of  about  three  hundred  acres  in  1750,  which  farm 
remains  in  the  family  to  the  present  day.  He  was 
the  father  of  Deacon  Thomas  Cutler,  who  was  a 
man  of  note  in  the  annals  of  Warren,  and  his  son 
was  Ebenezer  Cutler,  who  served  in  the  War  of  the 
Revolution,  received  his  commission  as  Lieutenant, 
inherited  the  homestead  at  Warren,  and  died  there 
in  18 14.  He  bequeathed  the  farm  to  James  Cutler, 
who  was  also  a  prominent  man  in  town  affairs.  Ralph 
W.  Cutler's  father,  Eben  Cutler,  removed  to  Boston 
in  1832,  went  into  the  jewelry  business,  and  was  one 
of  Boston's  old-time  merchants.  From  this  same 
stock  comes  the  Reverend  Manasseh  Cutler,  who 
cut  so  important  a  figure  in  the  settlement  of  the 
Northwest,  including  the  Western  Reserve.  The 
subject  of  this  sketch  numbers  among  his  ances- 
tors Governor  George  Wyllys,  Governor  William 
Pynchon,  Major  William  Whiting,  Captain  Daniel 
Clark,  and  many  others  prominent  in  shaping  the 
early  affairs  of  this  country.  Mr.  Cutler's  mother, 
Caroline  Elizabeth  Holman,  was  a  descendant  of 
Ensign  John  Holman,  who  was  one  of  the  first 
settlers  of  Dorchester,  Massachusetts,  and  an  origi- 
nal Grantee  of  land  in  1630.  He  came  in  Mav- 
erick and  Wareham's  Company  in  the  ship  Mary 
and  John,  probably  from  Dorchester,  Dorsetshire, 
England.  His  residence  was  "  by  the  Rock,"  mean- 
ing what  is  now  known  as  Dorchester  Heights,  over- 
looking Boston  harbor.  He  was  chosen  Selectman 
in  1636,  1637  and  1642.  In  1636  he  was  appointed 
Ensign  of  the  First  Military  Company  of  Dorchester, 
Massachusetts,  under  Captain  Israel  Stoughton  and 
Lieutenant  Nathaniel  Duncan,  at  the  beginning  of 
the    Pequot   War.     He    was   also    one  of   the  first 


MF.N    OF    TROCRI'-SS. 


189 


members  of  tlie  Ancient  and  Honorable  Artillery 
C'omjiany  of  I5oston,  and  his  name  is  No.  19  on  the 
Koll.  His  son,  Samuel  llolnian,  was  a  surgeon  in 
military  service  in  167 1  and  a;;ain  in  1676.  The 
subject  of  this  sketch  came  to  Hartford  from  I5oston 
in  1S80,  at  the  age  of  twenty-seven  years,  having 
been  elected  as  Treasurer  of  the  Hartford  Trust 
Company,  upon  the  promotion  of  Mr.  R  W.  Farmer 
to  the  Presidency  of  the  company.  Mr.  Farmer 
resigned  his  office  in  1882  to  enter  a  ]irivate  bank- 
ing firm.  The  stock  of  the  Trust  Company  was 
about  this  time  below  par,  ciglity-five  dollars  per 
share.      It   has  steadily  advanced  until  today  it  is  in 


RALPH    W.  CUTLER, 

request  at  one  hundred  and  fifty  dollars.  The  assets 
of  the  company  are  absolutely  clean,  and  unencum- 
bered by  suspended  paper  or  uncollected  interest. 
Following  the  limited  administrations  of  Presidents 
Hon.  William  Faxon  and  Mr.  Henry  Kellogg,  both 
of  whom  died  in  office,  Mr.  Cutler  was  in  1SS7 
elected  President — the  youngest  bank  president  in 
the  state.  Mr.  Cutler's  early  education  acquired  in 
Boston,  Massachusetts,  eminently  fitted  him  for  his 
chosen  profession.  He  graduated  from  the  Boston 
English  High  School  at  sixteen  years  of  age,  and 
had,  previous  to  entering  upon  his  banking  career, 
a  few  years'  experience  in  mercantile  life,  which  gave 
him  a  wide  knowledge  of  business  men,  bankers. 


and  of  commercial  credits.  His  clear  judgment 
and  close  scrutiny  of  the  latter  has  contributed 
largely  to  his  success  as  a  banker.  President  Cutler 
derives  much  of  his  strength  from  the  fact  that  he 
has  a  minute  accpiaintance  with  every  detail,  clerkly 
and  otherwise,  which  can  arise  in  the  practical  con- 
duct of  the  institution  which  he  heads.  His  urbane 
and  courteous  intercourse  secures  to  him  the  con- 
fidence and  friendly  esteem  of  his  associates  and 
customers.  Mr.  Cutler  was  a  member  of  the 
Court  of  Common  Council  of  Hartford  in  1883- 
84 ;  appointed  Fire  Commissioner  April  1896,  a 
three-years  term  ;  is  Treasurer  of  the  Connecticut 
Humane  Society  since  its  organization  in  1880; 
Gentleman  of  the  Council,  Society  of  Colonial  Wars, 
since  its  organization  in  1893  ;  member  of  the  Sons 
of  the  American  Ivevolution  in  1890;  Colonial 
Order  of  the  Acorn  ;  New  England  Historic,  Gen- 
ealogical Society  of  Boston,  Massachusetts;  also 
Colonial  and  Republican  clubs  of  Hartford.  Mr. 
Cutler  married  in  1880  Grace  Dennis,  the  eldest 
daughter  of  Rodney  Dennis,  who  was  one  of  the 
founders  and  for  thirty-three  years  Secretary  of  the 
Traveler's  Insurance  Company.  By  this  union  he 
has  three  children:  Charlotte  Elizabeth,  l\al|ih 
Dennis  and  Ruth  Holman  Cutler. 


CLOWES,  (Ikokof.  HK\vM-.i-r,  of  Waterbury,  late 
President  of  the  Hoard  of  'J'rade,  and  managing 
member  of  the  firm  of  Randolph  &  Clowes,  was 
born  at  Clinton,  Oneida  county,  New  York,  June 
17,  1842,  during  his  father's  Presidency  of  the  Clin- 
ton Liberal  Institute,  and  is  the  son  of  Rev. 
Timothy  and  Mary  (Hewlett)  Clowes.  In  the 
latter  part  of  the  seventeenth  century  the  name  of 
Clowes  first  appears  in  America.  Here,  its  starting 
point  was  in  that  old,  historic  and  thriving  town  of 
Hempstead,  Long  Island.  Indeed,  the  burying 
ground  of  St.  George's  church  in  Hempstead  is,  in 
its  epitaphs,  a  sufficient  history  of  the  family  since 
its  first  advent  to  this  country.  It  is  a  surprising 
fact,  in  looking  over  its  records  from  the  beginning, 
to  find  so  many  of  the  name  in  succeeding  genera- 
tions who  have  pursued  professional  and  scholarly 
lives,  —  doctors,  lawyers,  clergymen,  almost  exclu- 
sively,—  many  of  them  quite  distinguished  in  their 
life  work.  Perhaps,  however,  no  one  of  the  name 
acquired  so  high  a  position  in  the  world  of  letters 
and  scholarship  as  the  Rev.  Timothy  Clowes,  LL.D., 
the  father  of  our  present  subject.  This  man,  most 
eminent    in    Iiis   iirofcssion,    was    born    March    iS, 


I  go 


MEN    OF    PROC.KKSS. 


1 787  ;  was  graduated  as  Master  of  Arts  at  Columbia 
C:ollege  in  1808;  was  a  clergyman  in  1809  of  the 
Cbtablished  church,  with  a  parish  at  Jamaica,  Long 
Island,  and  later  one  in  Jersey  City;  was  rector  of 
St.  Peter's  Church,  in  Albany,  from  1810  to  181  7, 
—  at  the  end  of  which  time  he  returned  to  Hemp- 
stead, and  for  three  years  taught  with  marked  suc- 
cess one  of  the  leading  classical  institutes  of  the 
country.  Recognizing  his  vast  and  varied  erudi- 
tion, he  was  honored  in  1821,  with  the  degree  of 
Doctor  of  Laws  by  Allegheny  College,  and  the  same 
year  was  appointed  the  Principal  of  Erasmus  Hall, 
Klatbush,  Long  Island.     In   1823,  Dr.    Clowes  re- 


GEORGE    H.    CLOWES. 

ceived  a  call  to  the  presidency  of  Washington 
College,  Maryland,  which  he  accepted.  Over  this 
institution  of  learning  he  presided  for  six  years. 
During  a  part  of  this  period  he  was  also  rector  of 
the  Episcopal  Church  in  Chestertown,  Maryland, 
and  of  St.  Paul's,  Kent  county,  Maryland.  In 
1829,  Washington  College  was  destroyed  by  fire, 
and  Dr.  Clowes  again  opened  his  classical  school  in 
Hempstead,  Long  Island.  This  seminary  in  the 
succeeding  nine  years  became  widely  celebrated  as 
an  institution  of  learning.  The  Clinton  Liberal 
Institute.  Oneida  county.  New  York,  called  him  in 
1838  to  its  presidency, —  a  position  which  he 
creditably   occupied   for   four   years.     Dr.    Clowes 


died  at  Hempstead,  Long  Island,  June  19,  1847. 
If  the  subject  of  this  notice  derives  some  of  his 
best  qualities  to  insure  success  in  life  from  his  dis- 
tinguished father,  he  is  no  less  indebted  for  many 
of  his  characteristics  to  his  mother.  Her  maiden 
name  was  Mary  Hewlett,  and  her  mother's  name 
was  Mary  Sands.  She  came  from  a  long  and 
noted  ancestry.  Her  lineage  is  distinctly  traced 
step  by  step,  to  the  middle  of  the  eleventh  century 
in  England,  and  her  family  was  exclusively  of  Saxon 
origin.  The  name  was  originally  Sandys  in  the 
olden  times,  but  has  since  been  spelled  Sandes, 
Sandis,  and  Sands.  Dr.  Benjamin  Sandys  was 
Archbishop  of  York  in  the  time  of  Cromwell,  who 
confiscated  his  vast  estates  just  as  he  treated  every- 
thing of  value  with  which  he  came  in  contact. 
There  is  at  present  an  association  of  the  Sands 
family  heirs,  of  which  Mr.  Clowes  is  a  member, — 
seeking  for  a  restoration  to  them  through  the  Brit- 
ish Parliament  of  these  estates,  aggregating  $100,- 
000,000.  In  America  the  Sands  family  first  ap- 
pears in  the  person  of  Sir  Edwin  Sandys,  who  in 
16 17  became  Governor  and  Treasurer  of  the  Vir- 
ginia Colony.  Subsequently,  in  1640,  representa- 
tives of  the  parent  stock  in  England  settled  in 
Boston,  Massachusetts.  The  genealogy  of  the 
Sands  family  from  this  point  to  the  present  — 
covering  nearly  three  centuries  —  is  both  interest- 
ing and  instructive,  but  our  narrow  limits  forbid  its 
introduction  here.  Suffice  it  to  say,  that  it  com- 
prised members  of  all  of  the  three  recognized  pro- 
fessions, men  prominent  in  business  circles  in  New 
York  and  elsewhere,  ofificers,  soldiers  and  patriots  of 
our  wars  of  the  Revolution  and  1812,  bankers,  mem- 
bers of  Congress,  judges,  naval  ofificers  and  scholars. 
Mr.  Clowes'  father  died  when  he  was  but  five  years 
of  age.  Upon  his  widowed  mother  devolved  the 
care,  education  and  training  of  two  children,  both 
of  tender  years.  Until  he  was  eleven  years  of  age, 
Mr.  Clowes  attended  the  Hempstead  Seminary  and 
Jamaica  Academy.  For  the  four  following  years  he 
was  a  student  of  the  Thetford  Academy,  Thetford, 
Vermont.  At  the  age  of  fifteen,  his  brother,  then  a 
banker  in  DePere,  Wisconsin,  gave  him  a  position 
in  his  banking  house,  which  he  retained  until  he 
entered  St.  Lawrence  University  at  Appleton,  Wis- 
consin. Since  his  college  days,  until  1875,  he  made 
his  home  with  his  mother  in  Brooklyn,  New  York. 
Mr.  Clowes  has  also  an  honorable  record,  as  a 
young  and  patriotic  citizen,  in  our  late  Civil  War. 
Under  the  competent  instruction  of  Colonel  Tomp- 
kins, who  had  been  commissioned  to  educate  offi- 


MF.N    ol'    I'KOC.RESS. 


191 


cers  for  military  positions,  lie  passed  a  succcsslul 
exauiinalion  before  the  lioaril  of  Initetl  States 
H\amining  Officers,  and  was  at  once  appointed 
Adjutant  of  the  McC'lellan  Infantry.  Ilavini;  aided 
in  recruiting  six  iiundred  men  for  a  new  regiment, 
an  order  of  consolidation  witli  another  and  smaller 
body  of  recruits  was  issued  by  the  ^Var  Department, 
and,  owing  in  all  probability  to  political  favoritism, 
the  entire  regimental  lieUl  and  staff  of  the  latter 
body  was  placed  in  command  of  the  full  regiment. 
It  was  a  flagrant  piece  of  injustice,  but  it  did  not  in 
the  least  diminish  the  patriotic  ardor  of  Mr.  Clowes. 
On  a  second  call  for  troojis,  he  at  once  re-enlisted 
with  the  Forty-seventh  Regiment,  New  York  Na- 
tional Guards.  Soon  he  was  appointed  Sergeant- 
Major  of  the  Regiment,  which  position  he  held 
when  mustered  out.  He  had,  likewise,  during  the 
War  of  the  Rebellion,  experience  in  the  Navy  of 
the  United  States.  For  a  year  and  a  half  he  served 
on  the  United  States  gunboat  Flambeau,  doing 
duty  off  the  coast  of  North  and  South  Carolina, 
Georgia  and  Florida.  Later  he  was  transferred 
to  the  I'nited  States  storeship.  Home,  and  was 
faithful  to  duty  aboard  this  ship  until  she  was 
ordered  home  in  the  summer  of  1864.  His  elder 
brother,  Joseph  Clowes,  now  retired,  was  also  in  the 
service  of  the  Navy  of  the  Union,  as  Admiral's  Sec- 
retary, and  the  loss  of  a  legal  the  fall  of  Fort  l'"isher, 
sufficiently  attests  his  love  of  country  and  his  sacri- 
fice for  her  in  her  hour  of  sore  distress.  This  is  all 
the  more  marked  as  he  volunteered  his  services  for 
shore  duty  against  the  admiral's  advice  not  to  go 
ashore  with  the  marines.  The  first  experience  of 
Mr.  Clowes  in  a  mercantile  life  began  as  book-keejier 
and  afterwards  as  salesman,  for  the  flourishing 
manufacturing  house  of  Garden  &  Company,  New 
York.  This  was  late  in  1864.  At  the  end  of  two 
years  he  received  a  flattering  offer  from  the  Middle- 
field  Fire  &  Building  Stone  Company,  1269  Broad- 
way, New  York.  While  thus  engaged  he  was 
appointed  paymaster's  clerk  on  the  United  States 
gunboat  Juniata,  ordered  to  the  European  station, 
and  sailed  in  July  1869.  He  was  abroad  till  1872. 
Returning  to  the  United  States,  he  at  once  engaged 
as  loan  and  discount  clerk  for  the  New  York  Loan 
Indemnity  Company.  In  this  position  he  won  the 
respect  and  admiration  of  all  who  dealt  with  him, 
and,  through  their  confidence  in  him  personally,  he 
influenced  to  this  company,  during  the  two  years  of 
his  connection  with  it,  dei)osits  of  his  friends  of 
upwards  of  a  quarter  of  a  million  of  dollars.  It  was 
with  this  banking  house  that  the  old  firm  of  lirown 


iV  Brothers  of  Waterbury,  Connecticut,  with  a  repu- 
tation world-wide  for  upwards  of  forty  years,  then 
kept  their  New  York  accounts.  Late  in  1874,  when 
the  New  \'ork  Loan  Indemnity  Company  were 
arranging  to  discontinue  business,  Mr.  Thilo  Brown 
(the  then  President  of  llrown  &  Brothers)  asked  its 
President  in  the  course  of  a  business  conversation,  if 
he  could  recommend  one  of  the  employees  of  the 
bank  to  him,  a  man  who  would  have  the  requisite 
1  haracter,  stamina  and  ability,  if  engaged,  to  grow 
up  and  become  identified  wih  his  large  business 
establishment  in  \\  atcrlmry.  Calling  ujj'Mr.  Clowes, 
the  President  at  once  remarked  to  Mr.  Brown  :  "  Of 
all  those  employed  in  this  bank,  I  speak  in  every  re- 
spect most  highly  of  this  man."  That  recommenda- 
tion was  sufficient.  An  engagement  of  Mr.  Clowes  at 
once  followed,  and,  as  a  result,  on  January  i,  1875, 
Mr.  Clowes  came  to  Waterbury,  and  entered  upon 
his  duties  as  head  book-keeper  of  Brown  &  Brothers. 
During  the  entire  period  of  his  connection  with 
]?rown  &  Brothers,  covering  about  eleven  years,  it 
should,  however,  be  stated  that  Mr.  Clowes  had  no 
part  in  the  direction,  policy  or  management  of  the 
concern.  Owing  to  financial  difficulties  and  embar- 
rassments and  other  causes,  in  January  18S6  it  was 
deemed  advisable  for  the  once  powerful  and  solid 
company  of  Brown  cS:  Brothers  to  make  an  assign- 
ment. The  trustees  of  the  company,  however, 
recognizing  the  ability  and  integrity  of  Mr.  Clowes, 
retained  him  for  his  aid  to  tiicm  in  winding  up  its 
involved  and  intricate  affairs.  His  keen  mercantile 
sagacity  told  him  at  once  that  the  purchase  of  the 
seamless  and  brazed  tube  and  boiler  business  from 
the  trustees  might  be  made  the  nucleus  of  a  great 
industry.  This,  however,  was  then  but  a  small 
portion  of  the  original  plant  of  ]5rown  &  Brothers. 
To  secure  its  control  required  an  outlay  of  537,500. 
The  purchase  price  of  the  kettle  business  of  the  late 
company  was  fixed  at  ^5000  additional.  At  once, 
Mr.  Clowes  ajjplied  to  a  friend  of  a  year's  stand- 
ing, Mr.  Edward  F.  Randolph,  a  man  of  wealth 
and  with  large  business  interests  in  New  York,  for 
the  capital  necessary  to  make  this  purchase.  After 
a  conference,  Mr.  Randolph  agreed  to  furnish  con- 
ditionally the  requisite  sum.  The  imposed  condition 
was  in  substance  that  the  entire  responsibility  of 
the  direction  and  management  of  the  plant  when 
bought  should  devolve  upon  Mr.  Clowes.  It  was  an 
immense  undertaking  for  one  man  to  assume,  espe- 
cially when  a  new  company,  under  new  conditions 
and  surroundings,  must  be  built  up  on  the  wreck  of 
the   old.     The    entire    piirchase    price  of   $42,500 


192 


MEN    OF    PROGRESS. 


was,  however,  at  once  furnished.     Mr.  Clowes  as- 
sumed all  personal  responsibility  of  management,  and 
in  April  18S6,  the  sale  was  effected  by  a  transfer  from 
the  trustees  of  the  portion  indicated,  of  the  former 
Hrown  &  Brothers  plant,  to  Randolph  &  Clowes. 
The  partnership  capital  of  the  new  firm  was  at  that 
time  fixed  at  $75,000  (though  subsequently  many 
times  increased)  and  the  partnership  of  Randolph 
&  Clowes  was  launched  upon  its  business  career. 
.At  that  time  (.April  1886)  they  employed  fifty  men 
and  one  clerk.     Their  office  quarters  consisted  of  a 
small  room  about   fourteen  feet  square.     By  com- 
parison at  the  present  writing  (January  1897)  they 
now  employ  eight  under  superintendents  and  over 
five  hundred  hands.     The  main  office,  a  substantial 
brick   structure   of   pleasing    architectural    design, 
where   all   books,  records,  and  accounts  are  kept, 
gives  employment  to  twenty  clerks.     The  firm  also 
at  present  has  its  own  offices  in  New  York,  Phila- 
delphia, and  Cincinnati,  together  with  a  large  distrib- 
uting  depot  in  Boston  and  Chicago.      After  their 
first  purchase  as  before  described,  in  1886,  for  three 
years  Mr.  Clowes  put  forth  all  his  energies  towards 
building  up  the  little  business  so  acquired.     From 
small  beginnings,  the  volume  of  business  transacted 
rapidly  increased.     In  three  years  only  §105,000  in 
cash  had  been  paid  in,  yet,  at  the  end  of  that  time, 
this  thriving  partnership,  in  its  seamless  and  brazed 
tube,  boiler  and  kettle  departments,  was  transacting 
a   business   exceeding   $600,000   per   annum,  —  a 
surprising  showing   upon  the   original   investment. 
At  this  juncture,  the  energy,  executive  ability  and 
business  skill  of  Mr.  Cowles  stood  him  well  in  hand. 
Consuming,    as   the  firm   did,   large   quantities  of 
sheet  brass  and  copper,  his  business  sagacity  sug- 
gested the  propriety  of  his  firm  engaging  likewise 
in  its  manufacture.     Their  increased  business,  also, 
had  outgrown  the  quarters  which  it  then  occupied. 
Consequently,  in  March   1889,  the  present  partners 
purchased  of  the  trustees  at  a  cost  of  ^75,000  the 
old  rolling  mill  of  Brown  &  Brothers  (the  largest 
single   rolling   mill   in   the  country  at  that  time), 
together   with  the  remainder  of  the  property.     It 
was   a   business   venture   at  which   many  old  and 
experienced  manufacturers  shook  their  heads,  pre- 
dicting only   impending  ruin  and   disaster  to   the 
young  and   thriving   firm.      But    Mr.   Clowes   was 
not   to  be   satisfied   until   he  could  reach  a  point 
where  he  could  see  his  firm  second  to  none  either 
in  its  capacity  for  volume  of  business,  credit  in  its 
finance,  or  ability  in  its  management.     Whether  or 
not  he  has  succeeded,  the  figures  alone  will  show. 


Starting  with  about  two  hundred  customers  on  its 
books,  this  concern  now  has  nearly  five  thousand. 
Up  to  the  present  time  over  $600,000  has  been 
spent  in  improving  the  property,  as  originally  pur- 
chased. The  cost,  therefore,  of  this  plant,  starting 
with  such  modest  proportions  but  eight  years  ago, 

—  is  to  the  partners  over  ^750,000.  The  better- 
ments to  the  property  —  taking  into  consideration 
the  constantly  increasing  success  of  the  enterprise 

—  give  it  a  value  more  than   double    their   entire 
cost.     In  the  management  and  developiment  of  this 
enormous  industry  Mr.  Clowes  has  had  no  aid  from 
any  source,  except  the  generous  financial  assistance 
of  his  partner,  who,  however,  has   given   no    time 
whatever  to  its  conduct,  policy  or  supervision.     It 
must   also   be  remembered  that,  during  these  few 
years  of  the  growth  and  maturity  of  this  firm,  it  has 
been   compelled    in  the  open  market  to  face  and 
combat  the  competition  of  old  and  established  cor- 
porations,   with    limitless    credit    and    recognized 
experience   born  of   many   years.     Its   success   is, 
therefore,  an  added  cause  for  congratulation  to  Mr. 
Clowes,  as  its  manager.     Perhaps  one  of  the  main 
causes  for  this  rapid   and    enormous   growth    may, 
under  the  circumstances,  be  found  in  the  rigid  sys- 
tem of  economy  upon  which  Mr.    Clowes   has  in- 
sisted  in    every    detail.     Expenses   of   selling    and 
marketing  goods,  as  well  as  the  general  expenses  of 
the  management,  —  all  outside  of  tlie  actual  cost  of 
production,  —  have  been  reduced  by  him  to  a  mini- 
mum.    The  cost  to  the  company  of  this  item  has 
never  exceeded  four  per  cent  of  their  sales.     The 
difference   between  this  figure  and  the  selling  ex- 
penses of  other  companies  in   the  same  line,  run- 
ning from  seven  to  twelve  per  cent  on  their  output, 
goes  far  toward  explaining  why  Randolph  &  Clowes 
can  make  so  good  a  financial  exhibit.     Mr.  Clowes 
is    still    the    active,   energetic,    persevering    man- 
ager  and    partner   of    this    great    and    prosperous 
firm.     Their  extensive  and  magnificent  works  oc- 
cupy a  central  portion  of  the  city   of   Waterbury. 
The   site  is  an  admirable  one,  and  covers  no  less 
than  six  acres  of  ground.     On  one  side  they  front 
on    the    tracks  of  the  New  York  &  New  England 
Railroad ;  on  another  the  rails  of  the  New   York, 
New  Haven  &  Hartford  road  pass  their  doors,  while 
from  the  Naugutuck  River,  which  southward  flows 
near  by,  they  have  the  use  of   an   unlimited    and 
never  failing  water  supply.     No  site  could  be  better 
selected  for  a  great  manufacturing  plant,  and  these 
transportation  facilities  have  aided  in  making  the 
mills  and  factories  of  Randolph  &  Clowes  a  manu- 


MKN    OK    TROCRKSS. 


193 


facturing  establishment  ]>erhaps  unsurpassed.  Tlie 
plant  coiilil  not  he  duplicated  today  for  less  than 
Ji, 250,000.  The  rolliiiL;  mills  in  which  the  sheet 
copper  and  brass  are  rolled  are  on  the  plans  of  all 
rolling  mills,  though  even  here  a  number  of  valuable 
improvements  have  been  utilized  ;  in  fact,  every- 
thing that  has  been  devised  during  the  last  decade 
in  rolling  mill  ecjuipment  has  been  put  in  operation. 
The  tube  mills  are  especially  interesting.  The 
seamless  tube  business  is  one  of  many  and  various 
technical  ditticulties,  requiring  the  most  costly  and 
ponderous,  as  well  as  the  most  delicate,  machineiy. 
Only  skilled  workmen,  of  many  years'  exi)erience, 
are  employed  in  this  particular  branch  of  the  busi- 
ness. The  manufacture  of  tubing  up  to  four  or  five 
inches  in  diameter  recjuires  more  than  ordinary 
skill  and  outlay  as  to  capital,  and  the  ditticulties 
are  more  than  jiroportionally  increased  with  every 
added  inch  in  diameter  greater  than  four  inches. 
From  this  fact  only  two  or  three  seamless  tube 
manufacturers  make  tubes  up  to  eight  inches,  the 
majority  of  firms  confining  themselves  to  tubing  up 
to  four  or  five  inches.  The  largest  tubes  made  in 
Europe  are  only  twelve  or  fourteen  inches.  Mr. 
Clowes  was  not  slow  to  grasp  the  economic  fact 
that  there  was  little  profit  to  be  gleaned  in  a  field 
where  every  average  worker  might  swing  a  more  or 
less  successful  sickle  ;  so  he  has  for  the  past  eight 
or  nine  years  been  steadily  bending  all  his  energies 
in  the  way  of  developing  his  plant  and  machinery 
to  turning  out  tubes  of  the  greatest  dimensions, 
until  now  the  firm  turns  out  tubes  thirty-eight  inches 
in  diameter,  sis  feet  long;  twenty-four  inches  in 
diameter,  twelve  feet  long ;  twelve  inches  in  diame- 
ter, twenty  feet  long.  Copper  is  a  difficult  metal 
to  handle.  Mr.  Clowes  recognized  the  obstacles 
attending  the  casting  of  large  masses  of  copper ; 
he  measured  them  accurately,  and  he  made  up 
his  mind  long  ago  that  the  only  way  to  get  an 
absolutely  perfect  tube,  or  a  seamless  tube  at  all  of 
large  diameter,  was  to  first  roll  a  sheet  either  of 
copper  or  brass,  circle  it,  and  then  from  the  circle 
draw  the  tube.  Hence  this  firm  has  today  more 
methods  of  drawing  tubes  than  any  other  concern 
in  the  world,  all  peculiarly  adapted  to  the  special 
sizes  or  qualities  desired,  and  many  of  the  methods 
or  devices  fully  protected  by  patents.  Progressive 
and  up-to-date  plumbers  all  over  the  world  know  the 
merits  of  the  patented  seamless  drawn  cojiper  house 
boiler  manufactured  by  Randolph  <S:  Clowes.  They 
realize  its  many  pointsof  superiority,  strength,  dura- 
bility and  api)earance.       .\s  these  boilers  are  made 


up  to  twenty-four  inches  in  cliameter,  tl-.ree  hundred 
gallons  capacity,  and  seamless  drawn,  reciuiring  an 
immense  outlay  in  ponderous  machinery,  aside  from 
the  protection  of  patents,  the  firm  has  no  rciuson  to 
fear  competition  in  that  line.  The  whole  plant  is 
an  enduring  monument  to  George  H.  Clowes.  Few 
business  men  in  the  country  can  jioint  to  such 
results,  accmnulated  in  so  few  years,  by  their  own 
personal,  individual,  unaided  efforts.  No  wonder 
that  the  city  of  Waterbury  with  its  inunense  manu- 
facturing interests  was  glad  to  honor  Mr.  Clowes 
with  the  Presidency  of  its  Board  of  Trade,  to  which 
position  he  was  elected  January  8,  1894.  Mr. 
Clowes  lives  at  Norwood,  \\hen  the  stranger 
goes  to  Waterbury,  the  natives  always  name,  and 
with  pride,  Norwood  as  one  of  the  city's  beauty 
spots.  It  lies  to  the  northwest  of  the  city, 
about  three  (juarters  of  a  mile  from  the  Center 
square,  on  raised  ground,  and  commands  an  exten- 
sive and  charming  view  over  the  city  of  a  great 
sweep  of  the  fair  valley  of  the  Naugatuck.  When 
Mr.  Clowes  purchased  the  twenty-four  acres  on  which 
Norwood  has  arisen,  the  tract  was  wild  as  the  pri- 
meval woods.  Today  it  is  laid  out  in  streets  with 
building  lots  ranging  in  size  from  300  feet  S(iuare 
to  60  X  130.  Among  the  names  of  the  streets  are 
Blacknall,  Sand  and  Hewlett  streets,  Randolph 
Avenue  and  Clowes  Terrace,  all  family  names,  and 
Tower  Road.  Clowes  Terrace  overlooks  North 
Willow  street  and  is  reached  by  a  winding  driveway, 
built  on  massive  stone  w-alls  that  will  in  the  future 
be  one  of  the  most  delightful  drives  in  the  city.  It 
will  eventually  be  the  most  desirable  residential 
center  of  Waterbury,  and  that  in  the  near  future. 
The  Clowes  residence  itself  has  fine  architectural 
features,  and  they  are  given  admirable  display  by 
the  nature  of  the  site  on  the  ])lateau  above  the  city 
to  the  northward.  It  is  solid  looking,  as  one  would 
expect,  and  when  one  enters  through  its  portals  the 
fact  is  made  evident  that  here  is  a  house  that  was 
built  for  a  home,  where  domestic  comfort  plays  a 
larger  part  in  its  designing  than  the  exploitation  of 
architectural  confectionery.  It  is  a  model  home. 
The  lady  of  the  house,  Mrs.  Clowes,  is  of  Southern 
birth  and  family.  North  Carolina  is  her  native 
State,  and  in  her  charming  personality  are  combined 
goodness  of  heart  and  graciousness  of  presence. 
She  was  Miss  Mamie  T.  Blacknall,  daughter  of  Dr. 
George  T.  Blacknall,  of  Raleigh,  N.  C,  and  was 
married  to  Mr.  Clowes  in  1882.  Three  children 
have  blessed  the  union.  "  'Tis  not  in  mortals  to 
command  success,"  but  Mr.  Clowes  has  won  it  by 


194 


MEN    OF   PROGRESS. 


deserving  it.  Merit  is  the  measure  of  his  success,  as 
it  is  of  ail  success.  Nor  lias  it  gone  unrecognized 
of  his  friends,  and  even  the  general  public  have  felt, 
and  expressed  their  feeling,  that  all  his  reapings  of 
material  prosperity  have  been  but  the  natural,  fairly 
won  harvest  from  the  seeds  sown  by  his  natural  com- 
mercial genius,  watered  and  cultivated  to  full  fruitage 
by  his  business  energy  and  indomitable  pluck. 
Journalists  of  different  papers,  local  and  metro- 
politan, have  expressed  in  print  what  all  who  have 
come  into  knowledge  of  the  man  have  felt.  A 
few  quotations  may  be  given  to  instance  what  others 
have  sincerely  felt  and  plainly  said  about  him. 
The  VVaterbury  l':vening  Democrat,  an  opponent 
in  politics  to  Mr.  Clowes,  has  said  ;  "  Personally  Mr. 
George  Hewlett  Clowes  is  one  of  nature's  noblemen, 
a  gentleman  who  could  make  a  success  of  any 
enterprise  with  which  he  may  connect  himself. 
His  tremendous  energy  and  industry  and  resource 


quoted  Mr.  Clowes  on  public  questions.  Only  a 
few  months  ago  the  Press  referred  to  Mr.  Clowes 
in  these  words,  in  introduction  to  a  lucid  summing 
up  of  the  present  political  situation,  given  in  an 
interview  to  a  Press  reporter :  "  Mr.  Clowes  was 
a  Cleveland  man  in  1884,  and  readers  of  the  Press 
will  probably  remember  his  remarkable  letter  in 
1892,  when  he  came  out  squarely  against  Cleveland's 
re-election.  In  this  letter  Mr.  Clowes  predicted 
with  astonishing  intuitive  foresight  just  the  state  of 
affairs  that  has  come  to  be  since  Cleveland  was  put 
in  power,  backed  by  a  Congress  of  his  own  party." 
Although  quiet,  unobtrusive,  affable  and  courteous, 
he  is  of  a  type  of  business  men  who  possess  at 
bottom  sterling  honesty,  absolute  independence  and 
great  perseverance.  In  every  enterprise,  with  him 
"to  think  is  to  perform."  Inheriting  through  a 
long  line  of  ancestors  what  may  be  called  the 
severely   Saxon   qualities,   integrity,    determination 


ful  nature,  combined  with  the  mind  that  is  a  vast      and    clear-headedness,    he   yet   adds   to   them    the 
storehouse  of  information  on  all  subjects,  has  ren-      peculiarly  American  traits  of  push,   pluck  and  self- 
dered  him  invincible  in  all  his  undertakings,  and  he      reliance.     This  rare  combination  in  itself  is  enough 
has  so  succeeded  in  leaving  his  impress  upon  this      to  guarantee  success  in  any   man.     To  the  posses- 
section   of  the   country,    that   he   has   rendered  it      sion  of  this  compound  of  qualities  both  of  mind  and 
impossible  for  the  future  historian  of  Waterbury,  in      heart  the  present  high  position  of  Mr.  Clowes  in 
depicting  its  wonderful  progress  as  a  great  manufac-      the  manufacturing  world  is  largely  due. 
turing  center,  to  write  a  truthful,  accurate  history, 
without  making  prominent  mention   of  his   name." 
At  another  time  the  Democrat  said:  "The  Demo- 
crat   may    at    times    differ   with    him    on   political 
questions,  but  in  his  capacity  as  business  manager 
of  large  interests   and  in   his  humane   and  kindly 
treatment  of   those  in  his   employ,   it   respectfully 
bows  to  him  as  peer  of  any  of  the  men  whose  names 
are   or   have   been  associated  with   the  growth  in 
manufacturing  and  commercial  importance  of  the 
city.     In  the  prime  of  mental  and  physical  vigor, 
with  bright  prospects  for  the  future  of  the  superb 
establishment  of  which  he   is  half  owner  and  the 
operating  head,  Mr.  Clowes  may  feel  a  just  pride  in 
what  has  been  accomplished  and  in  the  benefit  which 
Waterbury,  as  a  whole,  has  received  from  the  suc- 
cess of  Randolph  &  Clowes."     The  testimony   of 
the  Examiner  reads  thus :    "  Mr.  Clowes  is  one  of 
Waterbury's  most  active  and  enthusiastic  business 
men.     At  the  head  of  an  immense   establishment 
himself,  he  has   shown  by   his  own   endeavors  the 
past    eight    years    just   what   business    pluck  and 
endeavor  can  do.     He  has  established  an  industry 
among  us,  giving  employment  to  many  hundreds  of 
men,  and  has  made  it  successful  from  the  begin- 
ning."    New   York   and    Boston   newspapers   have 


CURTIS,  Orson  Fowler,  Builder,  New  liritain, 
was  born  in  New  Britain,  Connecticut,  February  4, 
1852,  son  of  Joel  and  Abigail  (Dodge)  Curtis.  His 
father  was  descended  from  Scotch-Irish  Protestants. 
Coming  from  the  north  of  Ireland,  one  of  these 
settled  in  Massachusetts  as  early  as  1700,  and  Mr. 
Curtis'  great-grandfather  served  in  the  Revolution- 
ary War,  being  one  of  the  first  settlers  of  Antrim, 
New  Hampshire,  who  enlisted.  His  mother,  Abi- 
gail Dodge,  was  of  English  parentage,  and  it  is 
possible  to  trace  her  descent  back  to  1450  A.  D., 
Richard  Dodge,  one  of  her  forefathers,  coming  to 
Salem,  Massachusetts,  in  1638,  and  holding  various 
town  of^ces  in  Colonial  times,  while  his  descend- 
ants have  been  more  or  less  identified  with  the 
country's  history  ever  since.  Mr.  Curtis  obtained 
his  early  education  at  the  district  school,  but  was 
only  sixteen  years  of  age  when  he  left  his  books  to 
work  upon  a  farm  and  apply  himself  subsequently 
to  the  carpenters'  trade.  While  not  having  the 
opportunities  for  securing  an  education  that  many 
have,  he  has  always  been  quite  a  reader  and  student, 
spending  a  great  deal  of  time  and  money  on  books, 
periodicals,  etc.,  which  has  kept  him  abreast,  if  not 


MEN    OF    I'ROGRKSS. 


•95 


ahead  of  others  whose  chances  were  better  than  his 
at  the  start.  So  diHgcntly  did  he  serve  his  appren- 
ticeship, that  ere  long  he  had  gained  complete  mas- 
tery of  that  liandicraft  and  was  able  in  1883  to 
launch  out  into  business  for  himself,  his  specialty 


O.   F    CURTIS. 

being  building.  The  character  of  his  work  is  such 
that  not  only  the  erection  of  many  of  the  best  pri- 
vate residences,  but  also  most  of  the  principal  pub- 
lic buildings  erected  of  late  years  in  the  city,  have 
been  entrusted  to  him,  and  he  is  at  present  con- 
ceded by  the  public  to  be  the  leading  builder  of  the 
place.  In  connection  with,  and  in  addition  to  his 
regular  business,  I\[r.  Curtis  has  of  late  years  dealt 
largely  in  real  estate,  also  selling  and  renting  im- 
proved property.  He  has  held  important  offices  in 
several  secret  societies  and  building  and  loan  asso- 
ciations, while  in  the  field  of  politics  he  is  a  well- 
known  figure,  having  been  elected  Alderman  in  the 
Third  Ward  in  1896,  and  unanimously  renominated 
and  re-elected  to  the  same  public  office  in  1897. 
During  the  same  year  he  was  also  made  President 
pro  tern,  of  the  City  Council.  Mr.  Curtis  is  associ- 
ated with  several  clubs,  being  a  member  of  the 
Independent  Order  of  Odd  Fellows,  Knights  of 
Pythias,  Independent  Order  of  Red  Men,  and  vari- 
ous other  well-known  organizations.  His  ])olitical 
sympathies  have  always  been  with  the  Republican 


]iarty,  and  he  cast  his  first  jiresidential  ballot  for 
Rutherford  B.  Hayes  in  1876  at  Raleigh,  North 
Carolina,  where  he  then  resided.  On  March  22, 
1876,  Mr.  Curtis  was  married  to  Miss  Mary  Wil- 
liams, of  Raleigh,  North  Carolina,  and  by  her  he 
has  had  seven  children  :  ^w^  sons  and  two  daugh- 
ters, two  of  the  former  since  deceased. 


COAT.S,  John,  Judge  of  the  I'robate  Court, 
New  Britain,  was  born  in  North  .Stonington,  May 
9,  1842,  son  of  .\nscl  and  ivmice  (Randall)  C'oats, 
the  latter  a  daughter  of  Colonel  William  Randall 
who  was  an  officer  in  command  of  the  militia  at 
Stonington  during  the  War  of  1812,  and^  .Ansel 
Coats  himself  participated  in  the  defence  of  that 
place.  Bolli  sides  of  the  house  can  trace  their 
descent  from  the  early  settlers  of  North  Stonington. 
ludge  Coats  received  his  first  instruction  in  the 
common  and  private  schools  of  North  Stonington 


JOHN   COATS. 

and  his  preparation  for  college  at  the  Connecticut 
Literary  Institution  at  Suffield.  He  graduated  at 
Yale  University  in  1868  and  taught  for  a  year  at 
the  Connecticut  Literary  Institution,  being  admitted 
to  the  Bar  in  1S71.  He  was  practicing  law  in 
Chicago  at  the  time  of  the  great  fire  and  the  year 
following  returned  East  to  become  Principal  of  the 


196 


MEN   OF   PROGRESS. 


High  School  at  Hazardville,  Connecticut,  a  position 
he  relimiuisheil  within  the  twelvemonth  to  associate 
himself  once  more  witii  liis  old  Alma  Mater,  the 
Connecticut  Literary  Institution,  this  time  as  Vice- 
Principal  anil  instructor  in  Latin.  Here  he  re- 
mained until  1877  when,  after  a  short  vacation,  he 
entered  upon  the  duties  of  Principal  at  the  High 
School  at  Windsor  Locks  in  his  native  state,  and 
only  resigned  the  same  in  the  year  1881  to  commence 
the  practice  of  law  in  the  town  itself.  Four  years 
later  Judge  Coats  removed  his  office  from  Windsor 
Locks  to  New  Britain  where  he  still  maintains  a 
lucrative  and  successful  practice.  He  was  a  mem- 
ber of  Company  G,  Twenty-second  Regiment, 
Connecticut  Volunteers,  in  the  nine-months  service 
and  was  honorably  discharged  in  June  of  the  year 
1863.  He  is  now  identified  with  the  Grand  Army 
of  the  Republic  as  well  as  with  numerous  other 
prominent  organizations,  —  civil,  political  and  edu- 
cational. Judge  Coats  was  a  member  of  the  School 
Board  at  Windsor  Locks  for  three  years ;  Repre- 
sentative in  the  Connecticut  General  Assembly  from 
Windsor  Locks  in  1884,  Judiciary  Committee; 
Member  of  the  Common  Council  at  New  Britain  ; 
Associate  Judge  of  the  City  Court,  New  Britain,  and 
Judge  of  the  Probate,  Berlin  District,  since  1895. 
Judge  Coats  is  a  man  of  force  and  character,  whose 
wide  experience  and  thorough  mental  equipment 
give  him  a  place  of  influence  and  importance  in  the 
community  where  he  is  esteemed,  as  well,  for  his 
upright  bearing  and  valuable  personal  qualities. 
He  was  married  June  2,  1871,  to  Josephine  L. 
Walker,  daughter  of  the  Reverend  William  C.  Walker 
of  Hartford,  Connecticut.     They  have  no  children. 


DOHERTY,  John  Bush,  Colonel  and  Postmaster, 
Waterbury,  was  born  in  the  village  of  Hard  Ledge, 
Westmoreland  county.  New  Brunswick,  September 
'°>  1853,  son  of  William  A.  and  Matilda  G. 
Doherty.  His  father  wishing  his  son  to  reap  the 
benefits  of  a  thorough  education,  entered  him  as  a 
student  in  the  district  school  at  Carlton  and  later  in 
Prof.  Mcintosh's  private  academy  at  St.  John's, 
New  Brunswick,  from  which  institution  he  repaired 
to  the  High  School  of  Waterbury,  Connecticut. 
When  only  thirty-three  years  of  age  Mr.  Doherty 
served  as  one  of  the  Selectmen  of  his  adopted  town, 
the  term  of  his  office  extending  over  three  years, 
1886  to  1889,  being  the  first  Republican  elected  as 
Chairman  of  the  Board  on  a  straight  ticket  in  thirty 
years.     Public  spirited  and  ever  evincing  an  active 


interest  in  the  civil  as  well  as  national  government, 
Mr.  Doherty  has  held  many  political  as  well  as 
military  positions  of  influence  and  importance.  In 
1872  he  enlisted  in  Company  A  of  the  Second 
Regiment  of  the  Connecticut  National  Guard,  and 
for  able  and  honorable  service  was  made  Corporal 
in  1874;  Sergeant  in  1877;  Second  Lieutenant  in 
1880;  First  Lieutenant  in  1882;  Captain  in  1883; 
Major  of  the  Regiment  in  1885  and  Colonel  in 
18S9.  Only  his  resignation  from  the  regiment  in 
fuly  189S  brought  a  check  to  this  steady  and  grati- 
fying advancement,  but  having  been  appointed 
Postmaster  of  Waterbury  on   February  14,  1890,  by 


JOHN  B.  DOHERTY. 

President  Harrison,  and  elected  Secretary  of  the 
Connecticut  Indemnity  Life  Insurance  Company  of 
Waterbury  in  January  1894,  Mr.  Doherty  probably 
found  the  duties  of  these  offices  sufficiently  exacting 
without  further  increasing  his  responsibilities  by 
assuming  additional  obligations.  During  his  term 
as  Postmaster,  Mr.  Doherty  was  elected  Secretary 
of  the  Connecticut  Indemnity  Association  and  on 
the  expiration  of  his  term  in  1894  he  entered  upon 
active  duties  in  the  office  of  the  association,  being 
also  elected  Treasurer  in  August  1897.  Mr. 
Doherty  declined  the  nomination  for  County  Sheriff 
of  New  Haven  County  in  1S91,  refused  to  accept 
the   nomination  for  Mayor  of  Waterbury  in   1889, 


MKN    OF    I'ROCRKSS. 


197 


and  for  Congress  from  the  Second  District  in  1892, 
preferring  to  give  his  attention  to  private  business. 
On  February  28,  1S77,  Mr.  Doherty  married  Jennie 
M.  Barton,  daughter  of  i'hilo  15.  liartonof  Winsted, 
Connecticut.  Mrs.  Doherty  died  on  November  29, 
1882,  and  on  September  16,  1890,  Mr.  Doherty  was 
united  to  Kathcrinc  Sedgwick  Huel,  daughter  of 
Mrs.  Theodore  Sedgwick  liuel.  'I'licy  have  one 
child  :  (,"orneHa  Brown,  born  .\ugust  15,  1896. 


EATON,  Hknry  Ja.mks,  Chief  of  Fire  Depart- 
ment, Hartford,  was  born  in  that  city  October  10, 
1831,  son  of  .-\hnander  and  Mary  Ann  (Williams) 


HENRY  J.  EATON. 

Eaton.  He  attended  the  grammar  school  in  Hart- 
ford and  in  1S48  went  to  the  .Academy  in  West 
Hartford.  Beginning  that  year  he  served  an  ajipren- 
ticeship  of  four  years  in  gold-beating  with  the.  firm 
of  Ashmead  &  Hurlburt  and  continued  to  work  for 
this  house  until  1S64  when  the  firm  was  dissolved. 
Mr.  Eaton  then  remained  in  the  employment  of 
Mr.  Ashmead  at  the  same  business.  In  186S 
however  he  found  his  true  occupation  and  entered 
upon  a  career  which  has  made  him  one  of  the 
representative  figures  of  Hartford  for  nearly  thirty 
years.  He  was  made  chief  of  the  F'ire  Dei)artment 
and  has  held  the  position  ever  since,  bringing  to  the 


onerous  ])ost  devotion  to  duty,  great  executive  ability 
and  a  courage  which  is  recognized  as  unusual. 
Hartford  peojjle  have  come  to  look  upon  "  Bell  " 
l^aton  as  a  land-mark  and  the  right  man  in  the  right 
place.  He  has  seen  his  department  grow  from  the 
days  of  volunteer  aid  to  the  high  efficiency  and 
scientific  methods  of  the  present.  Chief  Eaton  has 
been  a  presiding  genius  in  this  march  of  improve- 
ment and  great  credit  is  due  him  for  the  result. 
His  memory  is  rich  in  thrilling  historic  scenes  inci- 
dental to  his  profession,  but  he  is  a  man  of  modest 
nature,  laconic  in  speech,  and  not  given  to  self- 
eulogy.  His  record  speaks  for  itself.  In  1896,  the 
citizens  and  fire  insurance  companies  of  Hartford 
contributed  a  handsome  purse  to  send  him  to  Ix)n- 
don  to  the  International  Tournament  of  Fire  Chiefs, 
where  his  practical  suggestions  attracted  much  atten- 
tion. ( )u  his  return  he  was  given  an  inmiense  recep- 
tion by  the  department  and  the  citizens  generally. 
Chief  Eaton  is  a  Mason  and  has  been  for  twenty- 
six  years  a  member  of  St.  John's  Lodge,  and  was  from 
185310  1858  a  member  of  the  Hartford  Light  Guard, 
with  the  post  of  Second  Sergeant.  In  politics  Mr. 
Eaton  is  a  Democrat.  He  has  been  twice  married  ; 
in  1S56  to  Lurana  H.  Haynes,  of  Providence,  Rhode 
Island,  by  whom  he  had  several  children,  only  one 
li\ing,  now  the  widow  of  Thomas  R.  Laughton,  who 
was  smothered  in  a  Hartford  fire  on  Jainiary  9,  1887  ; 
and  on  September  6,  1S84,  he  was  again  married 
to  Mrs.  Robert  J.  Ramsden,  of  O.xford,  luigland, 
whose  maiden  name  was  Caroline  E.  Aldridge.  Bv 
her  he  has  had  a  daughter,  .Mice  H.  F'.aton,  aged 
twelve  years. 

G.ATLINC,  Rkhard  Jordan,  Inventor  of  the 
Catling  Gun,  Hartford,  was  born  September  12, 
1S18,  in  Hartford  county.  North  Carolina,  son  of 
Jordan  and  Mary  (Barnes)  Catling.  His  father,  an 
industrious  farmer  of  easy  circumstances,  was  of 
English  descent,  and  his  maternal  great-grand- 
mother was  a  Frenchwoman.  He  received  a  com- 
mon school  education  and  spent  his  early  boyhood 
ni)on  the  farm.  The  young  man  was  active  both  in 
mind  and  body,  and  while  still  a  boy  in  his  teens 
was  working  in  connection  with  his  father  on  an  in- 
vention for  sowing  cotton  seed  and  also  on  a 
machine  for  thinning  cotton  plants.  At  the  age  of 
sixteen  lie  was  engageti  in  copying  records  in  the 
County  Clerk's  office.  He  then  taught  school  for 
one  year,  after  which  he  was  clerk  in  a  store,  and 
subseciuently  for  four  years  sold  goods  on  his  own 
account.     During  this  period  he  was  busy  with  the 


igS 


MEN   OF    PROGRESS. 


invention  of  the  screw  |.roi)elier  now  uscJ  on  steam 
vessels.  In  1S39  he  journeyed  to  Washington  with 
his  model  in  order  to  apply  for  a  patent,  but  on  his 
irrivai  found  that  another  inventor  had  already  fore- 
stalled his  discovery.  Though  sadly  disappointed 
he  turned  his  attention  undaunted  to  other  inven- 
tions and  soon  afterwards  patented  a  machine  for 
sowing  rice  which  l)e  subsequently  adapted  to  sow- 
ing wheat  in  drills.  In  1844  he  moved  to  St.  Louis, 
where  he  was  employed  as  a  clerk  for  several 
months  in  a  drygoods  store.  At  the  same  time  he 
began  the  manufacture  of  wheat  drills,  which  he 
s..ld  to  the  farmers  of  Illinois,  Indiana  and  Ohio. 


R.  J.  GATLING. 

While  on  a  business  trip  from  Cincinnati  to  Wheel- 
ing by  steamer  he  was  taken  with  small-pox.  The 
boat  was  frozen  in  the  ice  and  for  thirteen  days  he 
was  without  medical  attendance.  On  being  allowed 
to  leave  the  boat  he  was  confined  for  several 
months  in  a  small-pox  hospital  at  Pittsburgh,  where 
he  endured  great  suffering.  In  consequence  of  this 
trying  ordeal,  and  in  order  to  be  able  to  care  for 
himself  should  occasion  arise,  he  decided  to  study 
medicine.  In  the  winter  of  1848-49  he  attended 
the  Indiana  Medical  College  at  Laporte,  Indiana, 
and  during  the  following  winter  took  a  course  of 
lectures  at  the  Ohio  Medical  College  at  Cincinnati, 
where  he  completed  his  medical  studies.     Dr.  Gat- 


ling  was  then  free  to  devote  his  time  to  his  inven- 
tions, and  during  the  next  few  years  his  wheat  drills 
had  an  extensive  sale  through  the  Northwest  and 
received  highest  commendation  at  many  state  fairs 
and  exhibitions.     He  also  invented  a  steam  plough 
and  conceived  the  idea  of  the  use  of  compressed 
air  for  the  construction  of  tunnels  and  the  working 
of  drills  in  mining  operations.     He  lived  for  some 
time  in  Indianaiiolis,  where  he  acted  as  agent  of  the 
Phrenix  Fire  Insurance  Company   of  Hartford,    at 
the  same  time  dealing  in  real  estate  and  laying  out 
an  addition  to  the  city.     At  the  outbreak   of   the 
Civil  War,  Dr.  Catling  while  then  living  in  Indian- 
apolis invented  the  machine  gun    now   universally 
known  as  the  Catling  Gun.     The  first  public  test  of 
one  of  these  guns  took  place  in  Indianapolis  in  the 
spring  of  1862.     The  test  was    entirely   successful 
and  at  once  made    the   inventor   famous.     Several 
improvements   were  introduced  and  in  the  fall  of 
the  same  year  he  had  six  of  his  guns  made  by  the 
firm  of  Miles  Greenwood  &  Company  of  Cincinnati. 
Just  before  the  guns  were  ready  for  delivery  the  fac- 
tory was  burned,  together  with  the  guns  and  all  the 
patterns  and  plans.     Still   undaunted    Dr.    Gatling 
set  about  replacing  his  loss  and  had  thirteen  of  his 
guns  made  at  the  Cincinnati  Type  Foundry  Works. 
Some  of  these  guns  were  afterwards  used    on    the 
James  River  by  the  Union   forces   under   General 
Butler.     Twelve  more  of  his  guns   were    made    in 
1S65  by  the  Cooper  Fire  .Arms  Manufacturing  Com- 
pany of  Philadelphia,  which  were  afterward  tested 
in  various  ways  by  the  government  officials.     The 
arm  was  finally  adopted  by  the  Government,  and  in 
August  1866  an  order  was  given  for  the  manufac- 
ture of  one  hundred  of  the  guns,  fifty  of  one  incii 
and  fifty  of  one  half  an  inch    calibre.     The   guns 
were  made  at  Colt's  Armory  in  Hartford,  and  were 
delivered  to  the  United  States  authorities  in   1867. 
In  that  year  Dr.  Gatling  visited  Europe  and  brought 
his  invention  to  the  attention  of  the  several  govern- 
ments, being  absent  for  one  year  and  a  half.     He 
made  a  second  trip  to  Europe  in  1870  and  on  his 
return    settled    at    Hartford,   where    he    has    since 
resided.     Dr.  Gatling  has  devoted  over  thirty  years 
of  his  life  to  the  task  of  perfecting  this  remarkable 
invention  and  has  lived  to  see  it  adopted  not  only 
by  the  United  States  but  by  Russia,  England,  Egypt, 
Turkey  and  other  governments.     In  the  history  of 
modern   warfare    the  name  of  Gatling  will  remain 
imperishable.     Dr.    Gatling  has  also  made  several 
other  important  inventions,  among  which  may  be 
enumerated  a  torpedo  and  gun-boat,  a  pneumatic 


^^EN  OF  ri^ocRKss. 


199 


gun  for  the  discharge  of  high  explosives  and  an  im- 
jiroved  method  for  the  casting  of  steel  guns.  He 
has  received  numerous  honors  from  foreign  govern- 
ments and  scientific  bodies  at  home  and  abroad, 
but  through  it  all  has  remained  tlie  same  modest 
agreeable  American  gentleman,  lie  takes  a  sin- 
cere interest  in  ail  national  affairs,  is  a  good  citizen 
and  neighbor,  and  a  generous  contributor  to  every 
worthy  object.  He  is  a  member  of  the  Hartford 
club  and  for  the  past  nine  years  has  been  President 
of  the  "Harrison  Veterans  of  1840,"  made  up  of 
men  who  voted  for  ("leneral  William  Henry  Harri- 
son for  President.  He  belongs  to  man\-  other  soci- 
eties and  clubs  and  for  six  years  was  President  of 
"Tiie  American  Association  of  Inventors  and  Man- 
ufacturers." Dr.  Oatling  was  married  in  1854  to 
Jemima  T.,  daughter  of  Dr.  John  H.  Sanders,  of 
Indianapolis.  Five  children  have  been  born  to 
them,  of  whom  three  are  still  living,  all  residents  of 
New  York  city :  Richard  Henry,  Robert  Boone 
Catling,  and  Ida,  wife  of  Hugh  O.  Pentecost. 


HICKS,  Ratli.ikfe,  President  of  the  Canfield 
Rubber  Works,  Bridgeport,  was  born  in  'Tolland, 
Connecticut,  October  3,  1843,  son  of  t'harles 
Richard  and  Maria  Amelia  (Stearns)  Hicks.  The 
Hicks  genealogy  goes  back  to  I''.llis  Hicks,  wlio  was 
knighted  by  the  Black  Prince  at  Poictiers  for 
bravery  in  capturing  a  set  of  colors.  The  first  of 
the  line  in  this  country  was  Thomas  Hicks  wlm  took 
the  oath  of  fidelity  at  Scituate,  Massachusetts,  in 
1644.  From  him  the  line  descends  to  Daniel, 
Daniel  Jr.,  Benjamin,  David,  to  Ratcliffe,  tlie  grand- 
father of  the  subject  of  this  sketch.  Ratcliffe  Hicks, 
the  grandfather,  was  one  of  New  England's  bravest 
and  most  successful  sea-captains.  His  voyages 
took  him  to  every  part  of  the  globe,  and  his  journal, 
which  is  still  perserved  in  the  family,  is  an  interest- 
ing record  of  the  voyages  of  the  early  part  of  the 
century.  Charles  R.  Hicks,  father  of  the  present 
Ratcliffe,  was  a  leading  merchant  in  Providence, 
Rhode  Island,  and  later  in  New  York  city.  He 
retired  from  business  in  1842,  and  removed  to  Tol- 
land, Connecticut,  where  lie  died  in  June  1878.  He 
represented  the  town  in  the  Legislature,  but  as  a 
rule  shrank  from  public  office,  jireferring  the  quiet 
enjoyment  of  his  home,  his  friends  and  his  books. 
He  was  an  omniverous  reader  and  an  especial 
authority  on  the  history  of  America  and  F.ngland. 
Young  Hicks,  after  a  preliminary  course  of  study  at 
home,  entered  Monson  Academy,  going  from  there 


to  Williston  Seminary.  He  next  entered  Brown 
University  where  he  was  graduated  with  high  honors 
in  1S64.  While  in  college  he  won  many  triumphs 
as  a  debater  and  was  one  of  the  commencement 
speakers.  He  was  also  one  of  the  founders  of  the 
Chai>ter  of  the  Delta  Upsilon  fraternity  at  Brown. 
After  gratiuation  he  taught  school  in  Tolland,  at  the 
same  time  devoting  his  spare  time  to  the  study  of 
law  in  the  office  of  Judge  I.oren  P.  Waldo.  He  was 
admitted  to  the  Bar  in  1866  and  in  the  same  year 
associated  iiimself  with  United  States  Senator  Piatt, 
of  Meriden,  in  the  practice  of  law.  .After  three 
years  he  began  ])ractice  alone  and  so  continued  for 


RATCLIFFE  HICKS. 

the  succeeding  ten  years,  the  last  tlirce  years  in 
Hartford.  He  rapidly  acquired  a  wide  reputation 
as  a  lawyer  of  distinguished  ability  and  was  entrusted 
with  much  important  litigation,  including  the  famous 
S])rague  suit  in  Rhode  Island  His  name  appears 
as  attorney  for  litigants  in  every  volume  of  the  Con- 
necticut Reports  from  1866  to  1879.  He  served  as 
a  member  of  the  Legislature  in  1866,  and  had  the 
distinction  of  being  the  youngest  member  of  the 
House.  From  1869  to  1874  Mr.  Hicks  was  City 
Attorney  of  Meriden,  and  from  1873  to  1876  was 
Attorney  for  New  Haven  county,  in  both  of  which 
ortices  he  gained  reputation  as  a  courageous  and 
elificient  official.     There  are  but   few  examples  in 


JOO 


MEN    OF    PRfXlRKSS. 


this  country  of  men  who  have   won  distinguished 
success  in  more  than  one  occupation.      Yet  Mr. 
Hicks,   though    still  in  the   prime  of    life,  has   a 
record  as  a  business  man,  not  less  brilliant  than  his 
earlier  career  as  a   lawyer.     In    1882   he  became 
connected  with  the  Canfield  Rubber  Company  of 
Bridgeport,   Connecticut,  then  a  small   enterprise 
struggling  along  with  a  capital  of  ten  thousand  dol- 
lars.    Mr.  Hicks  was  elected  President  and  under 
his  guiding  hand  the  company  has  had  a  success 
which  is  justly  regarded  as  one  of  the  most  remark- 
able achievements  in  the  manufacturing  history  of 
New   England.     It   has   made   a  fortune   for   Mr. 
Hicks  and  has  today  a  capital  stock  of   ^250,000 
with  a  surplus  of  as  much  more.     Mr.  Hicks  was 
elected  a  member  of  the  Legislature  of  1893  and  as 
Chairman   of   the  House  Committee  on  Woman's 
Suffrage  supported  the  bill  conferring  upon  women 
the  right  to  vote  on  all  school  matters.     This  law 
was  the  first  of  the  kind  ever  passed  in  a  New  Eng- 
land state,  and   Mr.  Hicks'  able  championship  of 
the  measure  won  for  him  the  highest  commendation. 
His  speeches  during  this  session  stamped  him  as  an 
orator  of  marked  ability.     His  speech  on  the  bill 
for   the   abolishing  of   the   death   penalty  and    his 
speech   in   favor   of    the   bill   for   a   constitutional 
amendment  increasing  the  representation  of  cities 
are  strong  examples  of  his  power.     The  following 
quotation  from  the  latter  speech  taken  from  a  pub- 
lished volume  of  his  public  addresses  is  worthy  of  a 
reproduction  here  :  "  I  have  one  appeal  to  make  to 
the  members  of  the  House.     To  most  of  them  it 
does  not  make  a  penny's  difference  who  carries  this 
state,  politically,  two   years   hence.     The  sun  will 
shine,  the  grass  will  grow  and  business  go  on  the 
same,   whichever    political    party   triumphs.     This 
country  is  lost  and  saved  regularly  every  four  years. 
Let  us  do  right ;  let  us  make  a  record  that  we  can 
live  by  and  die  by,  that  merits  the  approval  of  our 
own  consciences,  and  of  the  intelligent  future  histo- 
rian who  will  some  day  write  up  the  record  of  this 
General    Assembly.      No   party   has    permanently 
triumphed    politically  in  this  country.     The   party 
that  is  down  today  is  up  tomorrow.     The  political 
cauldron  of  American  politics  is  like  the  ebb  and 
flow  of   the  ocean,  but  there  is  one  thing  that  is 
always  safe   to   do,  and    then,  whether  success  or 
defeat  awaits   you,  you  have  the  consciousness  of 
having  done  the  right  thing,  and  in  the  end  history 
will  vindicate  our  action."     The  speech  thus  closed  : 
"  I  shall  vote  for  this  bill,  not   because  I  think  it 
will  benefit  the  Democratic  party,  for  I  do  not  think 


either  political  party  will  reap  any  permanent  politi- 
cal advantages  from  a  constitutional  convention,  but 
I  shall  vote  for  this  bill  because  it  is  right.     This 
question  arises  above  all  party  politics.     The  state  is 
greater  than  any  political  party.     Our  children  and 
our  children's  children  have  an  abiding  interest  in 
our  action  today.     I  prefer  to  stand  where  the  old 
Roman  stood  and  to  do  right  though  the  Heavens 
fall."     Mr.  Hicks  was  again  a  member  of  the  Legis- 
lature in  1895  and  took  an  important  part  in  the 
transaction  of  that  session.     He  introduced  the  bill 
which  provided  for  a  State  Chemist  and  the  exam- 
ination of  all  articles  of  food.     He  introduced  the 
resolution  in  regard  to  the  famous  East   Hartford 
Bridge    matter,  which  resulted    in  a  saving  to  the 
state    of   many  hundreds  of   thousands  of   dollars. 
Mr.  Hicks'  prominence  and  well-earned  reputation 
made  him  the  natural  candidate  of  the  Democratic 
party  for  higher  honors.     He  was  frequently  men- 
tioned   as   a    probable    candidate   for    Lieutenant- 
Governor  in    1894,  and    again    as  a  candidate  for 
Governor  in  1896.     But  Mr.  Hicks  is  not  an  ofifice 
seeker  and  in  an  open  letter  to  the  Hartford  Times 
declined  the  proffered  honor.     In  addition  to  his 
legislative   addresses,  Mr.  Hicks   has   made    many 
able  speeches   on    public   occasions.     He    takes  a 
keen  interest  in  the  development  of  oratory  in  the 
schools  and  colleges,  and  has  established  prizes  to 
that  end  in  the  Meriden  High  School,    the  Storrs 
Agricultural  College  and  at  Brown  University.     The 
Congregational    Church    in   Tolland  is  also  largely 
indebted  to  Mr.  Hicks'  liberality.     Besides  his  large 
industrial  interest  Mr.  Hicks  is  a  property  owner  in 
Bridgeport,  Meriden,  New  Orleans  and  New  York. 
His  business  has  made  him  an  extensive  traveller. 
He  has  visited  South  America  and  has  a  record  of 
over  forty  voyages  across  the  ocean.     He  is  a  mem- 
ber of  many  clubs  and  organizations,  the  most  im- 
portant being  the  Lotus  and  Colonial  clubs  of  New 
York  city.     He  was  married  in  1879  *^o  Mrs.  Lizzie 
(Canfield)  Parker.     They  have  one  child,  Elizabeth 
Hicks,  born  February  19,  1884. 


LANGDON,  Charles  Huntington,  Merchant, 
was  born  in  Hartford,  Connecticut,  October  21, 
1819,  son  of  Reuben  and  Patience  (Gilbert) 
Langdon.  His  father  was  of  Farmington,  Con- 
necticut, and  his  mother  a  native  of  Hebron  of  the 
same  state.  Charles  H.  Langdon  received  his  early 
education  for  the  most  part  in  the  common  schools 
of  Connecticut,  which  institutions   however  are  of 


MF.N    OF    PROGRESS. 


20I 


such  a  high  order  of  excellence  as  to  rank  second 
to  none  in  the  I'nion.  At  the  age  of  twenty-three 
Mr.  Langdon  entered  upon  his  commercial  career 
in  Hartford,  making  drygoods  his  specialty  and 
carrying  on  a  successful  business  for  the  following 
ten  years  in  the  state  capital.  From  that  city,  in 
1851,  he  repaired  to  Boston,  Massachusetts,  and 
associated  himself  with  the  commission  house  of 
J.  C.  Howe  &  Company,  where  he  remained  until 
his  removal  to  New  York  in  1855.  In  that  city  and 
that  year  he  organized  the  firm  of  Langdon  Brothers 
(an  importing  house,  for  tiie  sale  of  foreign  dry- 
goods)  with  his  brother  Reuben  Langdon  as  part- 
ner. Three  years  later  he  connected  himself  with 
the  firm  of  W.  S.  and  C.  H.  Thomson  in  New 
York,  which  firm  name  became  ere  long  Thomson, 
Langdon  &  Company,  Mr.  Thomson  retiring  from 
the  New  York  business.  We  take  the  liberty  of 
(|uoting  in  this  connection  a  paragraph  from  a  New 
York  paper  which  seems  to  emphasize  an  interesting 
and  significant  fact  in  Mr.  l.angdon's  commercial 
career,  a  fact  that  reflects  credit  not  alone  upon  his 
business  integrity  but  upon  his  personal  character 
as  well:  "The  partnership  [that  formed  with  the 
firm  of  \Y.  S.  and  C.  H.  Thomson  in  1858]  has 
continued  ever  since.  There  have  been  but  two 
changes  in  the  style  of  the  firm  within  that  period. 
The  most  intimate  personal  relations  have  always 
existed  between  Mr.  Thomson  and  Mr.  Langdon. 
In  fact,  such  strong  ties  of  mutual  regard  and 
friendship  are  seldom  formed  eitlier  in  business  or 
social  life.  Mr.  Charles  H.  Langdon  deservedly 
enjoys  the  very  highest  reputation  for  mercantile 
honor  and  ability  and  ranks  among  our  leading  con- 
servative merchants."  On  January  i.  1879,  Mr. 
Langdon  purchased  Mr.  Thomson's  interest  in  the 
company,  but  retained  the  firm  name  which  was 
only  changed  several  years  later  to  that  of  Langdon, 
Batcheller  &  Company,  and  so  continued  until 
January  i,  1893,  when  Mr.  Langdon  retired  from 
business  altogether.  An  active  business  life  extend- 
ing over  a  term  of  fifty-one  years  is  in  itself  a 
record  to  be  regarded  with  satisfaction,  but  Mr. 
Langdon's  career  has  not  been  marked  by  energy 
alone.  When  he  withdrew  from  his  connection 
with  the  mercantile  world  he  carried  with  him  the 
respect  and  regard  of  all  his  business  associates  and 
can  look  back  upon  his  public  life  with  just  pride, 
in  the  knowledge  that  industry  and  a  strict  adher- 
ence to  rigid  principles  of  honor  have  placed  him 
in  the  position  he  enjoys  of  financial  independence, 
a   position  that   so    mafty   men  nowadays   seek  to 


achieve  by  means  less  creditable  and  more  devious. 
Mr.  Langdon  was  for  several  years  a  member  of  the 
First  Company  of  (Governor's  Foot  Guards  of  Hart- 
ford, and  was  elected  Second  Lieutenant  October  2, 
1845,  commission  for  the  same  being  issued  by 
Ciovernor  Isaac  Toucey,  June  13,  1846.  He  is  no 
patronizer  of  clubs  or  secret  societies  of  any  sort, 
eviiiently  being  a  lover  of  home  and  appreciating 
its  advantages  over  such  organizations.  In  politics 
he  is,  and  always  has  been,  a  Republican.  Mr. 
Langdon  has  been  twice  married ;  first,  on  Decem- 
ber 17,  1845,  to  Augusta  Ives,  of  Hamden,  Con- 
necticut, by  whom  lie  had  three  daughters  :  Gertrude, 


C.   H,    LANGDON. 

Florence  VVoodnil'f  and  Augusta  Louisa  Langdon. 
He  was  a  second  time  married  on  June  17,  1858, 
to  Mary  B.  Taylor,  of  Providence,  Rhode  Island, 
who  has  borne  him  two  children  :  Grace  Huntington 
and  Charles  H.  Langdon,  Jr. 


MORSK,  Kdwaui)  Hamilton,  Principal  and  Pro- 
prietor of  the  Hartford  Business  College,  Hartford, 
was  born  in  New  London,  Connecticut,  November 
17,  1868,  son  of  Captain  Stephen  Remington  and 
Lizzie  Almeda  (West)  Morse.  His  ancestors  for 
many  generations  have  followed  the  sea,  and  his 
father  is  a  well  known  Atlantic  sea-captain.     Young 


202 


MEN   OF  PROGRESS. 


Morse  attenileil  the  public  schools  anil  High  School 
at  Wiliimantic,  Connecticut,  and  afterwards  Moody's 
Seminary  at  Northfield,  Massachusetts,  and  the 
Wesleyan  Academy  at  Wilbraham,  Massachusetts. 
1  le  thus  gained  a  thorough  grounding  in  English,  the 
classics  and  the  sciences,  but  early  showed  a  strong 
penchant  for  mathematics,  in  which  branch  he  took 
many  iionors.  In  every  school  which  he  attended 
he  was  recognized  as  the  business  man  of  his  class, 
and  both  in  his  classes  and  fraternities,  as  well  as  in 
the  glee  club  and  school  journal,  he  was  appointed 
business  manager.  The  aptitude  and  executive 
ability  with    which    he   discharged   these  boyhood 


E.   H.   MORSE. 

duties  foreshadowed  the  occupation  and  success  of 
Ills  niaturer  years.  Though  still  a  young  man.  Pro- 
fessor Morse  has  risen  to  the  head  of  one  of  the 
leading  business  colleges  of  New  England,  and  has 
attracted  students  from  all  over  the  United  States. 
He  first  conceived  the  idea  of  a  commercial  train- 
ing in  uSgT,  when  he  entered  what  was  then  known 
as  Hannum's  IJusiness  College  at  Hartford,  finishing 
in  March  of  the  same  year.  He  decided  to  fit  him- 
self by  practical  experience  for  his  life  work,  and 
accordingly  entered  the  employ  of  Brown,  Thomson 
&  Company,  of  Hartford,  as  bookkeeper.  After  a 
short  service  and  with  the  view  of  gaining  a  wider 
experience,  he  changed  to  the  office  of  a  clothing 


firm  in  the  same  city.  After  this  he  became  an 
expert  accountant,  and  was  employed  in  tracing 
errors,  and  in  starting  new  and  improved  systems  of 
bookkeeping.  In  September  1892  he  returned  to 
Hannum's  Business  College  to  fill  the  position  as 
instructor  in  the  practice  department  made  vacant 
by  the  resignation  of  Professor  Stedman.  This 
position  he  filled  for  two  years.  In  1893  he  ob- 
tained a  one  half  interest  in  the  college,  and  in 
1894  became  sole  proprietor,  changing  the  name  to 
its  present  style,  the  Hartford  Business  College. 
Professor  Morse's  whole  life  is  in  his  school,  and 
the  high  regard  with  which  practical  business  men 
have  come  to  look  upon  the  training  there  received, 
is  well  attested  by  the  fact  that  in  spite  of  the  ever 
present  competition  for  salaried  positions,  he  is 
frequently  unable  to  supply  the  demands  made 
upon  him  by  business  men  for  graduates  from  his 
college,  who  are  wanted  for  positions  of  trust.  The 
college  includes  not  only  the  usual  departments  of 
bookkeeping,  penmanship  and  typewriting,  but  also 
departments  of  insurance,  transportation,  importing 
and  wholesaling,  commission  exchange  and  banking. 
The  equipments  in  each  case  are  identical  with 
those  in  actual  business,  and  the  training  is  most 
thorough.  Tlie  reality  of  the  business  thus  trans- 
acted can  best  be  illustrated  from  the  following 
quotation  from  the  Journal  published  at  the  college. 
"  When  Mr.  Morse  purchased  the  Hartford  College 
he  discarded  the  system  then  used,  and  formulated 
what  has  been  termed  Morse's  Office  Practice.  This 
practice,  unlike  the  imaginative  schemes  of  many 
so-called  business  colleges,  is  nothing  more  than 
actual  business  experience.  If  a  student  is  instructed 
to  order  flour  from  a  St.  Louis  concern,  he  sits 
down  and  writes  a  business  letter  to  the  firm  in  the 
business  college  at  St.  Louis.  His  letter  is  exam- 
ined and  corrected,  copied  into  a  letter  book,  and 
dropped  in  the  outgoing  mails.  This  letter  actually 
goes  to  St.  Louis,  and  the  order  is  actually  filled 
with  representative  merchandise  by  a  student  in  the 
St.  Louis  Business  College.  The  student  in  the 
Hartford  College  receives  an  invoice,  letter  and 
bill  of  lading  in  return.  He  presents  the  bill  of 
lading  at  our  transportation  office  and  gets  the  iden- 
tical goods  which  have  been  way-billed  through 
from  St.  Louis.  A  check  is  drawn  by  our  student 
in  payment  of  the  transportation,  a  bank  draft, 
certificate  of  deposit,  note  or  some  other  negotiable 
paper  is  mailed  in  payment  of  the  goods,  or  an 
account  is  opened  when  a  letter  of  credit  is  furnished. 
The  foregoing  is  only  one  of  the  hundreds  of  trans- 


MEN    Ol 


ROGRESS. 


203 


actions  through  whicli  our  students  pass,  and  the 
St.  I-ouis  College  is  only  one  of  a  chain  of  some  forty 
different  colleges  with  which  our  students  carry  on 
a  daily  correspondence."  In  politics  Professor 
Morse  has  generally  voted  the  Republican  ticket. 
He  was  married  December  25,  1S93,  to  Reina  J. 
Keith,  of  Meriden,  Connecticut.  They  have  two 
children  :  Wesley  Edward,  born  June  22,  1896,  and 
Leonard  Keith   Morse,  born  September  22,    1897. 


O'NEILL,  John,  Attorney-at-I,aw,  Waterbury, 
was  born  in  Goshen,  Connecticut,  November  5, 
1841,  son  of  John  O'Neill  and  Emily  (Hayden) 
O'Neill.  His  father  came  to  this  country  from 
Ireland  in  1833,  and  his  mother  was  a  native  of 
Litchfiekl,  Connecticut.  A  recent  record  by  the 
Re\-.  Mr.  Hughes,  of  Windsor  Locks,  Connecticut, 
traces  her  genealogy  back  to  the  Puritans  and 
thence  to  one  of  the  followers  of  William  the  Con- 
queror at  the  time  of  the  invasion.  In  iS4Sihe 
family  removed  to  Waterbury,  where,  with  the  ex- 
ception of  a  short  time  spent  in  Wolcott  and  in 
West  Haven,  Mr.  O'Neill  has  ever  since  resided. 
He  was  educated  at  the  common  schools  and  at 
the  Waterbury  High  School  where  he  finished  in 
1S58.  In  April  1861,  he  enlisted  as  a  private  in 
Company  D,  First  Regiment,  Connecticut  Volun- 
teers. He  took  part  in  the  battle  of  Pull  Run  and 
was  honorably  discharged  at  New  Haven,  luly3i, 
1861.  He  then  returned  to  Waterbury  and  soon 
entered  the  law  office  of  Hon.  John  W.  \Vel)ster, 
meanwhile  reading  law  to  a  fellow  student  whose 
eyesiglit  was  impaired.  He  was  admitted  to  the 
Bar  at  New  Haven,  March  10,  1866,  and  began 
practice  at  Pithole  City,  Pennsylvania,  but  after 
three  months  returned  to  Waterbury  and  enteretl 
the  office  where  he  had  first  studied  law.  At  the 
end  of  a  year  he  was  admitied  to  partnershii)  under 
the  firm  name  of  Webster  &:  O'Neill.  On  the  estab- 
lishing of  the  court  in  Waterbury,  July  i,  1S66,  Mr. 
O'Neill  was  appointed  City  Prosecuting  Attorney, 
which  position  he  held  for  eleven  years.  In  March 
1893  he  was  reappointed  to  the  office.  In  1875  he 
was  apjjointed  Prosecuting  Agent  for  New  Haven 
county,  which  office  he  held  for  seven  years.  He 
has  been  a  Justice  of  the  Peace  ever  since  his 
election  in  1862,  and  has  been  several  times  ap- 
pointed a  Notary  Public.  He  was  elected  to  the 
Legislature  as  Representative  from  Waterbury  in 
November  i88g.  His  services  as  legislator  during 
that  session  were  of  great  and   lasting  value.     The 


Waterbury  Evening  Democrat  thus  tlescribes  them: 
"  He  was  the  author  and  chief  promoter  of  all  the 
important  ta.x  measures  jjassed  by  that  General 
.Assembly.  The  state  taxes  before  that  lime  im- 
posed upon  the  towns  resulted  in  great  inequality  of 
the  assessment  lists  of  the  several  towns;  and  this 
evil  was  extensive  and  growing.  Soon  after  he  was 
elected  lie  entered  upon  the  task  of  doing  away  with 
the  evil  and  prepared  a  number  of  bills  im])osing 
taxes,  intending  to  raise  sufficient  revenue  from  all 
these  sources  to  pay  all  the  state  indebtedness  and 
current  exjienses.  He  framed  the  law  imposing 
taxes  on  collateral  inheritances,  imposing  taxes  on 


i^~ 


JOHN    ONEILL. 


investments  which  had  hitherto  escaped  taxation, 
and  recast  the  laws  imposing  taxes  on  telegraph  and 
express  companies ;  those  already  in  force  were 
similar  to  laws  in  other  jurisdictions  which  had  been 
declared  void  by  the  Supreme  Court  of  the  United 
States  because  they  interfered  with  inter-state  com- 
merce, which  Congress  alone  had  the  ])ower  to 
regulate.  The  revenue  from  the  tax  on  collateral 
inheritances  amounts  annually  to  about  one  hundred 
thousand  dollars.  The  results  from  these  two  laws 
alone  accomplished  the  purjiose  he  desired.  He 
served  on  the  important  Judiciary  Committee  and  was 
its  clerk,  and  was  also  Chairman  of  the  Committee 
on  Unfinished  Business.      In  the  committees  and  in 


2i^ 


MEN    OF    PROGRKSS. 


the  House  he  was  recognized  as  a  leader."  Mr. 
O'Neill  has  always  been  popular  with  other  mem- 
bers of  his  profession,  who  frequently  consult  him  on 
questions  of  taw.  He  is  a  great  student  and  pos- 
sessed of  a  remarkable  memory.  When  consulted 
on  a  legal  point  he  is  frequently  able  to  refer  to  the 
volume  and  page  and  name  the  case  that  will  eluci- 
date the  point.  He  is  entitled  to  much  credit  for 
laying  the  foundations  of  the  law  libraries  in  the 
Court  Huilding  and  in  the  Bronson  Library ;  it  was 
largely  throu;;h  his  efforts  that  additions  have  been 
made  to  these  from  time  to  time.  He  was  elected 
a  member  of  the  Hoard  of  Agents  of  the  Bronson 
Library  in  18S2,  and  in  1892  was  unanimously  elected 
President.  Mr.  O'Neill  was  married  October  15, 
1S67,  to  Mary  E.,  sister  of  Rev.  J.  S.  Fitzpatrick,  of 
St.  Patrick's  Church,  New  Haven.  Five  children 
have  been  born  to  them,  three  boys  and  two  girls  ; 
one  daughter,  Susan  Cecelia,  graduated  from  the  law 
school  of  the  University,  of  New  York  in  1897; 
Joseph,  the  oldest  son,  is  a  graduate  of  the  George- 
town University,  1895,  and  was  a  student  of  law  in 
the  University  of  Pennsylvania.  He  was  admitted 
to  the  liar  in  New  Haven  county  in  1897.  The 
same  year  he  married  Miss  Rubie  Lamburt, 
daughter  of  State  Insurance  Commissioner  Lamburt 
of  Pennsylvania. 


of  Art,  holding  that  position  from  1880  to  1882. 
By  that  time  he  became  convinced  that  music  was 
to  be  his  life  work  and  accepted  the  place  of  instruc- 
tor in  music  at  the  Hartford  Theological  Seminary; 
in  1884,  he  was  made  Associate  Professor  of  Music 
and  Hymnody  and  in  1889  full  Professor,  which 
chair  he  now  occupies.  In  1891,  he  became 
Instructor  in  Elocution  at  Trinity  College,  Hartford, 
and  still  holds  that  appointment.  In  1895,  he 
further  widened  his  professional  usefulness  by 
becoming  Lecturer  on  the  history  and  science  of 
music  at  Smith  College,  and  the  next  year  at  Mt. 
Holyoke    College,    retaining    both  lectureships   to- 


PRATT,  Waldo  Selden,  Professor  and  Musician, 
of  Hartford,  son  of  Dr.    Lewellyn  Pratt  and  Sarah 
Putnam  ((Julliver)  Pratt,  was  born  in  Philadelphia, 
Pennsylvania,  November   10,   1857.     He  comes  of 
fine  New  England  stock,  among  his  paternal  ances- 
try being  Lieutenant  William  Pratt,  one  of  the  early 
settlers  of  Cambridge,  Massachusetts,  Hartford  and 
Saybrook,  Connecticut,  and  Alice  Southworth,  sec- 
ond wife  of  Governor  Bradford  of  Plymouth,  and  he  is 
connected  with  such  other  well-knovvn  Connecticut 
families  as  the  Notts  and    Buckinghams.     On  his 
mother's  side  he  traces  to  the  original  Putnam  of 
Salem,  Massachusetts,  whence  came  Israel  Putnam. 
After  preliminary  training  at  Knox  College,  Gales- 
burg,  Illinois,  also  at  North  Adams,  Massachusetts, 
and  Phillips  Academy,  Andover,  Massachusetts,  Mr. 
Pratt  went  to  Williams  College,  receiving  a  B.  A. 
there  in  1878,  and  M.  A  in  1881.     He  then  became 
a    graduate   student    in   Greek   at   Johns  Hopkins 
University,  and  in  1879-80  was  a  Fellow  in  .^Esthet- 
ics  and  the  History  of  Art.     He  then  went  to  New 
York  city   and   became   Assistant  Director   in  the 
Modern  Department  of  the  Metropolitan  Museum 


WALDO   S.    PRATT, 

day.  Beginning  in  1882,  he  was  for  nine  years 
the  organist  of  the  Asylum  Hill  Congregational 
Church  in  Hartford,  in  which  church,  from  1S91  to 
1897,  h^  served  as  a  deacon.  For  nine  years  also 
(1882-gi)  he  was  Conductor  of  the  Hosmer  Hall 
Choral  LTnion,  the  leading  local  choral  society, 
and  for  four  years  (1884-88)  Conductor  of  the 
St.  Cecelia  Club.  He  was  Registrar  of  the  Hart- 
ford Theological  Seminary  (1888-95),  and  Vice- 
President  of  the  Hartford  Archreological  Society 
(1893-95).  Professor  Pratt  has  thus  been  active 
in  the  musical  life  of  the  city  and  has  done  much 
as  organist,  conductor  and  teacher  for  its  culture  in 
that  art.     As  a  student  he  has  given  special  atten- 


MKN    OF    I'ROORF.SS. 


205 


tion  to  hymnodyand  sacred  music,  <ind  is  somewhat 
widely  known  in  this  country  and  abroad  as  a 
critical  scholar  in  these  fields.  He  has  written  and 
published  numerous  papers  and  pamphlets  on 
various  aspects  of  music  and  edited  some  imjior- 
tant  works.  Among  the  latter  may  be  mentioned 
"  St.  Nicholas  Songs,"  and  "  Songs  of  Worship." 
He  has  contributed  important  studies  to  the  Forum, 
New  Knglander,  Princeton  Review,  Christian 
Union,  Music  and  many  other  magazines  and 
papers.  In  1S93,  he  contributed  to  the  Parliament 
of  Religions  in  Chicago  a  striking  paper  on  Religion 
and  Music.  Professor  Pratt  has  partially  completed 
text  books  on  the  principles  and  methods  of  Public 
Worship,  and  on  the  History  of  Music,  which  he 
hopes  will  be  of  service  to  earnest  students.  The 
estimation  of  Mr.  Pratt  as  a  scholar  is  indicated  by 
the  fact  that  he  furnished  the  musical  definitions  for 
the  Century  Dictionary  and  the  article  on  Music 
for  the  International  Encyclopaedia.  During  a 
recent  trip  to  Europe  for  the  purpose  of  studying 
various  types  of  church  music  Professor  Pratt  was 
heard  before  the  Musical  Association  in  London, 
his  address  awakening  marked  interest  and  favor- 
able comment.  He  has  also  often  been  heard  at 
the  annual  meetings  of  the  Music  Teachers'  National 
Association,  and  has  given  public  courses  of  lec- 
tures in  Hartford  and  elsewhere  on  English  Hym- 
nody  and  on  the  Psalms.  By  devoting  himself 
more  or  less  exclusively  to  the  scientific  and  his- 
torical aspects  of  musical  art,  Professor  Pratt  has 
endeavored  to  cultivate  a  somewhat  neglected  field 
in  this  country,  and  to  win  confidence  and  ajjpre- 
ciation  as  a  careful  and  independent  thinker.  In 
his  capacity  as  teacher  he  is  one  of  the  most  valued 
and  representative  men  connected  with  the  semi- 
nary. He  married  on  July  5,  1887,  Mary  E.  Smyly, 
of  New  York  city.  They  have  had  one  son,  who 
died  in  infancy. 


PARKER,  Charles  Julius,  Manufacturer,  New 
Britain,  was  born  in  New  Britain,  Connecticut, 
October  18,  1849,  son  of  Julius  and  Lucinda 
(Warner)  Parker,  of  Wilbraham.  His  father  is  still 
living  at  the  advanced  age  of  ninety-two  years. 
Like  many  of  those  bearing  good  New  England 
names,  he  can  trace  his  descent  in  direct  line, 
through  his  father,  Julius  Parker,  of  Meriden,  Con- 
necticut, to  Daniel  Parker,  grandfather  of  said  Julius, 
who  served  with  honor  and  ability  in  the  Revolu- 
tionary War.     Charles  Julius    Parker   received    his 


education  in  the  common  and  High  schools  of  his 
native  town,  but  left  his  studies  early  in  life  to 
enter  into  business  with  his  father,  who  had  estab- 
lished a  thriving  industry  in  1830  and  carried  it  on 
under  the  firm  name  of  J.  Parker  &  .Son.  This 
business  of  shirt  manufacturing  was  incorporated  in 
1896,  and  the  name  changed  to  that  of  the  Parker 
Shirt  Company  of  which  Mr.  Parker  is  now  Treas- 
urer and  Oeneral  Manager.  His  social  position  in 
his  native  town  is  one  of  influence  and  importance, 
while  his  authority  in  matters  pertaining  to  its  civic 
government  is  considerable.  He  has  been  elected 
to  the  ("onmion  Council  no  less  than  three  times, 


CHARLES   J.    PARKER, 

1882,  1883  and  1895,  and  is  now  serving  on  the 
Finance,  Claims  and  Street  committees.  He  is  also 
identified  with  many  of  the  most  exclusive  clubs 
and  organizations  in  New  Britain,  notably  the 
.Sons  of  the  .'\merican  Revolution,  the  Centen- 
nial Lodge,  I'Yee  and  Accepted  Masons,  and  the 
New  Britain  Club,  all  three  of  which  claim  him  as  a 
distinguished  member.  He  is  one  of  the  incorpor- 
ators of  the  New  Britain  Savings  Bank,  a  Director 
of  the  Young  Men's  Christian  Association  and 
Charity  organization.  I'.ut  .\Ir.  Parker  is  far  from 
restricting  his  activity  and  interests  to  social  and 
mimicipal  associations  alone.  He  united  with  the 
first  Congregational  Church  of  New  Britain   in  the 


206 


MEN    OF   PROr.RESS. 


year  1866  and  is  one  of  its  most  energetic  and 
faithful  supporters.  He  is  at  present  Chairman  of 
the  Society's  Committee  of  the  church  and  at  all 
times  is  a  most  generous  contributor  to  the  church 
itself  and  its  various  charitable  institutions.  We 
lake  the  liberty  of  (luoting  a  paragraph  from  Tay- 
lor's Souvenir  of  the  Capitol  to  illustrate  the  gen- 
eral esteem  in  which  Mr.  Parker  is  held  :  "  Mr. 
Parker  has  always  been  a  ceaseless  worker,  and  the 
excellent  business  reputation  which  he  has  estab- 
lished has  been  the  work  of  his  own  brain  and 
hand,  the  projier  record  of  intelligent  industry  and 
enterprise.  .Although  a  new  member  of  the  House 
his  large  business  experience  placed  him  among 
the  foremost  in  induence  with  his  associates.  As 
the  efficient  Chairman  of  the  important  Committee 
on  Railroads  he  became  universally  respected  for 
his  upright  and  honorable  bearing."  In  1875  Mr. 
Parker  married  Sarah,  only  daughter  of  S.  C.  Eno, 
of  Simsbury,  a  prominent  citizen  of  that  town. 


.SCHXEI.LER,  C.EORCE  Ono,  Inventor  and 
Manufacturer,  Ansonia,  Connecticut,  was  born  in 
Ciermany,  June  14,  1843;  died  at  Ansonia,  October 
20,  1895,  son  of  Henry  and  Elizabeth  Sclineller, 
both  of  German  descent.  He  accjuired  his  early 
education  in  the  schools  of  Germany,  and  at  seven- 
teen came  to  the  United  States  and  entered  the 
service  of  O.  W.  Bird,  of  New  York.  I'hence  he 
came  to  Ansonia  and  was  employed  by  Osborne  & 
Cheesman  Company  as  accountant  and  cashier.  In 
1876,  with  the  best  wishes  of  his  former  employers,  he 
purchased  an  optical  factory  at  Sheldon,  Connecti- 
cut, and  having  brought  this  to  the  highest  state  of 
efficiency  he  turned  his  attention  to  larger  fields. 
He  invented  an  entirely  new  process  of  manufactur- 
ing eyelets,  founded  the  S.  O.  &  C.  Co.,  and  during 
his  life  was  both  Manager  and  Treasurer.  He 
planned  and  executed  a  survey  of  Ansonia,  which  is 
carefully  preserved  in  the  archives  of  the  town  and 
is  the  most  perfect  model  possessed  by  any  town  in 
the  state.  Later  he  purchased  the  business  of  his 
former  employers,  organized  the  Ansonia  O.  &  C. 
Co.  and  at  the  time  of  his  death  was  both  Treasurer 
and  General  Manager.  He  was  also  one  of  the 
founders,  and  Treasurer  of  the  Union  Fabric  Com- 
pany. Having  invented  a  multiplex  telegraph 
machine,  and  being  thoroughly  posted  in  electrical 
science,  he  became  a  leading  promoter  of  the 
Electrical  Street  Railway  of  Derby,  and  at  the  time 
of  his  death  was  interested  in  a  large  number  of 


corporations,  one,  at  least,  of  which  covered  the 
business  of  the  whole  country.  Popular  with  his 
fellow  townsmen,  he  represented  Ansonia  in  the 
State  Legislature  from  189 1  to  1893  and  for  many 
years  was  a  leading  spirit  on  the  Board  of  Education. 
On  May  i,  1873,  he  was  married  to  Clarissa  Ailing, 


GEO.   O.   SCHNELLER. 

of  Ansonia.  Six  children  were  the  result  of  this 
union,  only  three  of  whom  are  now  living :  Elsie, 
Otto  and  Clarissa  Bianca  Schneller. 


WEBS  TER,  Morris  C.-vtun,  Secretary  and  Super- 
intendent of  the  Malleable  Iron  Works,  New  Britain, 
was  born  in  Harwinton,  Connecticut,  September 
28,  1848,  son  of  Addison  and  Ann  M.  (Catlin) 
Webster.  He  is  a  descendant  of  Governor  John 
Webster,  (jovernor  of  Connecticut  in  1656,  whose 
grandsons,  Moses  and  Cyprian,  were  among  the 
first  five  settlers  of  Harwinton,  in  1730;  and  was 
born  and  reared  on  the  farm  first  occupied  by  the 
first-named  of  these  brothers.  Three  of  his  ances- 
tors were  Revolutionary  soldiers,  and  all  were  iden- 
tified with  the  legislative  body  of  the  state.  His 
mother  belongs  to  the  Catlin  family  which  has  fur- 
nished the  state  with  so  many  capable  officials. 
His  education  was  acquired  in  the  common  schools, 
Harwinton   Academy    and  a  preparatory'  course  at 


MEN    OF 


Rc)(;RESS. 


207 


Winchester  Institute.  His  training  for  active  life 
was  received  principally  with  the  Hartford  mercan- 
tile firm  of  Hart,  Merriam  &  Company,  serving  suc- 
cessively in  all  departments  of  work  connected 
therewith,  as  accountant,  salesman,  and  in  general 


MORRIS   C.   WEBSTER. 

fitting  for  business.  In  18S1  he  went  on  the  road 
for  a  Uoston  wholesale  boot  and  shoe  house,  travel- 
ling in  Illinois,  Iowa  and  Nebraska.  Returning  to 
the  carpet  trade,  he  was  in  the  emi)loy  of  Stark 
Brothers,  in  Milwaukee,  for  a  time,  and  then  with 
\V.  &  J.  Sloane,  of  New  York.  In  1S74  he  returned 
to  his  native  state  and  commenced  business  for 
himself  in  Terryville,  which  he  sold  out  in  1878  to 
take  his  present  position  as  Secretary  and  Superin- 
tendent of  the  Malleable  Iron  Works,  New  Uritain. 
Mr.  Webster  has  served  three  years  in  the  Common 
Council  of  New  Britain,  and  has  been  honored  by 
three  successive  elections  to  the  School  Board,  in 
which  he  is  now  serving  his  eighth  year.  He  was 
also  a  Representative  to  the  General  Assembly  in 
1897.  He  is  prominent  in  various  societies  and 
fraternal  orders,  being  Past  Regent  in  the  Royal 
Arcanum;  Past  Councillor,  Order  of  United  Amer- 
ican Mechanics;  Trustee  of  the  Improved  Order 
Heptographs,  the  Mutual  Benefit  Association;  and 
is  also  a  member  of  the  .Ancient  Order  of  United 
Workmen  and  the   Ni-w   I'.ritain   Club.      I'olitic.iUy, 


Mr.  Webster  was  born  and  raised  a  Rei)ubhcan. 
lie  was  married  in  1S74  to  Ida  K.  Barber,  of  Har- 
winton. 

H.\CON,  Wii.i.i.v.M  Ilknuj,  I'iiysician  and  Sur- 
geon of  Hartford,  was  born  in  that  oily  August  27, 
i.S|C).  His  father,  Leonard  Holmes  Bacon,  was 
allied  by  direct  <lescent  to  Michael  Bacon,  one  of 
the  founders  of  the  town  of  Dedham,  Massachu- 
setts, 1640,  and  the  family  name  is  one  which  has 
become  famous  throughout  the  country,  both  be- 
cause of  the  extraordinary  powers  of  mind  of 
various  of  its  eminent  members  and  liccause  of 
their  conspicuous  association  with  the  history  and 
development  of  the  land  itself.  His  mother  was 
I';iizabeth  Chester  Turner,  granddaughter  in  the 
eighth  generation  of  Nathaniel  Turner,  who  came 
from  Kngland  in  the  fieet  with  Covernor  Win- 
throji  in  1650,  and  with  him  was  one  of  the  found- 
ers of  New   Haven  colony.     Dr.  Bacon  graduated 


V/M.  T.    BACON. 

from  the  Hartford  Public  High  School  in  1863, 
entered  Yale  College  a  year  later  and  graduated  in 
1868,  going  thereafter  to  New  York,  where  he 
graduated  from  the  New  York  University,  Medical 
I)e]iartnient,  with  the  class  of  187  i.  For  two  years 
following  this  he  was  engaged  in  hospital  practice, 
first   in   tlie  ("harity  Hospital   1871-72,  and   then   in 


joS 


MEN    OF   PROGRESS. 


the  Roosevelt  Hospital  1S72-73.     Upon  the  termi- 
nation of    this  latter  engagement   Dr.    Hacon  was 
made    Tutor    and   Assistant    to   the    Professor   in 
Physiology  in  the  Medical  Department  of  the  New 
York  I'niversity,  a  position   which   he  held  for  a 
term  of  three  years,  at  the  same  time  and  for  the 
same  perioil  acting  as  Curator  to  the  Charity  Hos- 
pital.    Other  offices  of  responsibility  which  he  held 
at  about  this  time  were  :  Assistant  Surgeon  to  the 
New  York  F,ye  and  Ear  Infirmary,  Attending  Phy- 
sician of  the  Medical  Department  to  the  Outdoor 
Poor  1872-76,  and  Ophthalmic  Aural  Surgeon  to  the 
Hartford   Hospital  since  1879.     Dr.  Bacon's  repu- 
tation   \i    widespread.     He    is   an   acknowledged 
specialist   of   the    first   rank,   and    his   advice   and 
treatment  are  sought  by  patients  not  alone  in  his 
own    locality   but    throughout   the   country.     It    is 
unnecessary   to  say  that  his   standing   among   his 
brethren  in  the  profession  is  of  the  best.     He  is 
everywhere    recognized   as   a   man    of    distinctive 
ability,  thoroughly  progressive  and  absolutely  reli- 
able.    Dr.  Bacon  is  a  member  of  the  Yale  Alumni 
Association,   the   Roosevelt   Hospital  Alumni,  the 
Sous  of  the  American  Revolution,  and  the  Colonial 
Club   of    Hartford,   as    well   as   of    the  American 
(_)phthalmological   Society,   the    American  Medical 
Association,  the  Congress  of  American  Physicians 
and  Surgeons,  the  State   Medical  Society  of  Con- 
necticut,  the    Hartford    County    Medical    Society 
and  the   Hartford    Medical  Society.     Dr.  Bacon's 
political  sympathies  are  with  the  Republican  party. 
He  was  married  in  Hartford  on  June  10,  1875,  to 
Miss  Mary  Iv  Coit,  of  Hartford. 


in  life  insurance  in  Pittsburgh,  Pennsylvania.  In 
two  years  he  returned  to  the  old  farm,  only  how- 
ever to  be  soon  after  elected  first  secretary  of  the 
City  Fire  Insurance  Company  in  Hartford,  the  city 
of  instirance.  That  was  in  1853.  He  continued 
with  that  company  till  he  found  an  inducement  to 
become  an  active  member  of  the  firm  of  Case, 
Lockwood  &  Company  of  the  same  city,  printers 
and  binders.  When  the  present  company  was 
incorporated  by  the  Legislature  as  the  Case,  Lock- 
wood  &  Brainard  Company,  he  became  the  Secre- 
tary and  Treasurer,  a  position  which  he  retained 
until   1 89 1   when  he   succeeded    the    late    Newton 


BRAINARD,  Leverett,  Mayor  of  Hartford  in 
1894-95,  was  born  in  what  is  known  as  the  West- 
chester Society,  town  of  Colchester,  Connecticut, 
February  13,  1828.  His  parents  were  Amaziah  and 
Huldah  (Foote)  Brainard,  both  descendants  of 
early  settlers  of  the  county.  His  school  education 
was  obtained  in  the  common  school  of  his  native 
town  and  in  the  Bacon  Academy  of  Colchester. 
At  the  age  of  thirteen,  the  whole  care  of  the  farm 
was  thrown  upon  him  by  the  death  of  his  father. 
For  seven  years  he  vrorked  there  faithfully,  imbib- 
ing many  ideas  to  be  of  great  value  to  him  in  after 
life,  and  then,  at  the  age  of  twenty,  he  began  to 
teach  school,  having  prepared  himself  by  faithful 
endeavor.  After  two  years  of  that  he  felt  a  leaning 
toward  that  business  life  in  which  he  was  destined 
to  attain  such  great  success.     His  first  venture  was 


LEVERETT  BRAINARD. 

Case  of  Hartford  in  the  Presidency.  The  concern 
is  one  of  the  largest  of  the  kind  in  the  state,  with 
an  enormous,  well  located  and  exceedingly  valuable 
plant.  Mr.  Brainard  has  been  called  upon  to  serve 
his  fellow  citizens  in  the  Court  of  Common  Council, 
in  the  House  of  Representatives  and  finally  as  the 
city's  chief  executive  He  was  elected  Represen- 
tative in  1884,  and  Mayor  in  1894.  He  has  always 
been  a  sturdy  Republican  and  his  popularity  as  well 
as  the  recognition  of  his  talents  were  shown  by  his 
election  in  a  normally  Democratic  city.  His  admin- 
istration was  marked  by  a  practicability  learned  in 
the  stern  school  of  business  and  by  that  conserva- 
tiveness  and  fidelity  which   have  done  so  much  to 


MI;N    dl'     I'KOCRKSS. 


209 


give  him  the  place  he  holds  today  in  the  estima- 
tion of  all  who  know  him.  lie  married  Mary  J., 
daughter  of  the  late  Hon.  E.  A.  Hulkeley.  Ten 
children  were  born  to  them,  seven  of  whom  are 
still  living  :  Mary  L.,  Lucy  A.,  Morgan  ]!.,  Newton 
C,  Kdith  I!.,  Ruth  A.  and  Helen  S.  lirainard. 


BATFERSCIN,  Jamks  Goodwin,  President  of  the 
Travelers  Insurance  Company,  and  importer  of  and 
dealer  in  granite  and  marble,  of  Hartford,  was  born 
in  Rloomfieki  near  Hartford  on  February  23,  1823. 
His  parents  were  Simeon  S.  and  Melissa  (Roberts) 


J.    G.    BATTERSON, 

Batterson,  both  of  whom  were  descended  from 
Revolutionary  stock.  James  G.  Batterson  received 
his  early  education  in  the  Warren  Academy,  Litch- 
field county,  and  after  completing  a  thorough  course 
of  study  there  prepared  himself  to  enter  Yale  Col- 
lege. Circumstances,  however,  preventing  this 
realization  of  his  wishes  he  lost  no  time  in  futile 
regrets,  but  turned  at  once  to  less  congenial  envi- 
ronment, in  the  printing  office  and  book  publishing 
house  of  Mack,  Andrus&  Woodruff,  of  Ithaca,  New 
York.  He  remained  in  the  employ  of  this  firm  for 
three  years,  when  he  returned  home  and  studied 
law  there  with  Judge  Seymour  of  Litchfield;  he 
believed  legal  knowledge  would    be  of   use  in    his 


business.  His  first  independent  business  venture 
was  made  in  1845  when  he  established  himself  as 
an  importer  of  and  dealer  in  granite  and  marlile, 
with  an  office  in  Hartford  and  later  in  New  York 
city ;  concerning  the  success  of  the  enterprise  it 
suffices  to  say  that  both  houses  are  still  in  active 
operation.  In  1864  Mr.  Batterson  established  and 
organized  the  Travelers  Insurance  Company  of 
Hartford,  Connecticut,  with  himself  as  President, 
and  other  of  the  city's  most  prominent  business 
men  upon  the  Board  of  Directors.  From  the  first 
the  company  jirospered  under  its  most  able  manage- 
ment, and  now  ranks  first  among  organizations  of 
its  kind  in  the  country,  and,  indeed,  in  the  world. 
In  addition  to  being  a  most  shrewd  business  man, 
Mr.  Batterson  is  an  earnest  and  untiring  student  in 
many  branches  of  literature,  science,  art  and  philol- 
ogy. His  time  has  been  turned  to  good  account 
and  whatever  he  does  is  done  well  and  exhibits  a 
well-balanced,  vigorous  mind.  With  any  and  all 
lines  of  original  investigation  which  lead  in  the 
direction  of  uncompromising  truth  he  has  the  fullest 
sympathy,  and  his  literary  and  scholastic  attain- 
ments have  attracted  attention  in  quarters  exceed- 
ingly gratifying  to  a  man  whose  life  has  been 
connected,  in  the  public  mind,  with  purely  com- 
mercial and  financial  pursuits.  He  is  an  accom- 
plished Greek  and  Latin  scholar  and  his  translations 
of  "  The  Song  of  I  lion  "  and  "  Lauda  Sion  "  are  able, 
scholarly  and  artistic  performances.  His  contro- 
versial papers  on  economics  and  loose  and  improper 
legislation  show  a  wide  range  of  reading,  close 
observation  and  clear  logic,  which  fallacious  reason- 
ing does  not  disturb.  As  a  Biblical  scholar  he  has 
acquired  standing  even  among  men  of  high  position 
as  professional  students.  Familiar  with  the  original 
text  from  the  Vatican  Codex  to  Griesbach,  Tre- 
gelles,  Lachman  and  Tischendorf,  he  has  missed  no 
Bible  translation  from  the  Latin  Vulgate  to  the 
revised  version.  In  the  midst  of  such  a  pressure  of 
business,  it  is  a  matter  of  astonishment  to  his  friends 
how  Mr.  Patterson  accomplishes  all  this  research 
and  literary  labor,  but  he  explains  it  in  his  own 
words  :  "  A  little  every  day  accomjilishes  much." 
His  love  for  architecture  and  his  appreciation  of  its 
possibilities  have  associated  his  name  with  some  of 
the  most  conspicuous  structures  in  the  country. 
He  obtained  the  contract  for  the  construction  of 
the  State  Capitol  at  Hartford,  and  the  granite  work 
for  the  Congressional  Library  at  Washington  was  all 
cut  at  his  ([uarries  in  Concord,  New  Hampshire, 
and  set  in  place  by  the  government  engineers   in 


:\0 


MEN    OF    PROGRESS. 


ihc  capitol.  So  accurately  was  the  work  of  cutting 
and  fitting  performed  in  Concord  tiiat  not  a  single 
cent  was  charged  back  for  imperfect  fitting  at  the 
works  in  iNew  Hampshire;  a  performance  of  con- 
tract work  said  to  be  unexampled.  Mr.  Batterson's 
contribution  to  the  pages  of  the  Travelers  Record 
on  insurance  and  various  other  subjects  have 
attracted  wide  attention.  The  paper  read  by  him 
at  the  Insurance  Congress  in  Chicago,  during  the 
Columbian  Exhibition,  was  a  complete  and  simple 
illustration  of  the  life  insurance  problem,  from 
mathematical,  business  and  social  standpoints,  and 
attracted  very  general  and  laudatory  comment. 
The  little  work  on  gold  and  silver  published  in 
1896  contained  substance  enough  for  a  larger  vol- 
ume. It  was  a  timely,  concise  and  lucid  statement 
of  the  great  question  which  formed  the  text  for  a 
host  of  public  speakers  throughout  the  country. 
Mr.  Hatterson  has  travelled  extensively  abroad, 
studying  intelligently  the  ancient  monuments,  and 
the  geology  and  history  of  the  Nile  valley,  Rome, 
St.  Petersburg  and  the  principal  cities  of  Europe  in 
search  of  information  on  a  great  variety  of  subjects. 
He  might  readily  have  attained  political  prom- 
inence but  has  never  cared  to  accept  public  office. 
His  sympathies,  however,  are  thoroughly  Republi- 
can, and  his  help  and  advice  are  often  eagerly 
sought  at  certain  state  or  national  crises.  He  is  an 
influential  member  of  various  organizations  of  an 
educational,  scientific  and  social  character.  He  is 
a  Trustee  of  Brown  University,  a  Fellow  of  the 
American  Society  of  Civil  Engineers,  a  member  of 
the  Society  for  Biblical  Exegesis ;  the  American 
Society  for  Advancement  of  Science ;  the  New 
York  Club ;  the  Sons  of  the  Revolution ;  the  Uni- 
versity, Greek,  and  Lawyers  clubs  of  New  York,  and 
the  Hartford  Club  of  his  own  city.  He  holds  the 
degree  of  M.  A.  both  from  Yale  and  from  Williams 
colleges.  Mr.  Batterson  was  married  on  June  2, 
1851,  to  Miss  Eunice  Elizabeth  Goodwin,  lately 
deceased.  Their  children  were  three  in  number : 
Clara  Jeannette,  Mary  Elizabeth  and  James  Good- 
win Batterson,  Jr. 


BURTON,  Franklin,  Mayor  of  Ansonia,  was 
born  in  Stratford,  Connecticut,  September  10,  1851, 
son  of  Hamilton  and  Phebe  (Peck)  Burton.  His 
grandfather  was  Silas  Burton,  the  latter  son  of 
Samuel,  the  latter  son  of  Ephraim,  the  latter  son  of 
Judson,  the  latter  son  of  Solomon  Burton  and 
Marcy  (Judson)  Burton,  and  all  residents  of  Strat- 


ford. On  the  maternal  side  he  traces  his  ancestry 
to  Joseph  Peck,  of  Milford,  Connecticut,  in  1649, 
and  William  Beardsley,  of  Stratford,  in  1639.  His 
grandmother  was  Mary  Patterson,  descendant  of 
Andrew  Patterson,  of  Stratford,  in  1684.  His  great- 
great-grandmother  was  Betty  ^Vells,  a  descendant 
of  Governor  Thomas  Wells.  On  the  grandmother's 
side  he  is  also  related  to  Benjamin  Lewis,  of  Strat- 
ford, in  1674,  and  William  Judson  of  Stratford  in 
1639.  Young  Burton's  education  was  obtained 
at  the  Stratford  Academy.  He  began  his  business 
career  as  a  clerk  in  the  drug  store  of  Joseph  Thomp- 
son, of    Bridgeport,  in    1866.     The  next  year    he 


FRANKLIN   BURTON. 

entered  the  drug  store  of  L.  F.  Curtiss,  of  the  same 
city.  In  1873-74  he  served  in  the  same  capacity 
for  George  H.  Peck,  of  Derby.  Previous  to  this  he 
had  a  five-years  experience  in  the  drygoods  busi- 
ness, serving  as  clerk  for  Samuel  H.  Brush,  of  Derby, 
from  1868  to  1873,  and  for  Birdseye  &  Morgan,  of 
Bridgeport,  during  a  part  of  the  latter  year.  From 
1874  to  1883  he  was  bookkeeper  for  Osborne  & 
Cheesman,  of  Ansonia.  During  1885-86-87  and 
18^8  he  was  teller  at  the  Derby  Savings  Bank.  In 
1888  he  was  elected  Secretary  and  Treasurer  of  the 
Savings  Bank  of  Ansonia,  which  position  he  at  pres- 
ent fills.  This  position  of  trust  and  responsibility 
is  one  of  the  many  evidences  of  the  confidence  and 


MKN    OF    I'ROC.KKSS. 


21  I 


esteem  which  he  enjoys  among  his  fellow  citizens, 
and  another  was  his  election  in  November  1897,  as 
Mayor  of  the  city  of  Ansonia.  He  was  member  of 
the  General  Assembly  of  Connecticut  in  1897,  and 
is  at  present  Treasurer  of  the  Ansonia  Board  of 
Trade  and  Treasurer  and  Director  of  the  Ansonia 
Library.  He  has  also  served  as  Clerk  of  the  Board 
of  Wardens  and  Burgesses  of  the  Borough  of  An- 
sonia, and  Auditor  of  the  city  of  Ansonia.  In  politics 
he  is  a  Republican.  He  was  married  January  10, 
1884,  to  Helen  Louise  Birdseye.  They  have  had 
four  children,  two  of  whom  are  living :  Warren 
Hamilton  (died  July  14,  1885)  ;  Rodney  (died  Feb- 
ruary 15,  1888);  Franklin  Birdseye;  and  Ruth 
Burton. 


enlarged  capital.  In  1883,  the  first  building  of  the 
present  splendid  i)lant  was  erected.  Their  iron 
foundry  is  the  finest  in  New  I-'ngland.  The  cajjital 
today  is  §400,000.  In  a  city  of  remarkable  suc- 
cesses, this  concern  has  been  one  of  the  most 
successful.  In  March  1896,  Mr.  Cady  was  elected 
to  the  Presidency  of  the  company,  succeeding 
R.  N.  Pratt  retiring  from  the  company.  He  also 
holds  the  position  of  Treasurer.  In  addition  to  this 
he  is  Director  of  the  Society  of  Savings,  Director 
of  the  Board  of  Trade,  first  Vice-President  of  the 
Cooperative  Savings  Society  of  Connecticut,  and  a 
member  of   the    Board    of   Water   Commissioners. 


C.'\DY,  Ernest,  of  Hartford,  Lieutenant-Governor 
1893-95,  ^^''•s  born  in  Stafford  September  6. 
1842,  son  of  Garner  and  Emily  (Greene)  Cady. 
He  is  descended  from  Nicliolas  Cady  who  lived  in 
Watertovvn,  Massachusetts,  in  1645,  the  family  later 
removing  to  Connecticut.  Several  of  Mr.  Cady's 
ancestors  served  in  the  Revolutionary  War,  among 
them  Isaac  Cady  who  died  in  the  service.  His 
son.  Garner  Cady,  was  for  many  years  representa- 
tive in  the  Legislature  from  Stafford.  His  son, 
Garner  Cady,  Jr.,  was  killed  in  his  prime  by  a 
runaway  horse.  Ernest  was  next  to  the  oldest  of 
si.\  children.  While  working  on  the  farm  and  in 
the  factory,  Mr.  Cady  kept  up  his  studies  in  the 
public  school  till  he  was  sixteen  when  his  school 
days  ended  with  one  term  at  Metcalf's  Highland 
Academy  in  Worcester,  Massachusetts.  There  was 
need  of  his  services  at  home  and  he  promptly 
responded.  He  got  a  position  as  clerk  in  the 
general  store  in  Stafford  in  which  town  he  remained, 
with  the  exception  of  the  time  he  was  in  the  war, 
for  eleven  years.  After  a  five-years  business  part- 
nership with  R.  S.  Beebe,  under  the  firm  name  of 
Beebe  &  Cady,  he  started  on  a  tour  of  the  country 
in  1869  to  find  some  good  place  to  locate,  with  the 
result  that  he  chose  New  England.  His  second 
business  venture  was  in  187 1  as  proprietor  of  the 
corporation  store  of  the  Norwich  Woolen  Mills  in 
Norwich,  Connecticut,  which  he  conducted  roost 
successfully  for  five  years.  Selling  out  at  a  satis- 
factory price,  he  removed  to  Hartford,  which  has 
since  been  his  home.  In  1878,  with  R.  N.  &  F.  A. 
Pratt  he  organized  the  Steam  Boiler  Appliance 
Company,  the  Pratt  &  Whitney  Company  manu- 
facturing their  specialities.  Four  years  later  the 
company  became  the   Pratt  &  Cady  Company,  with 


ERNEST  CADY. 


He  is  also  a  Director  in  several  other  corporations. 
A  staunch  Democrat,  like  his  ancestors,  he  never 
had  given  much  attention  to  politics,  and  it  was  a 
genuine  surprise  to  him  when  he  was  nominated 
for  Lieutenant-Governor  with  Luzon  l).  Morris,  of 
New  Haven,  for  Governor,  in  1892.  The  ticket 
was  successful ;  Mr.  Cady's  majority  over  his  com- 
petitor, Colonel  Frank  W.  Cheney,  a  very  popular 
man,  was  six  thousand  one  hundred  and  one.  The 
Senate  over  which  he  was  called  upon  to  preside 
was  evenly  divided  between  the  parties.  Yet  he 
discharged  his  trying  duties  in  a  way  which  won 
the  respect  and  esteem  of  all.  In  1894,  Mr.  Cady 
was    nominated    for  Governor   but    in   the   great 


MKN    OF    PROGRESS. 


Republican  tidal  wave  was  defeated  by  O.  Vincent 
Coffin.  He  received  the  full  party  vote.  Mr. 
Cady  had  many  thrilling  experiences  during  the 
war.  He  was  on  the  ill-fated  gunboat,  Westfield, 
blown  up  off  Galveston  by  order  of  Commander 
Rcnshaw,  and  also  on  the  Hatteras,  which  was 
sunk  by  the  "  290,"  Commander  Semmes.  When 
he  was  paid  off  in  1S63,  he  took  the  money  to 
defray  e.xpenses  for  three-months  term  at  Eastman's 
Business  College,  an  investment  which  he  counts 
among  the  best  in  his  life.  He  lives  quietly  and 
unostentatiously  but  has  established  a  record  as  one 
of  the  ablest  and  most  gracious  business  men  in 
the  state.  January  16,  1871,  he  married  Ellen  E., 
daughter  of  Ex-Lieutenant  Governor  Hyde.  He 
has  two  sons,  Ernest  H .  and  Charles  W.  Cady. 


CROTHERS,  Thomas  Davison,  Physician,  of 
Hartford,  was  born  in  West  Charlton,  New  York, 
September  22,  1842.  His  parents  were  Robert 
Crothers  and  Harriet  E.  (Smith)  Crothers,  both  of 
whom  are  descended  from  notable  stock :  the 
paternal  ancestors  having  been  in  several  cases 
celebrated  physicians  and  surgeons  ot  Edinburgh, 
Scotland,  and  the  maternal  having  sprung  from  the 
Homes  family  of  Stonington,  Connecticut,  and  the 
Smiths  of  Westchester,  New  York,  both  of  which 
branches  were  prominently  represented  in  the 
French  and  Revolutionary  wars.  Dr.  Crothers 
prejiared  for  college  at  Fort  Edward,  New  York, 
and,  previous  to  his  entrance,  taught  school  in  both 
New  York  and  New  Jersey.  In  1865  he  graduated 
at  the  .Albany  Medical  College  and  a  year  later  was 
created  medical  cadet  in  the  United  States  Military 
Hospital  Service.  During  the  same  year  he  took  a 
post-graduate  course  at  the  Long  Island  Hospital 
and  at  the  Kellevue  College  and  then  made  his  way 
to  Galway,  New  York,  where  he  began  to  practice 
his  profession  in  1866,  and  where  he  remained  for 
the  next  four  years.  From  1873  to  1875  he  was 
clinical  assistant  and  lecturer  in  the  Medical  Col- 
lege at  Albany,  New  York,  and  from  1872  to  1876 
was  on  the  editorial  staff  of  the  Medical  and  Surgi- 
cal Reporter,  of  Philadelphia,  Pennsylvania.  Dur- 
ing the  latter  year  he  was  appointed  Assistant 
Superintendent  and  Physician  of  the  New  York 
State  Inebriate  Asylum,  Binghamton,  New  York, 
and  in  1878  was  made  Sui)erintendent  of  the  Wal- 
nut Hill  Asylum  at  Hartford,  Connecticut.  In 
1875  he  was  elected  Secretary  of  the  American 
Association    for   the    study  and  care  of  Inebriates 


which  position  he  holds  up  to  the  present  time,  and 
the  ensuing  year  was  appointed  editor  of  the  Journal 
of  Inebriety,  where  he  still  continues  in  the  same 
capacity.  In  i88c  he  became  President  of  the 
\Valnut  Lodge  Hospital  and  Medical  Superintend- 
ent of  the  same,  offices  which  he  still  discharges. 
In  1890  he  was  elected  Secretary  of  the  American 
Temperance  Association  and  Editor  of  the  Bulletin, 
published  by  this  society ,:  also  he  holds  a  position 
on  the  editorial  staff  of  the  Journal,  the  organ  of 
the  American  Medical  .Association.  Dr.  Crothers 
is  identified  with  many  home  and  foreign  organiza- 
tions of  prominence  in  the  medical  world,  being  a 


T.   D.  CROTHERS. 

member  of  the  British  Medical  .Association,  the 
French  Society  for  Psychological  Research,  the 
English  Psychical  Society ;  the  Belgium  Society  of 
Mental  Medicine  and  an  honorary  member  of  the 
Russian  Society  of  Mental  Science,  the  American 
Association  and  others.  In  1887  he  was  one  of  the 
American  delegates  to  the  International  Congress 
for  the  study  of  Inebriety  at  London.  The  British 
Society  tendered  him  a  public  dinner  on  that 
occasion  and  he  was  honored  with  many  other  testi- 
monies of  respect  and  appreciation.  In  1888  and 
1889  he  delivered  a  course  of  lectures  before  the 
students  of  the  Albany  Medical  College  and  the 
Vermont  University  at  Burlington,  Vermont,  and  in 


MEN    or    PROGRESS. 


213 


1893,  he  edited  a  work  on  Disease  of  Inebriety, 
wiiich  was  published  by  Treat  &  Company,  of  New 
York  city.  Dr.  Crothers  was  married  in  1875  to 
Mrs.  S.  B.  Rysedorph  of  .Mbany,  New  York,  'i'licy 
have  no  children. 


CURTIS,  JoNATH.-\x  Strong,  Physician,  of  Hart- 
ford, was  born  in  Epsom,  New  Hampshire,  June  1  i, 
1821.  He  was  the  son  of  the  Reverend  Jonathan 
and  Elizabeth  (Barker)  Curtis,  who  gave  him  all  the 
advantages  in  the  way  of  education  that  were  then 
available,  sending  him,  after  his  course  in  ilie  pre- 
paratory schools  was  finished,  to  Dartmouth  Col- 
lege, where  he  took  his  medical  degree.  Following 
his  graduation  from  the  New  Hampshire  University 
he  repaired  to  the  metropolis  where  he  entered  the 
New  York  University  of  Medicine,  from  which  he 
took  his  diploma.  He  first  practiced  his  profession 
at  Abington,  Massachusetts,  but  after  two  years 
removed  to  Lawrence  in  the  same  state,  where  he 
built  up  a  large  and  remunerative  practice,  which 
however  he  resigned  in  1849,  his  intention  being  to 
settle  permanently  in  California.  After  three  years 
of  western  experience  he  came  East  once  more,  and 
at  his  brother's  earnest  solicitation  settled  in  Hart- 
ford, where  he  remained  until  the  time  of  his  death, 
which  occurred  in  the  early  spring  of  1897.  I-*'- 
Curtis  was  a  well-known  figure  in  Hartford,  the  city 
of  his  adoption.  A  prominent  physician  of  that 
town  said  of  him  :  "He  was  a  very  popular  pliysician 
and  surgeon,  and  for  thirty  years  he  stood  high  in  his 
profession  as  any  man  in  this  part  of  the  state.  He 
has  been  more  frequently  called  in  consultation  dur- 
ing the  past  fifteen  years  than  any  other  member  of 
the  profession  in  this  vicinity.  He  carried  to  the 
bedside  of  the  sick  a  very  ripe  experience  and 
unusually  sound  judgment.  He  was  of  marked 
personality  and  magnetism  and  impressed  all  his 
patients  with  his  hope  and  buoyancy.  He  had  the 
capacity  to  say  the  right  thing  at  the  right  time. 
He  was  without  the  least  pretence  or  vanity,  and 
was  always  perfectly  honest  and  natural.  He  was 
very  generous  and  benevolent  and  had  done  a  very 
large  amount  of  charitable  work  in  his  profession." 
The  sentiment  of  the  community  is  voiced  in  these 
words.  Few  men  were  so  respected  and  beloved. 
Dr.  Curtis  was  a  member  of  Christ  Church  of  Hart- 
ford. During  the  war  he  served  as  Surgeon  of  the 
Twenty-second  Connecticut  Yolunteers.  He  was 
Surgeon  in  Hartfo.'d  of  the  Consolidated  and  New 
England  roads  for  many  years  prior  to  his  death. 


He  was  active  in  charitable  work  and  was  a  member 
of  the  advisory  committee  of  the  Union  for  Home 
Work  since  its  inception.  He  was  also  dec])ly 
interested,  with  his  intimate  friend  Dr.  Francis 
Bacon,  of  New  Haven,  in  the  Children's  Aid  Society 
and  the  jiroposed  home  for  incurable  children.  Dr. 
Curtis  was  twice  married,  his  first  wife  being  I.ucy 
Branscombe,  of  Newmarket,  New  Hamjishirc.  The 
children  of  his  first  wife  were  Edward,  Assistant 
Superintendent  of  the  New  York,  New  Haven  & 
Hartford  Railroad  in  flartford,  and  Kate,  deceased, 
who  was  the  wife  of  the  Reverend  L.  \V.  Hicks, 
formerly   of    U'ethersfield.       His   second  wife   was 


J.    S.  CURTIS. 


Susan  lirandt  of  Belleville,  New  Jersey,  whom  he 
married  in  1863.  By  this  marriage  there  is  one 
daughter,  Eli/,abeth  .Mden  C'urtis,  a  rising  young 
writer. 


COFFEY,  Charles,  Wholesale  Fruit-dealer,  Gran- 
by,  was  born  in  that  town,  May  4,  1852.  His  edu- 
cation was  acquired  at  the  Southwick  (Massachu- 
setts) Academy  and  the  Literary  Institute,  Suftield, 
Connecticut.  He  was  engaged  exclusively  in  farm- 
ing until  1887,  when  he  entered  the  fruit  trade  as  a 
member  of  the  firm  of  Stults  &  Coffey.  That  con- 
cern consolidated  later  with  the  well-known  New 
York  house  of  J.  H.   Kellough  &  Company  and  is 


214 


MEN   OF   PROGRESS. 


today  among  the  few  large  operators  in  this  state, 
handling  an  average  of  one  hundred  thousand 
barrels  of  apples  annually,  which  are  received  from 
the  fruit  growing  states  and  the  Dominion  of 
Canada.      Mr.   Coffey   served   as   a  Selectman   of 


CHAS.  COFFEY. 

Granby  for  tliree  years,  was  a  member  of  the  Legis- 
lature for  the  years  1891-92,  entered  the  State 
Senate  in  1893  and  was  re-elected  in  1895,  being 
assigned  to  the  Railroad  Committee  in  the  last- 
named  body.  Jn  politics  he  is  a  Republican.  He 
is  connected  with  St.  Mark's  Lodge  No.  91,  Free 
and  Accepted  Masons,  and  is  a  member  of  the 
First  Congregational  Church  of  Granby.  He  mar- 
ried Mary  E.  Colton,  of  Granby,  and  they  have  two 
sons :  Charles  Harmon,  aged  fourteen,  and  Frank 
William  Coffey,  aged  si.x  years. 


CLARK,  Charles  Hopkins,  Vice-President  of 
the  Hartford  Courant,  was  born  in  Hartford  April 
I,  1848,  son  of  Ezra  (died  1896)  and  Mary  (Hop- 
kins) Clark  (died  1866).  He  is  descended  on 
both  sides  from  old  Colonial  families.  Mr.  Clark 
was  graduated  from  the  Hartford  Public  High 
School  in  1867  and  from  Yale  in  1871.  In  that 
year  he  went  to  work  upon  the  Hartford  Courant, 
and  has   been   connected   with   that   journal   ever 


since.  In  1887  he  was  admitted  to  the  firm  of 
Hawley,  (Goodrich  &  Company,  then  its  publishers ; 
and  when  the  Hartford  Courant  Company  was 
organized,  in  189 1,  he  was  made  a  Director  and 
Vice-President,  positions  that  he  still  holds.  He 
has  been  the  editor  in  charge  of  the  paper  since 
the  death  of  S.  A.  Hubbard  in  1890.  Mr.  Clark  is 
also  a  Director  of  the  Connecticut  Mutual  Life 
Insurance  Company  and  the  Collins  Company ; 
Treasurer  of  the  Hartford  Public  Library  and  of 
the  Trustees  of  the  Good  Will  Club ;  Trustee  of  the 
Wadsworth  Atheneum,  the  Watkinson  Library  and 
the  Watkinson  Farm  School ;  and  member  of  the 
Sons  of  Colonial  Wars  and  Sons  of  the  American 
Revolution.  He  is  a  member  of  the  Century  and 
University  clubs  of  New  York.  He  has  never  been 
a  candidate  for  any  public  office.  Under  Mr. 
Clark's  management  the  Courant  has  steadily  de- 
veloped and  its  fearless  honesty,  earnest  interest 
in  the  welfare  of  the  city  and  state,  wide  knowledge 


CHAS.  H.   CLARK. 

of  affairs,  and  staunch  broad  republicanism  have 
made  the  paper  what  it  is,  the  leading  organ  of  the 
party  in  Connecticut.  The  Courant's  editorial  page 
is  widely  quoted  in  the  country.  The  weight  of 
the  Courant's  influence  has  been  cast  for  pure 
politics  ;  and  the  policy  to  print  a  high-class  family 
newspaper,   able,   interesting,   reflecting  the  times 


MF\    OF    rRDORF.SS. 


2' 5 


and  moulding  intelligent  opinion,  and  without  sen- 
sational features,  has  been  very  successful.  In 
1S73  Mr.  Clark  married  Miss  P'.llen  Root,  of  Hart- 
ford, who  died  in  1895.  They  have  two  children  :  a 
son,  Horace  H.,  and  a  daughter.  Mary  II.  Clark. 


CHURCH,  Henry  J.vmf.s,  Undertaker,  Mcridcn, 
was  born  in  East  Haven,  Connecticut,  in  .\ugust 
1 83 1,  son  of  James  and  Huldah  (Barnes)  Church. 
His  .American  ancestor  was  Thomas  Church,  an 
l-'nglishman  who  settled  in  Plainfield,  this  state,  in 
1680,  and  his  great-grandlatlicr  locntcd  in  lladdam. 


HENRY  J.   CHURCH. 

His  grandfather,  wlio  entered  the  Continental  Army 
during  the  Revolution  and  was  captured  by  the 
enemy,  was  one  of  two  persons  who  succeeded  in 
making  their  escape  from  the  prison  ship  on  which 
they  were  confined.  His  maternal  grandfather  was 
also  a  Revolutionary  soldier  and  served  under  lien- 
edict  .Arnold.  Henry  James  Church  was  educated 
in  the  common  schools  of  New  Britain  and  after 
the  comjjletion  of  his  studies  he  served  an  api)ren- 
ticeship  at  the  cabinet  maker's  trade,  following  it  as 
a  journeyman  until  enlisting  for  service  in  the  Civil 
War,  and  since  1865  has  been  engaged  in  the 
undertaking  business  in  Meriden.  For  the  ]>ast 
three  years  he  has   been    a    member    of   the    City 


Council,  a  member  of  several  societies  including  the 
drand  .Army  of  the  Republic,  and  politically  he  acts 
with  the  Rejiublican  i)arty.  Mr.  Church  married 
Elizabeth  A.  Fosket,  a  native  of  Ware,  Massachu- 
setts. They  have  had  five  children,  of  whom  the 
only  one  now  living  is  Ix)uis  H.  Church. 


M.INT,  Cir.(u<(U-.  Washington,  Principal  CoUins- 
ville  High  School  and  President  of  the  CoUinsville 
Sa\  ings  Bank,  was  l)orn  at  Yarmouth,  Nova  Scotia, 
March  2,  1844,  his  jiarents  moving  to  Maine  in 
1850.  Mr.  Flint  traces  his  descent  back  to  a 
certain  ditto  de  Leon  who  flourished  in  1055,  whose 
family  and  name  were  well  known  in  France  long 
before  the  Conquest.  There  are  many  gallant 
names  along  the  line,  Roger  de  Courcelli,  who 
accom])anied  William  the  Conqueror  to  England 
and  received  for  his  services  lands  and  the  Ix)rdship 
of  Churchill,  from  whom  the  family  of  Churchill  is 
descended.  John  Churcliill,  the  eighteenth  genera- 
tion from  Ciitto  de  l.eon,  was  one  of  the  grantees 
of  the  Plymouth  (!!olony ;  his  descendant,  Ephraim 
Churchill,  fought  in  the  Revolution  and  received  as 
a  pension  fne  hundred  and  sixty  acres  of  land  in 
Roxbury,  Massachusetts,  and  one-half  an  acre  in  the 
city  of  I'oston  where  the  post-office  now  stands.  It 
was  the  daughter  of  Ephraim,  Mary  Churchill,  who 
married  David  Flint  the  grandfather  of  the  subject 
of  the  present  sketch.  The  Flints  are  of  old  Eng- 
lish stock  and  settled  in  ("oucord  in  i6j8,  going 
to  Yarmouth,  Nova  Scotia,  about  1771.  Captain 
William  Flint  (our  subject's  father)  was  killed  while 
leading  his  troops  into  action  in  the  "Crater" 
before  Petersbvirg  in  1864.  Mr.  Flint  was  just  en- 
tering Nichols  Latin  School,  Lewiston,  Maine,  at  the 
time.  He  was  graduated  from  Bates  College,  Lewis- 
ton,  Maine,  in  187  I,  .Salutatorian  of  his  class.  Im- 
mediately after  graduation  be  became  Principal  of 
Francestown  Academy,  Francestown,  New  Hamp- 
shire, where  he  remained  two  years,  when  he  ac- 
cepted the  principalship  of  the  Lebanon  Academy 
at  West  Lebanon,  Maine.  He  was  obliged  to  resign 
this  position  on  account  of  illness,  but  was  able  to 
acceiH  another  in  the  Bath  High  School  in  1874 
which  he  held  for  a  short  period,  until  he  was 
elected  principal  of  the  CoUinsville  High  School 
April  1874,  which  position  he  still  holds.  In  this 
school  he  has  fitted  for  college  students  of  both 
sexes  ;  Williams,  .Amherst,  Brown,  Bates,  Yale,  Wes- 
leyan.  Union,  University  of  New  York,  Cornell, 
Vassar,  Smith,  Wellesley,  and  Mt.  Holyoke  all  being 


2l6 


MEN   OF   PROGRESS. 


represented.  He  holds  many  responsible  positions. 
In  the  Congregational  Church  he  is  a  deacon  and 
also  Superintendent  of  the  Sunday  School.  He  is 
Chairman  of  the  Collinsville  Ecclesiastical  Society's 
Committee  and  President  of  the  Law  and  Order 
League.  In  1892  he  was  elected  President  of  the 
Collinsville  Savings  Bank  which  position  he  still 
holds.  He  was  initiated  into  the  full  rights  of 
Masonry,  Free  and  Accepted  Masons,  in  Village 
Lodge  No.  29,  Collinsville,  in  1882.  In  politics  he 
has  been  a  Republican  since  Grant's  first  Presi- 
dential Campaign  in  1868.  Mr.  Flint  was  married 
January  30,   1873,  to  Mary  Elizabeth  Monteith  of 


GEORGE   W.   FLINT. 


Barnet,  Vermont.  To  them  have  been  born  the 
following  children  :  William  Ruthven,  born  April  12, 
1875;  Harry  Monteith,  born  July  28,  1880;  and 
Georgiana  Elizabeth  Flint,  born  September  8,  1882. 


FORD,  General  George  Hare,  one  of  New 
Haven's  most  notable  merchants  and  business  men, 
a  man  influential  in  many  departments  of  the  cor- 
porate life  of  the  city,  a  gentleman  tracing  his 
ancestry  by  direct  descent  to  men  who  were 
among  the  founders  of  Massachusetts  Bay  and  New 
Haven  colonies,  a  member  and  Director  of  many 
incorporated    institutions    and    President     of    the 


Chamber  of  Commerce  of  New  Haven,  and  a  num- 
ber of  influential  public  and  private  institutions,  is 
the  subject  of  this  sketch,  a  man  highly  respected 
for  his  personal  character,  marked  business  ability 
and  for  an  unwearying  public  spirit,  that  has  left  its 
beneficial  impress  already  upon  the  beautiful  city 
which  during  his  business  life  has  been  his  home. 
General  Ford  was  born  in  Milford,  Connecticut,  in 
1848,  of  pure  New  England  stock  on  both  branches 
of  his  ancestral  tree,  a  descendant  of  Thomas  Ford, 
Sr.,  who  came  to  New  England's  shores  in  the 
Mary  and  John  in  1632,  a  member  of  the  Massachu- 
setts Bay  Colony  and  settled  first  in  Dorchester, 
Massachusetts,  and  later  being  one  of  the  original 
settlers  of  Windsor  in  1633,  he  soon  being  elevated 
to  a  high  official  position  in  the  colony,  occupying 
the  post  of  Deputy  under  its  first  governor,  John 
Haynes.  His  son,  Thomas  Ford,  Jr.,  was  one  of 
the  original  founders  of  the  town  of  Milford,  settling 
there  in  1639,  and  General  Ford's  family  line  is 
brought  down  direct  from  Thomas  Ford,  Sr.,  through 
(i)  Thomas  Ford,  Jr.,  (2)  John  Ford,  (3)  John 
Ford,  (4)  Thomas  Ford,  (5)  Harvey  Ford,  (6) 
Merritt,  General  Ford's  father,  who  died  in  1888. 
On  his  mother's  side.  General  Ford  is  a  direct 
descendant  of  Thomas  Tibbals  who  came  to  New 
England  on  the  True  Love  in  1635.  Thomas  Tib- 
bals won  honor  and  renown  for  his  invaluable  ser- 
vices rendered  the  brave  Captain  John  Mason  in 
the  celebrated  war  of  the  struggling  Colonists  with 
the  Pequots,  being  honored  therefor  with  a  special 
grant  of  land  from  the  colony,  located  in  what  is 
now  the  town  of  Milford.  He  with  Peter  Prudden 
and  forty-two  other  heads  of  families  under  their 
direction  located  on  this  land  which  was  situate  on 
the  banks  of  the  Wepowaug  river  in  Milford,  where  a 
tablet  is  erected  to  his  memory  by  the  town.  Gen- 
eral Ford,  directly  after  graduating  from  the  Milford 
High  School,  began  his  business  career  with  New 
Haven's  then  leading  jeweler,  the  late  Everard 
Benjamin,  one  of  the  most  noted  old-time  mer- 
chants of  New  Haven,  and  noted  for  the  purity  and 
excellence  of  his  personal  character.  General  Ford 
rose  rapidly,  early  displaying  the  business  capacity, 
foresight,  tact  and  enterprise  which  have  ever  dis- 
tinguished his  business  career  and  won  for  him  a 
high  place  in  the  annals  of  our  prominent  and  lead- 
ing New  Haven  merchants  and  men  of  affairs.  At 
the  early  age  of  twenty-one,  such  w-as  his  usefulness 
and  aptitude  for  business  and  his  success,  that  he 
was  associated  by  Mr.  Benjamin  in  partnership  in 
this   old    established   mercantile  house,  which  was 


MEN   OF   PROGRESS. 


217 


founded  in  183 1.     In   1873,  upon  the  death  of  Mr. 
Benjamin,  General  Ford  became  sole  jjroprielor  of 
the   business,  which    under  his  guiding  hand   and 
rare  administrative  ability  has  greatly  surpassed  its 
former  dimensions  and  attained  a  fame  which  has 
far    exceeded    the    confines   of    Connecticut,    the 
house    being  known  as  one  of  the  most  successful 
in  the  country  as  manufacturers  of  gold  and  silver 
and  importers  of   artistic  wares.     In    recent  years 
he    became    the  owner    of    the  F'ord    building    in 
which  his    business    is    located  and  which  he  had 
notably  enlarged  and  improved,  and  upon  the  com- 
pletion of  this  work  the  business  was  merged  into  a 
joint   stock   partnership  and  still  further  enlarged, 
new  departments  being   added    nntil   it   is    now  a 
suitable  art  as  well  as   a  model  jewelry  emporium 
of    large    size    and    importance,    the    upper    floors 
of  the  building  being   occupied  for   manufacturing 
purposes  with  show  rooms  and  offices  on  the  lower 
floors.     During  the  past  ten  years  General  Ford  has 
travelled  extensively  in  the  Old  World,  and  in  his 
various  pleasure  trips  abroad,  added  extensively  to 
his  private  collection  of  antiquities  and  curios  and 
has  become  one  of  Connecticut's  largest  importers 
from    foreign    markets.     He    has   also   one   of  the 
finest    collections   of    rare    old   Colonial   books  in 
Connecticut.     General    Ford's    wife,   a   lady  most 
estimable  and   a  most  devoted  wife  and  friend,  is 
prominent  in   New  Haven's  social  life   and  chari- 
table work,  and  is  a  daughter  of  the  late  Hon.  John 
Calhoun   Lewis  of  Terryville,  who  was  Speaker  of 
Connecticut's  House    of    Representatives  in   1849, 
and  who  was  a  brother  of  the  late  Hon.  Henry  G. 
Lewis,  who  for  many  years  most  ably  and  notably 
served  New  Haven  as   its  Mayor.     General  Ford 
was  honored  with  an  election  to  membership  in  the 
New  Haven  Grays  in  1865  ;  was  in  1871  appointed 
Commissary-General  of  the  state  on  the  staff  of  the 
late  and  much  lamented  Ex-Governor  Bigelow,  and 
fills  with  eminent  success  the  following  positions  : 
President    of    the    George    H.    Ford    Company; 
President  of  the  Grilley  Company,  manufacturers  of 
screws,  saddlery  and  casket  hardware  ;  a  Director  of 
the  Merchants   National  Bank ;  President  of  New 
Haven's  Chamber  of  Commerce,  the  oldest  cham- 
ber of  commerce  but  one  in  the  United  States ;  a 
trustee  of  the  New  Haven  Orphan  Asylum  ;  a  trus- 
tee of  the  New  Haven  Yacht  Club  ;  member  of  the 
Society  of  the  Sons  of  the  Revolution ;  hereditary 
member  of  the  Society  of  Colonial  Wars  ;  President 
of   the  Quinnipiack    Club,    New    Haven's    leading 
social    club ;    and    President    of    the    Connecticut 


Jewelers  and  Opticians  Association  by  successive 
electors.  Recently  he  was  chosen  for  the  second 
time  President  of  the  Chamber  of  Commerce,  of 
New  Haven,  his  administration  of  the  affairs  of  the 
chamber  being  notably  successful  and  the  progres- 
siveness  and  public  spiritedness  of  that  body  being, 
under  his  leadership  and  aided  by  his  colleagues, 
phenomenally  brilliant  and  the  accessions  to  its 
membership  among  the  greatest  in  its  history. 
Through  General  I'ord's  energetic  work  and  that  of 
his  respective  colleagues  important  legislative  action 
has  been  procured  for  the  benefit  of  the  Chamber 
of  Commerce  and  for  the  protection  of  the  public 


GEORGE    H,    FORD. 

against  fraud  by  the  enaction  of  the  law  requiring 
the  proper  stamping  of  gold  and  silver  ware  to 
attest  its  genuineness  and  real  standard  of  value. 
General  Ford  has  devoted  largely  and  generously 
his  time  for  the  benefit  of  the  public,  and  for  the 
furtherance  and  support  of  charitable  institutions. 
His  friends  are  legion,  and  upon  the  walls  of  his 
sanctum  sanctorum  at  his  beautiful  store,  are  to  be 
seen  photos  of  nearly  all  of  New  Haven's  most 
famous  men  of  today,  and  various  others  of  men 
from  other  cities,  all  of  whom  are  among  his  ]ier- 
sonal  friends.  General  Ford  is  singularly  happy 
and  fortunate  in  his  physical  endowments  and  vigor, 
in  his  great   capacity  for  business   and    executive 


2l8 


MEN   OF   PROGRESS. 


talent,  who  is  surrounding  himself  with  warm 
(riends  among  the  young  men  of  note  and  also 
among  the  seniors  in  age  and  counsel.  He  is  a 
warm  and  devoted  friend,  an  honest  opponent, 
strong  and  firm  in  his  convictions,  yet  ever  open  to 
the  challenge  of  friendly  criticism  or  debate,  honest 
and  sincere  in  defence  of  his  cherished  opinions,  a 
staunch  Republican  in  politics,  yet  deferential  to 
the  honest  differing  views  of  others.  He  has  made 
a  record  as  a  merchant  and  ii\iblic-spirited  man 
that  does  him  and  his  city  honor,  and  that  reflects 
renewed  credit  upon  his  honored  ancestry,  and  last 
but  not  least  among  his  distinguished  qualities  are 
his  sterling  qualities  of  head  and  heart,  that  win  for 
him  the  standard  friendship  and  the  warmest  regard 
of  his  fellow  citizens. 


years.  Young  Gold  prepared  for  college  at  the 
Goshen  Academy  and  was  graduated  from  Yale  in 
1S38.  He  followed  up  his  college  course  with 
studies  in  natural  history  and  medicine  and  for  a 
while  taught  school  at  Goshen  and  at  VVaterbury. 
He  finally  chose  farming  as  a  business  and  settled 
upon  the  old  homestead  at  West  Cornwall,  widely 
known  as  the  Cream  Hill  Farm.  The  property  has 
never  changed  hands  except  by  inheritance,  and 
was  originally  cleared  from  the  forest  by  Mr.  Gold's 
ancestor,  James  Douglas.  Mr.  Gold  was  among 
the  promoters  of  the  Connecticut  Agricultural  Soci- 
ety in  1850  and  has  been  always  connected  with  it 


GOLD,   Theodore    Sedgwick,    West    Cornwall, 
Connecticut,   Farmer   and   Secretary   of   the   Con- 
necticut Board  of  Agriculture  and  the  Storrs  Agri- 
cultural College,  was  born  at  Madison,  New  York, 
March  2,  181 8,  son  of  Dr.  Samuel  Wadsworth  and 
Phebe  (Cleveland)  Gold.     He  comes  of  good  old 
Colonial  stock,  and   traces  his  descent  from  well- 
known  New  England  families,  such  as  Wadsworth, 
Sedgwick,  Cleveland,  Talcott  and  Douglas.     Major 
Nathan  Gold,  of  Fairfield,  and   Lieutenant-Colonel 
John   Talcott,  of    Hartford,  were  of   the   nineteen 
named  in  the  Charter  of  Connecticut  from  Charles 
n.     Major   Nathan  Gold  was  a  prominent  public 
man  and  an  assistant   or  member  of   the    Council 
from  1657  to  1694,  the  date  of  his  death.     His  son 
Nathan    Gold   succeeded    him   as    Assistant   from 
1694  to  1723,  the  latter  serving  also  as  Lieutenant- 
Governor  from   1708  to  1723.     Nathan  Gold,  Jr  , 
married   Hannah,   daughter  of   Lieutenant-Colonel 
John  Talcott.     Their  son  was  the  Reverend  Heze- 
kiah  Gold,  of  Stratford,  Harvard  17 19,  whose  son 
was  the  Reverend  Hezekiah  Gold,  Yale  1751,  and 
pastor  of   the  Congregational  Church  in  Cornwall 
from  1755  to  1787.     The  latter's  first  wife  was  Sarah 
Sedgwick  of  Cornwall,  the  mother  of  four  sons,  the 
youngest,  Hezekiah,  a  farmer  in  Cornwall,  his  only 
son,  Dr.  Samuel  W.  Gold,  the  father  of  the  subject 
of   this  sketch,  graduated  from  Williams   in  18 14. 
He   returned   from   Madison,  New  York,  the  year 
after  his  son's  birth  and  practiced  his  profession  at 
Goshen  and  Cornwall.     On  retiring  from  practice, 
in  connection  with  his  son  he  established  on  the 
ancestral  farm  the  Cream  Hill  Agricultural  School, 
which  was  successfully  carried   on  for   twenty-four 


T.    S.   GOLD. 

in  some  official  capacity.  The  society  held  its  first 
fair  in  1854,  and  early  employed  Professor  S.  W. 
Johnson  to  analyze  commercial  fertilizers,  which 
work  was  continued  until  the  establishment  of  the 
Agricultural  Experiment  Station.  The  Connecticut 
Board  of  Agriculture  was  established  in  1866  and 
Mr.  Gold  has  been  its  efficient  Secretary  from  the 
beginning.  The  Agricultural  Experiment  Station 
began  work  in  1875  at  Wesleyan  University  under 
charge  of  Professor  W.  O.  Atwater,  but  in  1877  was 
established  at  New  Haven,  Professor  Johnson, 
Director.  From  its  commencement  Mr.  Gold  has 
been  a  member  of  the  Board  of  Control  of  the  Sta- 
tion.    From  1856  to  1861  he  was  one  of  the  editors 


MEN    OK    TROCRESS. 


219 


of  The  Homestead,  an  agricultural  iiaper  published 
at  Hartford  by  Colonel  Mason  C.  U'eld.  From 
1864  to  1874  he  was  Secretary  of  the  Connecticut 
Soldiers  Oqilian  Home  located  at  Mansfield.  In 
1S7S  Mr.  Gold  published  the  History  of  Cornwall, 
much  of  tlie  material  having  been  collected  by  his 
father.  He  was  one  of  the  original  trustees  of  the 
Storrs  Agricultural  -School  at  Mansfield  which  was 
established  by  the  Legislature  of  18S1  and  was 
made  a  college  in  1893,  and  has  been  its  Secretary 
since  1883.  He  is  also  one  of  the  trustees  of  the 
Storrs  Experiment  Station.  After  the  revival  of 
the  Connecticut  Crange  in  1885,  Mr.  (iold  was  for 
four  years  its  Treasurer.  He  is  also  Vice-President 
of  the  Connecticut  Historical  Society  and  a  mem- 
ber of  many  scientific  and  patriotic  associations. 
Mr.  Gold's  ])olitical  affiliations  are  with  tiie  Repub- 
licans but  he  has  never  sought  office.  His  time 
and  abilities  ha\e  been  generously  given  to  the 
furtherance  of  the  much  neglected  science  of  agri- 
culture. The  farmers  of  Connecticut  owe  him 
much  for  his  intelligent  efforts  in  their  belialf,  and 
he  is  widely  recognized  as  a  standard  authority  on 
agricultural  subjects,  and  a  frequent  contributor  to 
agricultural  ])a]iers.  He  has  made  a  special  study 
of  fruit  culture  and  on  Iiis  Cream  Hill  Farm  takes 
pride  in  pointing  out  an  apple-tree  still  in  bearing, 
that  was  planted  by  his  great-great-grandmother, 
Sarah  (Douglas)  Wadsworth,  one  hundred  and  fifty 
years  ago.  Mr.  Gold  has  been  twice  married.  His 
first  wife  was  Caroline  E.  Lockwood,  to  whom  he 
was  married  September  13,  1843,  and  who  died 
April  25,  1857.  Five  children,  all  daughters,  were 
the  issue  of  this  marriage  :  Eleanor  Douglas,  wife  of 
Charles  H.  Hubbard,  Vale  1867,  of  Hartford  City, 
Indiana;  Mary  F^lizabeth,  born  February  2,  1847, 
died  July  11,  1857;  Emily  Sedgwick,  born  January 
31,  1849,  died  April  2,  1858;  Rebecca  Cleveland, 
born  July  29,  1851,  wife  of  Samuel  M.  Cornell  of 
Guilford ;  and  Caroline  Simons,  born  October  3, 
1855,  wife  of  William  F.  Gibson  of  San  Francisco, 
California.  Mr.  Gold's  second  wife  was  Mrs. 
Emma  (Tracy)  Baldwin  who  descended  from  Lieu- 
tenant-Colonel John  Talcott,  to  whom  he  was  mar- 
ried April  4,  1859.  Four  children  have  been  born 
to  them  :  Alice  Tracy,  born  January  14,  i860,  mar- 
ried in  1887  to  Franz  LHrich  von  Puttkamer,  of 
Washington,  D.  C,  deceased  December  13,  1890; 
Martha  Wadsworth,  born  July  20,  1861,  wife  of 
Colin  Daniel  Morgan,  of  Montreal,  Canada  ;  Charles 
Lockwood,  born  April  14,  1863,  Yale  S.  S.  S.,  1883, 
and  still  on    the  farm  ;  and    James  Douglas  Gold, 


born  November  5,  1S66,  Vale  S.  S.  S.,  1S8S,  and 
New  N'ork  Medical  College  iS9i,nowa  ]ihysician 
at  liridgciiort,  Connecticut. 


(5(X)DR1('1 1,  AurmR  I/ifis,  Treasurer  of  the 
Hartford  Courant  Company,  was  born  in  Hartford, 
May  16,  1849.  H'^  parents  were  James  and  Jean- 
nette  (Skinner)  Goodrich.  He  is  the  sixth  gener- 
ation removed  from  William  Goodrich  who  was 
born  in  tiie  County  Suffolk,  England,  and  was  one 
of  the  early  settlers  of  Wethersficld,  Connecticut. 
The  family  name  has  always  been  prominent  in  the 


A     L.   GOODRICH. 

State.  William  Goodrich's  wife  was  Sarah  Martin 
of  the  neighboring  town  of  Hartford,  whom  he  mar- 
ried in  1648.  The  date  of  his  death  was  1676. 
Arthur  Louis  Goodrich,  the  subject  of  this  sketch, 
was  educated  in  the  Hartford  High  School,  where 
the  training  is  equal  to  that  of  many  colleges.  On 
leaving  the  High  School,  though  only  fourteen 
years  of  age,  he  entered  at  once  into  active  business 
life.  His  first  position  was  with  the  large  wholesale 
drug  firm  of  Lee,  Sisson  &  Company,  of  Hartford, 
where  he  remained  eight  years  and  gave  early  indi- 
cation of  the  qualities  of  frankness,  whole-hearted- 
ness  and  shrewd  discernment  that  were  to  stand 
him  in  such  good  stead  in  the  future  and  to  make 


2  20 


MKN    OF    PROGRESS. 


him  so   many   friends.    On   March    13,    1871,   he 
entered    the   business  department  of  the  Hartford 
Courant,  where  he  has  remained  ever  since,  becom- 
ing one  of  the  owners,  a  Director,  and  the  Treasurer 
since  January  i,  1S92.     His  sound  judgment,  his 
care  for  details  and  his   progressiveness,   together 
with  his  kindly  manner,  have  contributed  largely  to 
the  remarkable  success  of  the  paper  since  he  has 
been  connected  with  it.     The  one  thing  outside  of 
business  in  which  he  has  taken  a  special  interest  is 
militar)'  affairs.     Calculated  by  physique  and  tem- 
perament to  make  a  good  soldier,   he   served   for 
twenty-one    years    in     the    Connecticut    National 
Guard,  being  now  on  the  retired  list  with  the  rank 
of  Brigadier-General.     His  first  enlistment  was  on 
.■\pril  6,  1S66,  in  Battery  D,  known  as  the  Hartford 
City  Guard.     This  battery  may  be  called  the  found- 
ation rock  of  the  present  splendid  First  Regiment 
of  the   Connecticut   Guard,   an    infantry   regiment 
which,  however,  long  clung  to  the  artillery  style  of 
uniform  of  old  Battery  D  of  glorious  record.     The 
battery  became  Company  F  of  the  Regiment  and 
has  always  maintained  its  high  position.     General 
Goodrich  served  through  the  various  non-commis- 
sioned  grades  and  held  commissions  in  the  First 
Regiment  as  Adjutant,  Major  and   Lieutenant-Colo- 
nel, from  which  last-named   position    he    was   ap- 
pointed Quartermaster-General  with  rank  of  Briga- 
dier-General  on   the  staff  of    Henry  B.   Harrison, 
Governor    of    Connecticut    from     18S5     to    1887. 
While  General  Goodrich  has  never  sought  political 
office,  he  has  always  been  interested  in  the  success 
of  the  Republican  party.     He  married  Emma  Caro- 
line   Root  of  Westfield,  Massachusetts,  September 
II.  '87«- 

H.AMMOND,  Allen  Park,  Treasurer  of  the 
New  England  Company,  Rockville,  was  born  in 
Vernon,  Connecticut,  June  24,  1835,  son  of  Allen 
and  Orra  (Park)  Hammond.  The  family  dates  its 
origin  from  England  in  the  year  1066,  its  Norman 
progenitor  having  been  a  follower  of  William  the 
Conqueror,  and  its  American  ancestor,  who  arrived 
in  New  England  in  1636,  settled  in  Hingham, 
Massachusetts.  At  a  later  date  some  of  the  family 
moved  from  Hingham  to  Bolton,  Connecticut,  being 
among  the  original  proprietors  of  that  town,  and 
Elijah  Hammond,  the  grandfather,  located  in  Ver- 
non. Allen  Park  Hammond  attended  the  public 
schools  of  Rockville,  a  private  school  in  Ellington, 
and  completed  his  studies  at  a  polytechnic  school. 
His  business  training  was  begun  in  the  New  England 


Mills,  in  which  he  worked  four  years  for  the  purpose 
of  acquiring  a  practical  knowledge  of  the  business  ; 
and  he  then  entered  the  office,  where  he  became 
familiar  with  the  financial  department  under  the 
direction  of  his  father,  who  was  'Preasurer  of  the 
concern  from  1837  to  1864.  When  the  present 
company  was  organized  (1879),  he  was  elected 
'Preasurer,  a  position  for  which  he  was  superabun- 
dantly qualified  both  by  ability  and  experience,  and 
he  has  since  been  retained  at  the  head  of  the  finan- 
cial department.  He  is  President  of  the  Rockville 
National  15ank,  the  Water  and  Aqueduct  Company, 
and  the  Rockville  Building  and  Loan  Association;  a 


A.   PARK  HAMMOND. 

Director  of  the  Rockville  Railroad  and  the  Fire 
Insurance  Company.  Mr.  Hammond  was  elected 
to  the  City  Council  for  three  years  m  1894,  was  a 
member  of  the  Board  of  Aldermen  in  1S95-96, 
Representative  to  the  Legislature  in  1869,  and  in 
politics  is  a  Republican.  He  is  connected  with  the 
Masonic  Order,  being  a  Knight  Templar,  a  mem- 
ber of  Washington  Commandery  No.  i,  and  is  also 
a  member  of  the  Army  and  Navy  Club  of  Connecti- 
cut and  Burpee  Post  Grand  Army  of  the  Republic. 
He  served  during  the  rebellion  as  Captain  of  Com- 
pany D.  Fourteenth  Regiment  Connecticut  Volun- 
teers. The  first  of  his  two  marriages  was  contracted 
December  7,   1S59,  with  Lois  Cone  Bissell.    They 


.Mi:\  1)1 


im<(jc;ress. 


321 


had  three  children  :  Allen,  George  liissell  and  John  where  he  remained  from  1857  to  18S1,  for  ten  or 
Park  Hammond,  deceased.  On  August  27,  1873,  twelve  years  as  clerk  and  afterwards  as  Treasurer  or 
he    married    for    his  seconii  wife,  Augusta    Sophia      Agent  of   the  Company.     He  accepted  his  present 


Bissell. 


JAMES,     Heri'.krt     I.i.kwti.i.yn,     Manufacturer, 
Rockville,   was    horn    in   \\'illington,    Connecticut, 


H.    L.  JAMES. 

January  13,  1842,  son  of  I^lisha  Benjamin  and  Mary 
Ann  (Thomas)  James.  His  father  was  born  in 
Union,  Connecticut,  in  1814  and  his  mother  at 
Willington  in  the  same  year.  His  great-great- 
grandfather, Benjamin  James,  came  from  England 
in  1665  and  settled  on  Prudence  Island  in  Narra- 
gansett  Bay,  Rhode  Island.  Benjamin  James,  his 
son,  settled  in  Ashford,  Connecticut ;  Pjenjamin 
James,  third  of  the  name  and  grandfather  of  the 
subject  of  this  sketch,  lived  in  Union,  Connecticut, 
was  born  in  177 1,  and  died  in  1848.  On  the 
maternal  side  his  great-great-grandfather  was  Ben- 
jamin Thomas  who  came  from  Wales  in  Creat 
Britain,  in  16S0.  His  great-grandfather  was  also 
Benjamin  and  his  grandfather  Rowland  G.  Thomas. 
Herbert  L.  James  received  his  education  at  the 
Bacon  Academy  at  Colchester,  Connecticut,  and  in 
the  High  Schools  of  Middletown  and  Rockville, 
Connecticut.  His  business  career  began  with  his 
employment   in    the  Florence    Mills   at    I^ockville, 


position  as  Treasurer  of  the  Rock  Manufacturing 
Company,  .April  i,  1881.  He  is  a  Director  in  the 
First  National  Bank  and  the  Savings  Bank  of  Rock- 
ville, a  Director  in  the  Rockville  Water  &  .Aqueduct 
Company,  and  {'resident  of  the  Rockville  Railroad 
Company.  In  jiolitics  he  has  been  a  Republican 
since  he  first  became  a  voter.  He  was  married 
October  10,  1865,  to  Ann  Francis  Leavitt,  who 
(lied  February  10,  1890.  'I'hey  had  three  children  : 
Howard  Kellogg  James,  born  July  20,  1867,  and 
two  daughters  who  died  in  infancy.  He  was  again 
married,  March  24,  1896,  to  I'llla  Reed  Cruttenden 
(nee  Reed). 

I'AIGI',,  .Ai.i.AV  Wai.i.ack,  I.awyer,  and  E.\- 
Speaker  of  the  Connecticut  House  of  Representa- 
tives, Bridgeport,  was  born  in  Sherman,  Connecticut, 


ALLAN    W.    PAIGE. 

February  28,  1854.  He  comes  of  good  old  New 
England  stock,  and  is  the  son  of  John  O.  and  Cor- 
nelia (Joyce)  Paige.  He  first  attended  the  common 
schools  of  his  native  town,  and  was  next  a  student 
at  the  Russell  Collegiate  and  Commercial  Institute 
at  New  Haven,  after  which  he  attended  the  Hopkins 
Grammar  School   in  the  same  city.     He  graduated 


MEN    OF    I'ROGRESS. 


from  the  Vale  Law  School  in  1881.  He  settled  at 
Bridgeport,  and  his  subseiiuent  career  has  been  that 
of  a  successful  lawyer,  with  well  deserved  political 
honors  that  have  followed  as  the  logical  sequence 
of  his  abilities  and  the  esteem  of  his  fellow  citizens. 
Politically  he  is  a  staunch  Republican,  and  has 
been  for  many  years  a  member  of  the  Republican 
State  Central  Committee.  Mr.  Paige  was  chosen 
Assistant  Clerk  of  the  Connecticut  House  of  Repre- 
sentatives in  1SS3,  and  was  regularly  advanced  to 
the  [losition  of  Clerk  of  the  House  in  1884,  and 
Clerk  of  the  Senate  in  1885.  He  was  elected  Rep- 
resentative from  his  native  town,  Sherman,  in  1882, 
and  from  the  town  of  Huntington  in  1890.  During 
the  latter  session,  the  famous  dead-lock  session,  he 
served  with  great  distinction  as  Speaker  of  the 
House.  He  is  a  member  of  the  Union  League 
Club  of  New  York,  and  of  nearly  all  the  local  socie- 
ties and  clubs  of  Bridgejiort.  Mr.  Paige  was  mar- 
ried November  15,  1 886,  to  Elizabeth  D.  Downs, 
of  Huntington.  They  have  two  children,  Marian 
D.  and  .Mine  E.  Paige. 


PICKETT,  James  .Andrew,  Ex-Mayor  of  New 
Britain,  was  born  in  New  Milford,  Connecticut, 
March  9,  1829,  son  of  Albert  and  Mary  R.  (Roberts) 
Pickett.  He  received  his  early  education  in  the 
public  schools  of  his  native  town  and  in  private 
schools  in  Bridgeport,  Connecticut.  The  subject 
of  this  sketch  came  to  New  Britain  in  185 1,  and 
accepted  a  position  as  bookkeeper  in  the  office  of 
A.  North  &  Son,  manufacturers  of  saddlery  hard- 
ware. In  1855,  ^Ir-  Pickett,  jointly  with  L.  F. 
Judd,  bought  a  half  interest  in  the  establishment 
now  known  as  the  North  &  Judd  Manufacturing 
Company,  and  for  twenty  years  held  the  position  of 
Treasurer  of  the  company.  In  1876,  he  was  elected 
President  of  the  large  and  well-known  cutlery  and 
hardware  manufacturing  company.  Landers,  Frary 
&  Clark,  which  responsible  office  he  held  until  his 
resignation  in  i88g.  For  many  years,  Mr.  Pickett 
was  Vice-President  and  Director  of  the  Shelby  Iron 
Works  in  Alabama,  Vice-President  and  Director  of 
the  New  Britain  National  Bank,  and  also  President 
of  the  Union  Manufacturing  Company,  another 
important  hardware  firm.  Today  Mr.  Pickett  is  a 
Director  in  the  Mechanics'  National  Bank,  the 
Russell  and  Erwin  Manufacturing  Company,  the 
New  Britain  Savings  Bank,  the  American  Hosiery 
Company,  and  the  Stanley  Rule  and  Level  Company. 


The  holding  of  these  various  important  financial 
posts  is  an  indication  of  Mr.  Pickett's  standing  as 
an  able  and  successful  man  of  business  and  shaper 
of  mercantile  and  manufacturing  interests.  But 
they  by  no  means  stand  for  the  full  statement  of  his 
activity.  He  has  also  been  one  of  his  city's  most 
influential  citizens  in  all  matters  of  reform  and 
imi)rovement,  and  has  occupied  leading  positions. 
When  the  sewerage  system  was  adopted  in  New 
Britain,  he  was  appointed  one  of  the  Sewer  Com- 
missioners, and  held  the  office  for  eight  years.  He 
has  been  both  Town  Assessor  and  City  .Auditor,  and 
in    1883-84-S5    was    successively  elected    Mayor. 


JAMES  A.  PICKETT. 

He  represented  the  town  in  the  State  Legislature 
in  1884,  and  was  Chairman  of  the  Committee 
on  Insurance  on  the  part  of  the  House.  He  is  a 
prominent  member  of  the  Centre  Church  in  New 
Britain,  and  has  been  conspicuous  for  his  unosten- 
tatious charity  there  and  through  general  social 
channels.  In  the  civic  and  other  offices  held  by 
Mr.  Pickett,  he  has  won  high  regard  in  his  own 
community  as  a  representative  citizen.  Personally 
he  is  modest  and  most  lovable  in  character.  Few 
New  Britain  men  have  a  more  honored  place  than 
he,  whether  in  public  estimation  or  private  social 
life.     Mr.  Pickett  has  been  twice  married  ;  in  1857, 


MKN    OK    I'ROGRKSS. 


22 ' 


to  Caroline  ¥..  Stanley,  by  whom  he  had  one 
daughter,  Anna,  now  Mrs.  Rockwell,  of  Enfield, 
Connecticut;  and  in  November  13,  1878,  to  Emma 
C.  Lawrence. 


IIICKS,  C.MTAiN  luA  EiiwARD,  of  Ncw  Britain, 
Treasurer  and  Manager  of  the  Central  New  Eng- 
land Brick  lv\change,  also  Past  Junior  National 
Commander-in-Chief  of  the  (Irand  Army  of  the 
Republic,  and  Past  Department  Coumiander,  De- 
partment of  Connecticut,  was  born  at  Rehoboth, 
Bristol  county,  Massachusetts,  September  22,  1840. 


IRA   E.   HICKS. 

He  is  the  son  of  Ira  Warren  and  Mary  (Martin) 
Hicks.  The  family  trace  their  line  back  to  Ellis 
Hicks,  knighted  by  the  l]lack  Prince  for  bravery  at 
the  battle  of  Poictiers.  The  first  ancestor  in  this 
country  was  Thomas  Hicks,  of  Scituate,  Massachii- 
setts,  who  came  from  London  to  Plymouth,  Massa- 
chusetts, in  1621  in  the  ship  Fortune.  Ephraim 
Hicks  went  to  Rehoboth,  Massachusetts,  in  1712. 
His  son  James  died  in  1780,  the  latter's  son  James 
in  1840,  and  Ira  W.  Hicks,  the  father  of  the  subject 
of  this  sketch,  in  1841.  Young  Hicks  was  sent  to 
the  public  schools  of  his  native  town,  and  was  grad- 
uated from  Bristol  Academy.     After  graduation   he 


was  in  the  Taunton,  Massachusetts,  Post-office  for 
lour  years,  then  moved  to  Bridgeport,  Connecticut, 
and  there  engaged  in  manufacturing.  At  the  com- 
mencement of  the  War,  he  left  a  prosperous  busi- 
ness and  on  September  9,  1861,  enlisted  in  Com- 
pany I,  Seventh  Regiment  Connecticut  X'olunteers, 
Colonel  Terry,  afterwards  General  Terry,  in  com- 
mand. He  was  api)ointed  Second  Lieutenant  and 
was  mustered  into  the  service  four  days  after  enlist- 
ment. He  was  promoted  First  Lieutenant  March 
I,  1863,  and  continued  with  his  regiment  until 
near  the  close  of  the  \\'ar,  participating  in  all  its 
battles  and  sieges,  twenty-two  in  number.  He  was 
wounded  at  the  battle  of  James  Island,  South  Caro- 
lina, June  16,  1862.  At  the  battle  of  Morris  Island, 
he  was  acting  Adjutant  when  four  comjjanies  of  his 
regiment  led  the  assault  on  Fort  Wagner,  July  11, 
1863.  Of  the  two  hundred  and  eight  men  and 
eleven  officers  who  went  into  the  engagement,  only 
seventy-three  men  and  four  officers  escaped.  Lieu- 
tenant Hicks  one  of  the  four.  After  this  battle 
General  Strong  appointed  him  Provost-Marshal  of 
the  Island,  commanding  the  balance  of  the  detach- 
ment. In  1864  the  regiment  was  ordered  to  Fort- 
ress Monroe  to  take  part  in  the  attack  upon  Rich- 
mond. Lieutenant  Hicks  was  ordered  to  report  to 
General  Berney,  commanding  the  Tenth  Army 
Corps,  and  he  remained  upon  his  staff  until  General 
Berney's  death.  The  latter,  in  recognition  of  the 
services  rendered  by  Lieutenant  Hicks  at  the  Battle 
of  Deep  Bottom,  recommended  him  for  promotion 
in  the  regular  army.  But  his  health  whicii  had  be- 
come impaired  by  his  wounds  prevented  his  accept- 
ance. After  receiving  promotion  as  Captain  of 
Infantry  he  was  mustered  out  December  4,  1864. 
Captain  Hicks  is  one  of  the  charter  members  of 
Stanley  Post,  Grand  .Army  of  the  Republic,  and  has 
held  the  office  of  Commander  of  the  Post  for  four 
terms.  He  was  also  Commander  of  the  Grand 
Army  of  the  Republic  of  the  Department  of  Con- 
necticut, and  Junior  Commander-in-Chief  of  the 
Grand  :\rmy  of  the  Republic  of  the  United  States. 
He  was  a])pointed  Postmaster  of  New  Britain  by 
President  Harrison  in  1889,  and  has  also  served  as 
Alderman,  Councilman  and  Assessor  of  the  city. 
He  has  been  Superintendent  of  the  New  Britain 
.Malleable  Inm  \\'orks,  and  at  the  present  time  is 
the  capable  Treasurer  and  Manager  of  the  Central 
New  iMigland  Brick  Exchange.  For  twenty-five 
years  he  has  been  a  vestryman  of  St.  Mark's  Church. 
Captain  Hicks  is  a  Free  Mason  and  a  member  of 
the  Ni'w  Tirilain  Club.     In  politics  he  is  a  staunch 


224 


MEN   OF   PROGRKSS. 


Republican  His  wife's  maiden  name  is  Margaret 
Klizabeth  Adams,  to  wiiom  he  was  married  Septem- 
ber 14,  1S60.  Two  daughters  have  been  born  to 
them  :  Margaret  and  Lydia  Hicks. 


RAIIEL,  Andrew,  President  of  the  l^ridgeport 
Traction  Company,  Bridgeport,  was  born  in  Newark, 
New  Jersey,  March  2,  1862.  He  comes  of  sturdy 
German  parentage  and  is  the  son  of  John  and  Cath- 
erine (Brueckner)  Radel.  His  father  was  at  first  a 
grocer,  but  subsequently  made  a  brilliant  record  as 
an  operator  in  street  railways.     He  was  a  man  of 


ANDREW    RADEL. 

great  force  of  character,  remarkable  foresight  and 
well  rounded  abilities.  Young  Radel  received  a 
common  school  education,  finishing  with  a  two-years 
course  at  St.  Benedict's  College.  When  he  was 
sbcteen  years  old  his  father  purchased  from  Eugene 
Kelly  &  Company,  the  Newark  and  South  Orange 
Horse  Railway.  The  road  was  then  for  the  third 
time  in  the  hands  of  a  receiver  and  the  wise-acres 
shook  their  heads  at  this  purchase  by  the  German 
grocer  of  this  "streak  of  rust,"  as  it  was  derisively 
called.  The  road  consisted  of  four  miles  of  track, 
four  regular  cars  and  an  equipment  of  sixty-eight 
poor  horses,  from  which,  without  making  a  cash 
payment,   the  elder  Radel  agreed  to  pay  $35,000 


within  ten  years,  giving  real   estate  as   security  for 
the  same.     The  shrewd  business   foresight  of  this 
purchase  was  soon  demonstrated,  and  though  sur- 
rounded by  powerful  rivals  the  Newark  and  South 
Orange  Company  soon  secured  the  right  to  build  a 
four-mile   extension  into   the  centre   of  the   city's 
trafific,  before  its  competitors  had  realized  what  had 
been  done.     Andrew  Radel    had    entire  charge  of 
this  road,  and  so  successful   was  his  management 
that  in  seven  years  the  purchase  price   had  been 
paid,    many    improvements     made    and    the    road 
placed  on  a  handsome    dividend  paying  basis.     In 
1892  the  road  was  sold  for  one  million  and  a  half 
dollars  to  a  syndicate  of  which   Mr.  Radel  was  the 
leading  member.     In  the  autumn  of  the  same  year 
the  road  was  equipped  with  electricity.     Mr.  Radel 
supervised    the   construction    and  thus   gained  for 
himself  an  enviable  reputation  as  a  thorough  and 
competent  railway  contractor.     He  still  retains  his 
position  as  Superintendent  of  the  company.      He  is 
also  a  Director   and    Vice-President   of   the    New 
Brunswick,  New  Jersey  Traction  Company.     This 
company  was  organized  by  Mr.  Radel,  his  father, 
brother,  and   Judge    Krueger   of    the    New    Jersey 
Supreme    Court  being   associated  with   him.     Mr. 
Radel  first  came  to  Bridgeport  in  order  to   super- 
vise the  changing  of  the  Bridgeport  Horse  Railway 
into  an  electric  system.     So  impressed  was  he  by 
the   opportunities  offered  by  the  city    that  he  has 
made  Bridgeport  his  permanent  residence  and  has 
become   one   of    the   city's   most    prominent   and 
respected  citizens.     As  President  of  the  Bridgeport 
Traction  Company  he  occupies  a  most  important 
position,  and  the  development  of  this  enterprise  into 
one  of  the  most  progressive  and  prominent  electric 
systems  of  this  country  is  largely  one  of  his  execu- 
tive force  and  distinguished  abilities.     The  Bridge- 
port Traction  Company  originated  in  a  consolida- 
tion of  the  Bridgeport  Horse  Railway  Company  and 
the  East  End  Railway  Company.     This  important 
consolidation  was  accomplished  through  Mr.  Radel's 
efforts  and  he  was  also  organizer  and  President  of 
the  Shelton  Street  Railway  Company.     Mr.  Radel 
is  not  a  politician.     In  1889  he  was,  however,  elected 
a  Democratic  Alderman  of  Newark,  in  one  of  the 
strongest  Republican  wards.     His  business  required 
him  to  decline  a  renomination.     He  is  a  member 
of  the  Jefferson  Club  and  Joel  Parker  Association  of 
Newark,  the  Transportation  Club  of  New  York,  and 
in    Bridgeport  of   the  Algonquin,  Seaside,  Seaside 
Outing,   Camp    Woodbine    and    Bridgeport   Yacht 
clubs.     Mr.    Radel    was    married    December    29, 


MKN    OK    I'ROC.RKSS. 


225 


1892,  to  Miss  Rena  J.  Berg.  They  have  two  chil- 
dren :  Andrew  Radel,  Jr.,  and  Margaret  Catiierinc 
Radel. 


RICHARDS,  Fr.wcis  Hf.nrv,  Mechanical  Engi- 
neer, Hartford,  was  born  in  New  Hartford,  Litch- 
field county,  October  20,  1850,  son  of  Henry  and 
Maria  S.  (Whiting)  Richards.  He  is  a  direct  de- 
scendant of  Thomas  Richards  who  came  from  Eng- 
land and  settled  in  Hartford  prior  to  1637.  On 
the  maternal  side  he  is  seventh  in  descent  from 
William  Whiting,  a  merchant  whose  name  is  men- 
tioned in  the  histories  of  this  country  as  early  as 
1632,  and  who  was  chosen  treasurer  of  the  Con- 
necticut Colony  in  1641,  retaining  the  office  for  life, 
his  son  Joseph  being  elected  to  succeed  him  at  his 
death.  Joseph's  son  John  served  in  the  same  capac 
ity  when  his  father,  after  thirty-nine  years  of  duty, 
died,  and  John  himself  held  the  same  ])ost  but 
seven  years  less  than  his  predecessor.  Such  a 
notable  ancestral  record  is  well  worthy  of  preserva- 
tion and  is  interesting,  not  alone  as  an  evidence  of 
the  esteem  in  which  the  family  was  held  in  earlier 
years,  but  as  a  significant  testimony  to  the  superior 
inherited  endowment  of  the  subject  of  this  sketch. 
To  quote  from  an  article  in  Cassier's  Magazine  of 
May  1896:  "Descended  from  a  race  of  .'Xmerican 
farmer-mechanics,  he  exemplifies  in  a  marked  de- 
gree that  self-reliant  spirit  of  the  early  American  pio- 
neers, who  never  hesitated  to  attempt  what  needed 
to  be  done.  .  .  .  Mr.  Ricliards'  inventive  genius 
was,  in  a  large  part,  inherited  from  his  ancestors 
who  taught  and  practiced  the  theory  that  a  farmer 
should  always  be  able  to  make  his  own  tools.  At 
the  early  age  of  fifteen  he  liegan  building  machinery 
of  his  own  invention,  and  has  been  actively  engaged 
in  the  development  of  mechanical  industries  since 
that  time."  Mr.  Richards  spent  his  earlier  years, 
in  part,  in  the  home  of  his  grandfather.  Marquis 
Richards,  on  the  ancestral  estate  established  by  his 
great-great-grandfather,  Aaron  Richards,  during  the 
war  of  the  Revolution.  His  school  life  began  at 
New  Haven  whither  his  father,  Henry  Richards,  re- 
moved with  the  family  in  1855,  and  where  Francis 
attended  the  then  celebrated  "  Eaton "  graded 
school.  The  eight  years  following  1857  were  spent 
on  his  father's  farm  near  Rakersville  in  New  Hart- 
ford, where  the  boy  gave  his  attention  to  agricul- 
ture during  the  summer,  and  to  his  books  during 
the  winter  seasons.  He  first  attended  the  village 
school,  later  the  Academy  and  supplemented  these 
ordinary  advantages  by  energetic  study  with  a  pri- 


vate tutor,  in  .April  1S65,  the  family  removed  to 
New  jiritain  where  for  a  few  months  he  attended 
the  High  .School,  but  the  following  year,  being 
offered  the  choice  of  a  course  in  a  technical  col- 
lege or  an  immediate  introduction  to  the  more 
practical  methods  of  the  machinist's  trade,  he 
uniiesitatingly  declared  for  the  latter  and  therewith 
began  his  mechanical  and  inventive  career  in  the 
factories  of  the  Stanley  Rule  and  Level  Company, 
under  the  supervision  of  his  father,  an  ingenious 
mechanic  and  inventor  in  charge  of  the  machinery 
department  of  the  extensive  establishment.  Here, 
by   ]iersistent   work    and  systematic  study  e.xtend- 


FRANCIS   H.    RICHARDS. 

ing  over  a  period  of  eight  years,  he  acquired 
both  a  practical  and  a  theoretical  knowledge  of  the 
trades  of  machine  building,  wood  working,  forg- 
ing and  all  their  allied  branches.  During  this 
time,  also,  he  made  frequent  extended  tours 
throughout  the  county  for  the  purjiose  of  critically 
observing  machinery  and  manufacture,  and,  begin- 
ning the  study  of  patent  law,  was  soon  able  to  satis- 
factorily and  successfully  bring  out  and  operate 
numerous  inventions  of  his  own  in  the  shape  of 
labor-saving  machines.  Since  18S2  Mr.  Richards' 
business  associations  have  been  in  Hartford,  prin- 
cipally with  the  Pratt  &  ^Vhitney  Company  with 
which  he  was  identified  from    1S83  to  1886.     He 


226 


MEN   OF    PROGRESS. 


only  retired  from  this  connection  to   establish   an 
office  of  his  own  in  the  same  city.    The  indexes  of 
the  United  States  I'atent  Office  show  that,  up  to  the 
present  writing,  over  five   hundred   patents  of  his 
own  inventions  have  been  issued  to  him,  thus  rank- 
ing him  second  in  the  list  of  American  Patentees 
(he  is  foremost  in  the  list  of  his  own  state).     In 
addition  to  these  he  has  invented  a  great  many 
valuable  machines  and  devices  for   which    he   has 
never  applied  for  a  patent.     Among  his  inventions 
may  be   mentioned   an    envelope   machine,  which 
prints,  folds,   gums,  counts  and  bands,  automati- 
cally,  eighty   thousand   letter   envelopes   per  day, 
greatly  exceeding  any  other  machine  in  its  capacity, 
.^mong  his  more  noteworthy  recent  inventions  is  a 
new  automatic  weighing  machine,  which  is  rapidly 
coming  into  general  use  for  a  wide  range  of  pur- 
poses.   This  machine  is  of  the  single  bucket  class, 
very  sensitive  in  action  and  rapid  in  operation.     An 
important   feature   is    the   system   of    interlocking 
safety  stops,  modelled  upon  the  well-known  block 
signal  system,  by  which  the  operation  of  the  valve 
and  bucket  mechanisms  is  made  positive  and  re- 
liable  under   all   conditions,   thereby  attaining   an 
object  not  previously  reached  in  this  class  of  weigh- 
ing machinery.    This  machine  is  used  for  weighing 
and  registering  all  kinds  of  granular  materials.     Mr. 
Richards  also,  in  1873,  invented  and  patented  the 
fundamental  features  of  the  air-cushion  door-springs 
that  have  since  come  into  such  general  use.     He 
has  been  among  the  foremost  in  developing  manu- 
facturing enterprises  based  upon  patents,  and,  dur- 
ing his  connection  with  manufacturing,  has  worked 
in   all   capacities,  from   apprentice   to   supervising 
engineer  and  proprietor.      In  his  business  career 
he  ranks  among  the  ablest,  and  is  recognized  as 
one  of  the  most  reliable  mechanical  engineers  of 
the  day.     He  has  been  unusually  successful  in  his 
business  which  consists  in  developing  and  patenting 
mechanical  improvements  and  inventions,  and  he  is 
consulting  engineer  and  adviser  for  several  manu- 
facturers of  the  United  States.     In  1889,  in  com- 
pany with  his  wife,  he  visited  Paris,  France,  as  a 
member  oT  a  touring  party  of  American  engineers, 
including  scientific  men  representing  all  the  leading 
industries  of  America.     Mr.  Richards  is  essentially 
a  man  of  progress,  interested  in  all  that  pertains  to 
the  development  of  his  profession  and  to  the  im- 
provement of  its  resources.      It  has  been  demon- 
strated that  he  is  possessed  of  unusual  power  of 
intellect,  having  not  alone  the  fine  ingenuity  of  the 
inventor,  but  the  instinct  of  business  of  enterprise 


as  well.  These  two  in  combination  place  him 
among  the  most  successful  and  conspicuous  men  of 
note  in  the  East  and  he  is  easily  one  of  our  fore- 
most authorities  in  his  particular  line.  Mr.  Richards 
conducts  in  Hartford  and  New  York  extensive  engi- 
neering and  patent  offices,  employing  a  large  corps  of 
assistants.  As  a  solicitor  of  patents  and  expert  in 
patent  cases  he  has  made  it  his  aim,  and  has  suc- 
ceeded in  his  determination,  to  attain  the  highest 
position.  He  has  been  a  member  of  the  American 
Society  of  Mechanical  Engineers  since  its  organiza- 
tion in  1 88 1.  He  is  also  a  member  of  the  Civil 
Engineers'  Club  of  Cleveland,  Ohio,  the  Engineers' 
Club  of  New  York  city  and  the  American  Associa- 
tion of  Inventors  and  Manufacturers.  In  January 
1897,  he  succeeded  Dr.  Richard  J.  Catling,  of  Gat- 
ling  Gun  fame,  as  President  of  the  American  Asso- 
ciation of  Inventors  and  Manufacturers.  Mr. 
Richards  was  married  in  October  18S7  to  Mrs. 
Clara  V.  Dole  (ne'e  Blasdale),  of  Springfield, 
Massachusetts 

STANTON,  Lewis  Eliot,  Lawyer,  Hartford,  was 
born  in  Clinton,  Middlesex  county,  Connecticut, 
son  of  John  and  Caroline  (Eliot)  Stanton.  His 
father  was  a  prosperous  country  merchant  of  that 
place.  His  grandfather  came  from  Rhode  Island, 
but  he  was  a  descendant  of  Thomas  Stanton,  one  of 
the  founders  of  Hartford  whose  name  appears  on 
the  monument  in  the  Centre  Church  burying-ground, 
though  he  is  interred  in  Stonington.  His  mother 
was  also  of  Clinton,  and  on  the  maternal  side  he  is 
descended  from  Rev.  John  Eliot  who  came  to  Rox- 
bury,  Massachusetts,  in  1663,  and  later  preached  in 
Natick  of  the  same  state.  Mr.  Stanton  acquired 
his  early  education  at  the  village  school  of  his  birth- 
place, in  the  schools  of  Norwich,  and  later  prepared 
for  college  at  the  Bacon  Academy,  in  Colchester. 
He  entered  Y'ale  in  1851  and  at  once  applied  him- 
self with  diligence  to  his  studies,  proving  an  apt  and 
conscientious  student  and  taking  various  prizes  for 
ability  in  debate,  and  was  subsequently  graduated 
with  honor  in  a  distinguished  class.  But  his  course 
of  study  did  not  end  with  the  four  years  at  the  uni- 
versity. After  leaving  college  he  returned  to  his 
books  with  determination,  having  decided  to  make 
the  law  his  profession.  But  while  preparing  for  the 
bar  he  accepted  the  position  of  teacher  at  the  Shaw 
Academy  in  East  Cleveland,  Ohio,  where  he  re- 
mained for  nearly  a  year.  In  July  1856  his  health 
became  impaired  and  he  was  forced  to  relinquish 
his   school,  which  he  did  with  much  regret.     But 


MF.N   <n 


KOC.RKSS. 


227 


his  own  studies  were  not  interrupted,  and  a  year 
later,  in  May  1857,  he  entered  tlie  Vale  Law  Scliool 
and  received  legal  instruction  from  Governor  Henry 
Dutton  and  Professor  Thomas  B.  Osborne.  In 
February  1S59  he  entered  the  law  office  of  Joliii  S. 
Reach,  of  New  Ha\en,  where  lie  remained  until  his 
admission  to  the  Kar  in  that  city  in  Ajiril  1S59,  nut 
returning  to  his  home  until  November  of  the  same 
year,  and  then  locating  in  Norwich  where  he  at- 
tended school  as  a  boy.  Mr.  Stanton  remained  in 
Norwich  until  Se])tcmber  9,  1865,  being  assistant 
clerk  of  the  Superior  Court  of  New  London  county 
from  June  1863  to  July  1864,  and  recorder  of  the 
city  of  Norwich  from  July  1S64  to  the  time  of  his 
departure.  He  then  went  to  Hartford  and  formed 
a  law  partnershiji  witli  John  C.  Day  which  was  main- 
tained for  six  years,  when  the  firm  was  dissohed 
and  Mr.  Stanton  continued  the  practice  in  his  own 
name.  In  1870  he  was  appointed  assistant  to 
LTnited  States  Attorney,  Calvin  G.  Child,  and 
attended  to  the  federal  business  of  Hartford  county 
serving  under  attorneys  Child  and  Daniel  Chad- 
wick.  On  the  death  of  Mr.  Chadwick  in  1884,  he 
was  appointed  L'nited  States  Attorney  for  the  dis- 
trict of  Connecticut,  his  commission,  which  was 
dated  December  19,  being  signed  by  President 
Arthur.  For  over  three  years,  until  .April  1S88,  he 
continued  in  that  office,  serving  the  government  in 
all  for  a  period  of  seventeen  years,  and  being  en- 
gaged in  trying  criminal  and  civil  cases  for  the 
LTnited  States,  wherein  he  gained  more  than  ordi- 
nary experience.  Since  that  time  Mr.  Stanton  has 
devoted  his  time  to  civil  cases  and  the  law  of  cor- 
porations. The  Hartford  Post  says  of  Mr.  Stan- 
ton :  "  He  inherited  a  strong  memory  and  a  natural 
gift  for  public  speaking,  and  much  of  his  success  has 
been  due  to  his  facility  of  expression,  coupled  with 
hard  work  and  a  remarkable  scholarship.  During 
the  early  years  of  his  practice  he  was  fond  of  stump 
speaking  and  did  a  great  deal  of  it  in  eastern  Con- 
necticut, making  speeches  in  all  campaigns,  both 
state  and  national,  from  i860  to  1870.  One  of  the 
memorable  events  of  his  early  career  in  Norwich 
was  when  Abraham  Lincoln  came  there  and  made 
his  great  speech,  soon  after  the  famous  contest  with 
Douglas  for  the  Illinois  senatorship.  The  next 
morning  Mr.  Stanton  sought  a  long  interview, 
which,  to  his  great  delight,  Lincoln  gave  him.  In 
that  conversation  the  Illinois  statesman  repeated 
what  he  had  said  in  public :  '  ^'oung  man,  this 
country  cannot  remain  half  slave  and  half  free. 
Slavery  will  be  abolished  or  it  will  extend  over  the 


country."  Soon  after  that,  Mr.  Stanton  said  on 
the  stmnp  that  .Abraham  Lincoln  exhibited  such 
im(loubte<l  genius  that  it  would  not  be  at  all  sur- 
prising to  see  him  President  of  the  United  States. 
He  was  nominated  at  the  next  convention.  In 
politics  Mr.  Stanton  has  always  been  a  staunch 
Republican.  He  has  never  run  for  office  but  once 
and  has  no  fondness  for  it,  though  taking  a  great 
interest  in  the  welfare  of  his  party.  In  the  fall  of 
1880  he  was  nominated  for  the  House  of  Represen- 
tatives and  was  electeil,  and  nia<le  House  Chairman 
of  the  Judiciary  Committee  with  his  classmate, 
Lyman    1).  Brewster,  Senate    Chairman.     In    1871 


LEWIS    E.    STANPON. 

the  Morgan  School,  a  magnificent  charity,  was 
established  in  Clinton.  Afterward  the  grounds 
were  decorated  with  statues  and  Mr.  Stanton  was 
called  ujjon  for  a  speech.  His  subject  was  upon 
the  wealth  of  Connecticut,  and  he  gave  facts  and 
statistics  at  great  length,  asserting  that  this  wonder- 
ful advance  was  due  really  to  the  education  of  the 
people,  and  that  if  any  state  desires  to  be  rich  it 
must  first  educate  the  young.  The  latter  remark 
is  significant  and  characteristic  of  the  man,  who  is  a 
constant  reader  and  student.  Mr.  Stanton  is  a  mem- 
ber of  the  Centre  Church  and  is  deeply  interested  in 
its  prosperity.  "He  leads  [to  quote  the  Post  once 
more]  a  quiet  domestic  life.     He  is  fond  of_hard 


228 


MEN    OF   PROGRESS. 


work  and  eminently  satisfied  with  his  profession." 
He  has  delivered  many  lectures  upon  literary  and 
historical  subjects  anil  is  altogether  a  man  of  un- 
usual gifts  and  peculiar  s.agacity.  His  own  personal 
character,  and  the  eminence  he  has  won  in  his  pro- 
fession, place  him  in  the  front  rank  of  the  country's 
notable  men,  and  he  holds  an  enviable  position  in 
his  immediate  community,  being  esteemed  and 
honored  as  a  man  of  strict  integrity  and  sterling 
scholarship. 

S^HTH,  Oi.ivEK  Cotton,  M.    D.,  of    Hartford, 
was  born  in  Hartford,  Connecticut,  November  29, 
1859,   son   of   William    B.   and   Virginia    (Thrall) 
Smith.     His  ancestry   is   of  the  best  Connecticut 
families.     His  father  was  for  more  than  forty  years 
an  active  business  man  of  Hartford,  his  later  years 
being  devoted  to  the  management  of  his  stock  farm 
and  particularly  to  the  breeding  of  fine  horses.    He 
was  a  man  beloved  for  his  benevolent  spirit,   his 
sterling  integrity  and  love    of  truth.     His  mother 
was  educated  at  the  Hartford  Female  Seminary  and 
Mt.  Holyoke  College.     She  was  for  sixteen  years 
the  City  Missionary  of  Hartford,  and  is  distinguished 
among  the  most  enlightened  philanthropists  of  the 
day      As   a  boy    Dr.   Smith  attended    Hartford's 
West    Middle   Grammar  School   and  Public  High 
School,  and  later  took  a  course  in  Hannura's  Busi- 
ness  College.      At   the   age   of   nineteen   he   was 
prostrated  by  a  serious  illness,  and  during  his  con- 
valescence  he    was   encouraged  by  Dr.  James  H. 
Waterman  to  begin  the   study   of   medicine.     He 
soon  after  entered  the  ofifice  of  Dr.  Waterman,  of 
Westfield,  Massachusetts,  remaining  there  eighteen 
months.     In    1880   he   entered    the    Long    Island 
Medical  College  and  was  graduated  on  the  roll  of 
honor,  standing  third    in   a   class  of   eighty   men, 
taking  the  Atkinson  prize,  and  being  President  of 
his  class.     The  second  year  of  his  course  he  won 
the  position  of  Ambulance  Surgeon,  in  a  competi- 
tive examination   before    the    Brooklyn    Board   of 
Health,  serving  one  year.     In  his  second  year  he  was 
substitute  interne  on  the  staff  of  the  Long  Island 
Hospital.     During  the  vacation  of  1881  he  sailed 
as  Surgeon  on  the  steamship  City  of  Para  to  Rio 
Janeiro.     Dr.  Smith  began  practice  in  Hartford  in 
1883    in   the    ofifice    of   the   late    Dr.  Jonathan  S. 
Curtis.    He  rapidly  gained  a  large,  general  practice, 
including  surgery  and  obstetrics;  in  the  latter  his 
work  perhaps  exceeds  that  of  any  physician  in  the 
state.     He  is  characterized  by  his  excellent  judg- 
ment,  abundant   resource   and   successful  decisive 


action  in  emergencies.  His  many  appointments 
abundantly  testify  to  the  confidence  placed  in  his 
ability.  He  is  surgeon,  at  Hartford,  of  the  New 
York  &  New  luigland  Railroad  Company,  and  also 
of  the  Consolidated  Railroad  Company ;  a  member 
of  the  surgical  staff  of  St.  Francis  Hospital ;  local 
medical  examiner  for  the  Manhattan  Life  Insurance 
Company  of  New  York ;  as  well  as  for  a  number  of 
other  life  and  accident  insurance  companies.  Dr. 
Smith  is  a  member  of  the  Hartford  City  and  County 
Medical  societies,  the  Connecticut  State  Medical 
Society  and  of  the  American  Medical  Association, 
having  been  called  upon  to  read  several  interesting 


OLIVER  C    SMITH. 

papers  on  important  subjects  before  the  societies. 
He  is  a  Republican  in  politics,  but  his  profession 
has  proved  so  absorbing  that  he  has  never  taken 
active  part  in  that  field.  Dr.  Smith  was  married  in 
1886  to  Clarabel,  the  accomplished  daughter  of  Dr. 
James  H.  Waterman,  of  Westfield.  Her  death 
occurred  in  1896.  The  two  children  (twins,  Oliver 
Harrison  and  Clarabel  Virginia)  born  to  them  in  1887 
are  living.  Dr.  Smith  is  a  member  of  the  Park  Con- 
gregational Church  of  Hartford  and  of  the  local 
Young  Men's  Christian  Association.  He  enjoys  to- 
day a  large  and  growing  practice  and  has  the  respect 
of  the  community  as  an  able  young  physician  and 
a  man  of  modest  bearing  and  high  character. 


MF.N    OF    PROC.RFSS. 


229 


SIMONDS,  Wii.i.iAM  EncAR,  Ex-Congrcssinaii, 
and  Kx-L'nited  States  Commissioner  of  Patents, 
Hartford,  was  born  in  CoUinsville,  Connecticut, 
November  25,  184 1.  His  early  education  was 
obtained  in  his  native  village.  Thrown  upon  his 
own  resources  through  the  death  of  his  father,  he 
went  to  work  at  the  age  of  seventeen  in  the  shops 
of  the  Collins  Company.  Out  of  the  small  wages 
received  for  his  services  he  managed  h>  save  enough 
to  allow  him  to  attend  the  Connecticut  State  Nor- 
mal School  at  New  Britain  where  he  was  graduated 
in  i860.  He  taught  school  for  two  years,  and  in 
August  1862  enlisted  as  a  private  in  Company  .V 
of  the  Twenty-fifth  Connecticut  Volunteers.  He 
was  soon  advanced  to  the  grade  of  Sergeant-Major, 
and  at  the  battle  of  Irish  Hend,  Louisiana,  April 
14,  1863,  was  i)romoted  Lieutenant  of  Company  I 
for  "gallantry  on  the  field,"  in  which  action  the 
regiment  performed  the  difficult  feat  of  forming  a 
regimental  line  under  fire.  Lieutenant  Simondswas 
mustered  out  with  his  regiment  August  26,  1863, 
and  on  the  next  day  was  entered  as  a  student  in  the 
Vale  Law  School,  where  he  was  graduated  in  1865. 
He  began  the  practice  of  law  at  Hartford,  January 
8,  1865,  and  has  there  built  up  a  most  lucrative 
and  successful  practice.  He  has  confined  himself 
to  patent  and  trade-mark  law  and  in  that  branch  is 
widely  recognized  as  one  of  the  most  eminent  author- 
ities in  this  country.  His  practice  is  drawn  from 
all  parts  of  the  United  States  and  he  is  counsel  for 
many  of  the  most  important  cases  on  the  docket  of 
the  United  States  Supreme  Court,  as  well  as  the 
Circuit  Courts  of  the  United  States  in  the  Northern, 
Southern  and  Eastern  states.  Besides  a  large  niun- 
ber  of  magazine  articles  and  memorial  addresses  he 
is  the  author  of  the  following  books  which  are 
regarded  as  standards  by  the  legal  profession  :  "  Law 
of  Design  Patents,"  1874  ;  "  Digest  of  Patent  Office 
Decisions,"  1880  ;  "  Summary  of  Patent  Law,"  18S3  ; 
and  "  Digest  of  Patent  Cases,"  1888.  Mr.  Simonds 
has  also  contributed  several  noteworthy  addresses 
and  essays  on  the  subject  of  agriculttire  and  political 
economy,  in  which  he  displays  the  same  compre- 
hensive grasp  of  his  subject  which  characterizes  his 
writings  on  patent  law.  He  has  been  a  Trustee  of 
Storrs  Agricultural  College  since  1885,  and  of  kite 
years  its  presiding  officer.  Mr.  Simonds  was  a 
member  of  the  Connecticut  Legislature  of  1883, 
when  he  served  as  chairman  of  the  Committee  on 
Railroads.  He  at  once  took  rank  as  a  leader  in 
the  House  and  was  the  originator  of  the  short-hand 
railroad  statute,  the  Ijill  for  the  elimination  of  rail- 


road grade  crossings  and  a  bill  for  the  purification 
of  the  caucus.  On  his  re-election  to  the  Legislature 
in  1885  he  was  the  unanimous  choice  of  the  Rejiubli- 
can  party  for  the  jjosition  of  Speaker,  which  office 
he  filled  with  the  utmost  ini])artiality  and  to  the 
satisfaction  of  members  of  both  i)arties.  Mr. 
Simonds  has  continued  to  take  an  interest  in  Con- 
necticut legislation ;  the  oleomargarine  and  pure 
vinegar  laws  were  enacted  into  laws  precisely  in 
the  sha])e  in  which  they  came  from  his  pen,  and 
he  was  also  the  author  of  the  first  corrupt  practices 
act  introduced  into  the  Legislature.  His  election 
in  1888  as  a  member  of  Congress  from  the   First 


W.   E.    SIMONDS. 

District  was  the  logical  se(iucnce  of  his  career 
as  a  state  legislator.  He  was  elected  over  the 
Democratic  sitting  member,  and  marked  his  con- 
gressional service  by  procuring  the  passage  of  the 
copyright  law  which  had  been  unsuccessfully  agi- 
tated in  various  congresses  ever  since  the  days  of 
Henry  Clay.  F"or  this  service  the  government  of 
b' ranee  made  him  in  1891  Chevalier  of  the  Legion 
of  Honor.  Mr.  Simonds  during  this  session  also 
did  valiant  work  for  the  Connecticut  farmers  in  pro- 
tecting their  interests  in  the  tobacco  schedule  of  the 
McKinley  tarriff.  He  was  unanimously  re-nomi- 
nated for  a  second  term  in  1S90  but  was  defeated 
in  the  overwhelming  Democratic  land-slide  of  that 


230 


MEN   OF    PROGRESS. 


year.  He  was  appointed  Commissioner  of  Patents 
by  President  Harrison  in  1891,  and  served  until 
after  the  expiration  of  President  Harrison's  term  in 
1893.  Soon  after  his  nomination  he  ordered  the 
issue  of  the  famous  Berliner  patent  which  had  been 
peniling  for  fourteen  years.  Since  his  retirement 
from  the  patent  office  commissionership  he  has 
continued  in  the  active  practice  of  patent  law. 
From  18S4  to  1894  he  was  lecturer  on  fraternal 
law  at  the  Yale  Law  School,  from  which  university 
he  received  the  honorary  degree  of  M.  A.  in  1890. 
During  his  residence  at  Washington  he  was  also  a 
lecturer  on  the  same  subject  in  the  Columbia  Uni- 
versity of  Washington.  He  was  married  October 
17,  1877,  to  Sarah  J.  Mills,  daughter  of  Honorable 
Addison  C.  Mills,  of  Canton,  Connecticut.  He 
has  had  three  children,  only  one  at  present  surviving, 
Caspar  Simonds. 


SMITH,  James  Dickinson,  of  Stamford  and  New 
York,  was  born  in  Exeter,  New  Hampshire,  Nov- 
ember 24,  1832,  son  of  Reverend  John  and  Esther 
Mary  (Woodruff)  Smith.  He  is  of  the  seventh 
generation  in  direct  descent  from  Lieutenant  Sam- 
uel Smith  who  with  his  wife  Elizabeth  arrived  at 
Watertown,  Massachusetts,  in  1634,  and  in  1635 
moved  to  the  Connecticut  River,  where  he  founded 
Wethersfield,  Connecticut,  removing  in  1659  to 
Massachusetts  and  founding  the  town  of  Hadley. 
The  subject  of  this  sketch  received  an  academic 
education,  and  gained  his  early  experience  in  prac- 
tical business  as  clerk  in  a  country  store  at  Ridge- 
field,  Connecticut.  From  1847  to  1862  he  was 
engaged  in  the  drygoods  business  in  New  York. 
In  1863  he  became  a  stockbroker  and  has  ever 
since  been  actively  engaged  in  that  business,  which 
at  present  he  carries  on  under  the  firm  name  of 
James  D.  Smith  &  Company.  Mr.  Smith  has  a 
national  and  international  reputation  as  a  yachts- 
man, and  is  best  known  all  over  the  world  as  Com- 
modore James  D.  Smith.  He  has  been  for  the 
last  twelve  years  Chairman  of  the  America  Cup 
Committee  of  the  New  York  Yacht  Club,  during 
which  time  the  sloops  Mayflower,  Volunteer,  Vigi- 
lant and  Defender  have  held  the  cup  in  Amer- 
ica against  English  challenges.  Mr.  Smith  was 
Treasurer  of  the  State  of  Connecticut  in  1882, 
served  as  Representative  to  the  Connecticut  Legis- 
lature in  1 88 1,  and  in  1894-97  inclusive  was  Presi- 
dent of  the  City  Council  of  Stamford.  He  was 
President  of   the    New   York    Stock   Exchange   in 


1885-86,  and  is  President  of  the  Woodlawn  Ceme- 
tery Association  of  New  York  at  the  present  time. 
Me  was  also  for  six  years  President  of  the  New 
York  Club,  was  Commodore  of  the  New  York  Yacht 
Club  in  1882-83,  is  a  member  of  the  Union 
League,  New  York  and  Players'  clubs  of  New  York, 
the  Stamford  Yacht  Club  and  Suburban  Club  of 
Stamford,  and  the  Sons  of  the  American  Revolu- 
tion. Whether  as  broker,  yachtsman  or  social 
figure,  Commodore  Smith  is  one  of  the  well-known 
Americans  whose  name  means  much  and  whose 
achievement  indicates  character  and  ability.  He 
is  a  Republican  in  politics.     He    was    married    in 


JAMES   D.   SMITH. 


1857,  'o  Elizabeth  Henderson,  of  New  York  city. 
They  have  two  sons  and  two  daughters :  Mary, 
Archibald  Henderson,  Helen  Woodruff  and  Dick- 
inson Woodruff  Smith. 


TWEEDY,  Samuel,  of  Tweedy,  Scott  &  Whit- 
tlesey, Attorneys,  Danbury,  was  born  in  Danbury, 
April  21,  1846,  son  of  Edgar  S.  and  Elizabeth  S. 
(Belden)  Tweedy.  He  acquired  his  early  education 
in  the  public  schools  and  private  school  in  Danbury, 
and  prepared  for  college  at  Professor  Olmstead's 
School  in  Wilton,  Connecticut.  Graduating  from 
Yale    College    in    1868,    he   studied    law   and   was 


MEN    Ol''    I'ROC.RKSS. 


231 


admitted  to  the  Bar  at  IViiigeport,  April  22,  1S71, 
since  whicli  time  lie  has  been  engagetl  in  the  active 
practice  of  liis  profession,  lie  was  in  partnership 
under  the  firm  name  of  Brewster  &  Tweedy,  until 
Jtdy  1878,  then  as  anieniber  of  the  firm  of  lirewster, 
Tweedy  &  Scott  until  September  t892,  and  since 
then  as  senior  in  the  firm  of  Tweedy,  Scott  & 
Whittlesey,  a  firm  of  high  standing.  The  family 
name  of  Tweedy  is  one  commanding  universal 
respect  in  Oanbury  and  beyond  it,  and  Samuel 
Tweedy  is  a  worthy  representatixe.  In  politics  he 
is  a  Rei)ublican.     He  was  married  July  16,  1S79,  to 


SAMUEL  TWEEDY. 


Carrie  M.  Krom,  daughter  of  Ira  and  .Ada  M.  Mil- 
ler of  EUenville,  Ulster  county,  New  York.  They 
have  one  child  :  Maude  D.  Tweedy. 


ALLEN,  Jeremi.ah  Mervin,  of  Hartford,  Presi- 
dent of  the  Hartford  Steam  Boiler  Inspection  & 
Insurance  Company,  was  born  at  Enfield,  Connecti- 
cut, May  18,  1833.  His  parents  were  Jeremiah 
V.  and  Emily  (Pease)  Allen,  the  former  of  whom 
was  descended  in  direct  line  from  Samuel  Allen, 
who  settled  in  Cambridge,  Massachusetts,  in  1632. 
The  family  stock  is  sturdily  Puritan,  General  l'"than 
Allen  of  historic  memory  being  one  of  its  distin- 


guished members,  as  were  both  Samuel  and  John 
.Mien  of  Colonial  fame.  In  a  biographical  sketch 
of  Mr.  J.  M.  Allen  this  paragraph  appears:  "A 
taste  for  science  and  mechanics  seems  for  a  long 
jieriod  to  have  been  transmitted  from  father  to  son. 
One  was  an  astronomer  at  a  time  when  the  appear- 
ance of  '  .Mien's  New  England  .Almanac  '  was  wel- 
t:omed  as  a  notable  event  of  the  year.  Another 
was  one  of  the  earliest  in  this  country  to  engage  in 
the  manufacture  of  telescopes  and  microscopes. 
Others  were  contractors  and  builders."  Mr.  Allen 
was  educated  at  the  .Academy  in  Weslfield,  Massa 
chusetts,  and  tlie  profession  toward  which  his  incli- 
nation then  [lointcd  was  that  of  civil  engineer.  He 
was  a  conscientious  and  intelligent  student,  and  on 
completing  his  course  at  the  aforementioned  institu- 
tion turned  at  once  to  teaching,  meanwhile  con- 
tinuing his  own  reading  and  study  and  making  the 
most  of  every  opportunity  for  self-improvement  and 
cultivation.  In  1865  he  was  made  general  agent 
and  adjuster  of  the  Merchants'  Insurance  Company 
of  Hartford,  and  subsequently  he  accepted  a  similar 
position  in  the  Security  Fire  Insurance  Company  of 
New  \'ork,  attending  to  his  duties  with  a  fidelity 
that  attracted  attention  in  insurance  circles.  In 
October  1867  Mr.  .Allen  succeeded  Mr.  E.  C. 
Roberts,  the  temporary  president,  to  the  Presi- 
dency of  the  Hartford  Steam  Boiler  Inspection  & 
Insurance  Company,  an  organization  that  was  in 
anything  but  a  flourishing  condition  at  the  time. 
To  convince  steam  users  of  the  utility  of  the  system, 
he  made  frequent  and  arduous  journeys,  often  trav- 
elling by  night  in  order  to  have  more  time  for  work 
during  the  day.  Says  an  article  concerning  the 
subject :  "  A  change,  complete  and  universal  and 
having  its  sources  in  this  early  missionary  work, 
has  taken  place  since  then.  Regular  inspections 
are  now  regarded  as  hardly  less  indispensable  than 
fuel  and  water.  Mr.  Allen's  methods  are  rigidly 
scientific.  He  has  prepared  many  formulre  that 
e.xpress  with  mathematical  precision  the  rules  of 
construction  and  criticism  constantly  observed. 
Love  of  their  chief,  born  of  fatherly  courtesy  and 
kindness,  explains  in  good  part  the  loyalty  of 
employees  to  the  company.  Outside  of  his  pro- 
fession Mr.  .Allen  has  been  of  great  service  to  the 
public  by  his  skill  in  applying  scientific  principles 
to  practical  affairs.  He  is  often  called  upon  to 
discover  hidden  causes  of  trouble,  and  to  find  a 
remedy.  He  has  written  much  and  delivered 
many  addresses  on  scientific  subjects."  He  holds 
many  positions  of  trust,  being   a    Director  in  the 


2y. 


MEN    OF    PROGRESS. 


Security  Company,  the  Connecticut  River  Banking 
Company,  the  Orient  Insurance  Company  and  the 
Society  (or  Savings.  He  is  Associate  Executor  and 
Trustee  of  the  estates  left  by  John  S.  Welles  and 
Newton  Case,  amounting  together  to  more  than  one 
million  five  hundred  tliousand  dollars,  as  well  as  of 
the  Hartford  Theological  Seminary.  Touching  his 
association  with  the  latter  institution  we  quote  from 
a  sketch  in  a  report  for  1S93  of  the  Secretary  of  the 
Board  of  Trade,  Mr.  P.  H.  Woodward,  one  of  the 
city's  representative  men  :  "  When  the  institution 
first  moved  to  the  city,  it  occupied  rented  quarters 
on    Prospect    street.     It   now   owns    modern    and 


J.    M.   ALLEN. 

spacious  buildings  in  a  choice  location.  Its  finances 
have  improved  correspondingly.  January  18,  1893, 
the  Case  Memorial  Library  was  dedicated,  Mr. 
Allen  delivering  the  historical  address.  .  .  .  The 
building  as  a  whole  and  in  detail  originated  in  the 
brain  of  J.  M.  Allen,  whose  scientific  knowledge  and 
varied  skill  in  handling  force  and  matter  have  found 
embodiment  in  many  diverse  and  widely  scattered 
forms."  When  the  Hartford  Board  of  Trade  was 
organized  in  1888,  he  was  elected  President,  which 
office  he  has  ever  since  honorably  held.  He  is  a 
non-resident  lecturer  of  Sibley  College,  Cornell 
University,  and  a  member  of  several  scientific, 
literary    and     historical     societies,    including    the 


American  Association  for  the  Advancement  of 
Science,  the  American  Association  of  Mechanical 
Engineers,  the  American  Academy  of  Political  and 
Social  Science  (Philadelphia),  the  American  Asso- 
ciation (Washington,  District  of  Columbia),  the 
Connecticut  Historical  Society,  and  numerous  other 
organizations  of  importance  and  standing.  It  will 
be  seen  that  Mr.  Allen  is  a  man  of  rare  force  of 
character  and  intellect,  whose  gifts  are  varied  and 
genuine.  He  is  essentially  progressive,  interested 
in  everything  that  makes  for  improvement  and 
ready  to  lend  his  hand  to  whatever  may  serve  as  an 
opportunity  for  the  furtherance  of  the  public  wel- 
fare. Being  so  heavily  loaded  with  responsibilities 
it  is  not  to  be  wondered  at  that  he  has  preferred  to 
accept  but  few  municipal  offices,  and  has  only  been 
prevailed  upon  so  far  because  he  felt  it  possible  by 
taking  the  reins  himself  to  be  better  able  to  carry 
on  certain  matters  of  public  welfare  in  which  he 
was  deeply  concerned.  Mr.  Allen  was  married 
on  April  10,  1856,  to  Miss  Harriet  Griswold,  daugh- 
ter of  Hermon  C.  Griswold,  Esq.,  of  Ellington, 
Connecticut.  They  have  two  children  :  Elizabeth 
Turner  (wife  of  C.  E.  Roberts,  Manager  of  the 
Northeastern  Department  of  the  Hartford  Steam 
Boiler  Inspection  &  Insurance  Company),  and 
William  Hermon  Allen,  Assistant  Manager,  with 
offices  in  Boston,  Massachusetts. 


ADAMS,  Henry,  Manufacturer,  Rockville,  was 
born  in  Van  Deusenville,  Massachusetts,  May  20, 
I  S3  7,  son  of  Washington  and  Laura  (Seely)  Adams. 
He  is  a  lineal  descendant  of  William  Adams  of 
Ipswich,  Massachusetts,  who  came  from  England 
to  this  country  in  the  early  part  of  1600,  and 
whose  great-great-grandson,  John,  served  his  coun- 
try as  a  soldier  in  the  Revolution  and  his  town 
(Northbridge,  Massachusetts)  as  Selectman  in  the 
year  1781.  An  interesting  little  fact  connected 
with  the  maternal  branch  of  Mr.  Henry  Adams' 
family  is  to  the  effect  that  it  was  his  mother's  fore- 
father, Abraham  Seely  of  North  Haven,  Connecti- 
cut, who  made  the  first  brick  ever  manufactured  in 
the  state.  Another  of  her  forebears  was  Martin 
Hart  of  Farmington,  Connecticut,  a  soldier  of  the 
Revolution.  Mr.  Adams'  training  for  active  life 
was  a  severe  one.  His  father  was  the  proprietor  of 
a  cotton-goods  mill  in  Adams,  Massachusetts,  and 
into  this  he  introduced  his  son,  following  the  latter's 
removal  from  school.  The  boy  rose  every  morning 
at  dawn  in  order  to  begin  his  work  at  five  o'clock, 


MEN    OF    rROGUESS. 


!33 


and  he  was  never  free  to  leave  the  mill  until  eight     tion.     Their    children    were    Harry    I.angdon   and 


at  night  when  his  hours  were  considered  over.  Hut 
despite  (I  had  almost  said  because  of)  these  rigid 
regulations  the  young  man  acquired  a  thorough 
knowledge  of  the  industry  which  has  stood  him  in 
good  stead  since.     After  seven  years'  apprenticeship 


HENRY    ADAMS. 

in  his  father's  mill,  Henry  removed  to  Pittsfield 
where  he  learned  the  m.ichinist's  trade,  going  from 
there  to  Indian  Orchard,  Massachusetts,  to  take  a 
responsible  position  with  the  Indian  Orchard  Com- 
pany, a  cotton- goods  manufacturing  concern,  with 
which  he  remained  for  five  years.  The  enterprise 
upon  which  he  next  ventured  was  the  building  of 
two  mills  in  Housatonic,  Massachusetts,  and  in 
order  to  aid  in  the  erection  of  these  he  repaired  to 
that  place,  leaving  it  in  the  fall  of  1869  for  Rock- 
ville,  Connecticut,  where  he  established  the  Adams 
Manufacturing  Company.  It  was  not  long  before 
he  bought  out  the  above  organization,  running  the 
business  under  his  own  directorship  and  name,  and 
incorporating  it,  in  April  1891,  as  the  Rockville 
Warp  Mills  Company.  In  politics  Mr.  .\dams  is  a 
Republican.  He  was  married  on  January  18,  i86y, 
to  Esther  Davison  Langdon,  daughter  of  Albertus 
Badger  Langdon,  and  a  descendant  of  lieutenant 
Paul  Langdon,  a  soldier  of  the  French  and  Indian 
War  and  of  Captain  Paul  a  soldier  of  the  Revolu- 


Frank  Mark  Adams.  Mrs.  .Adams  died  on  Decem- 
ber 20,  1S95.  He  was  married  a  second  time  June 
22,  1S97,  to  l';dith  S.  (-owan,  of  Brooklyn,  N.  Y. 


DRASTOW,  Lkwis  ORSMONn,  Professor  of  Prac- 
tical Theology  at  the  Yale  Divinity  School,  was  born 
in  Brewer,  Penobscot  county,  Maine,  March  23, 
1834,  son  of  Deodat  and  Eliza  (lilake)  Brastow. 
His  paternal  ancestors  were  English,  while  those  of 
his  mother  were  both  luiglish  and  French,  she  hav- 
ing been  a  descendant  of  the  DuPee  family,  mem- 
bers of  which  served  in  the  .American  Revolution. 
The  i)aternal  grandparents  and  great-gran<lparents 
wcrei)arishioners  of  the  Rev.  Dr.  Nathaniel  Emmons, 
and  the  early  home  of  the  Brastows  and  Blakes  was 
in  Franklin  and  Wrentham,  Massachusetts,  whence 
they  removed  in  the  latter  part  of  the  last  century 
to  ICast  Brewer,  now  Holdcn,  Maine.     Lewis  Ors 


LEWIS  O.   BRASTOW. 

mond  Brastow  fitted  for  college  in  Brewer  and 
Bangor  in  part  under  the  Reverends  Jotham  Sewall, 
late  Head  Master  of  Thayer  .Academy,  and  Horatio 
Q.  Butterfield,  late  President  of  Olivet  College. 
Entering  I'.owdoin  College  in  the  fall  of  1S54,  he 
was  graduated  in  the  summer  of  1857  during  the 
latter  part  of  the   Presidency  of   Leonard    Woods, 


!34 


MEN   OF   PROGRESS. 


and  among  the  instructors  at  that  time  were  :   Pro- 
fessor Roswell  I).  Hitchcock,  suhse.iuently  of  Union 
Theological  Sc-minary;  Charles  C.  Kverett,  now  of 
Harvard  University ;  Joshua  L.  Chamberlain,  after- 
ward   President  of   Bowdoin  College  ;  and  Egbert 
C.  Smyth,  now  of  Andover  Theological  Seminary. 
After  teaching  school  for  three  months  he  entered 
the  Pangor  Theological  Seminary,  from  which   lie 
was  graduated  in  the  class  of  i860,  and  on  January 
10,   1S61,  he  was  installed  as  Pastor  of  the  Soiilh 
Congregational  Church,  St.  Johnsbury,  \ermont,  to 
which   he   had  been  called   while    still    a    student. 
From  September  1862  to  July  1863  he  was  Chap- 
lain of  the  Twelfth  Regiment,  \ermont  ^■olunteer 
Infantry,  and  after  being  connected  with  the  church 
in   St.  Johnsbury  for  nearly  thirteen  years,  he   in 
1873  accepted  a  call  from  the  First  Congregational 
Church,  Burlington,  Vermont,  where  he  continued 
as  pastor  until  June    1884.      The   year   1869   was 
spent  in  study  and  in  travel  through   Europe  and 
Palestine.      In  March   1885   he   was  appointed   by 
the  corporation  of  Yale  University  to  his  present 
Professorship  in  the  Divinity  School,  which  he  has 
filled  with  distinguished  ability.     Professor  Brastow 
was  a  Delegate  to  the  Vermont  Constitutional  Con- 
vention in  1870,  and  Workingmen's  candidate  for 
Representative   to  the  Legislature  the  same  year; 
was  formerly  a  Republican  in  politics  but  now  votes 
independently.     He  is  a  member  of  the  Phi  Beta 
Kappa  and  Alpha    Delta  Phi  college  societies,  of 
various   ecclesiastical   and    philanthropic  organiza- 
tions, and  a  literary  club  in  New  Haven.     Yale  Uni- 
versity conferred  upon  him  the  honorary  degree  of 
M.  A.,  and   Bowdoin  College  that  of   D.  D.     On 
May  15,  1872,  he  married  Martha  Brewster  Ladd  of 
Ramsville,   Ohio.      They   have  three  sons  :  Lewis 
Ladd,  Edward  Thayer  and  George  Blake  Brastow. 


BARNUM,  William  Milo,  Lawyer,  New  York 
city,  was  born  in  Lime  Rock,  Connecticut,  January 
25,  1856,  son  of  William  Henry  and  Charlotte  Ann 
(Burrall)  Barnum.  On  both  sides  he  is  descended 
from  early  settlers,  the  paternal  branch  having 
descended  from  one  of  the  first  of  our  colonists 
who  established  himself  in  or  near  Danbury,  Con- 
necticut. While  upon  the  maternal  side,  Charlotte 
Ann  Burrall  was  a  lineal  descendant  of  the  Hon. 
Governor  Bradford.  Mr.  Barnum  acquired  his  early 
education  at  a  private  school  in  Lime  Rock  and 
prepared  for  college  in  the  same  place.  He  entered 
Yale  with  the  class  of  1877  and  gained  admission  to 


the  Bar  of  New  York  in  June  1879.  During  the 
same  year  he  was  in  attendance  at  the  Columbia 
Law  School  and  received  the  degree  of  LL.  B.  from 
that  institution.  For  six  years  following  his  admis- 
sion to  the  Bar  he  acted  as  law  clerk  in  the  office  of 
Alexander  &  Green  of  New  York  city,  retiring  from 
this  association  to  form,  on  January  i,  1884,  a  part- 
nership with  John  W.  Simpson  and  Thomas  Thacher 
under  the  firm  name  of  Simpson,  Thacher  &  Bar- 
num, an  alliance  which  is  still  maintained.  Mr. 
Barnum  has  been  in  active  practice  in  New  York 
city  since  his   admission  to  the  Bar  and    has  suc- 


W.    M.   BARNUM. 

ceeded  in  establishing  a  reputation  for  thorough 
ability  and  absolute  integrity.  He  counts  among 
his  clients  some  of  the  most  prominent  men  in  the 
city.  Mr.  Barnum  is  a  member  of  the  University, 
Century,  Yale,  University  Athletic,  and  Lawyers' 
clubs  as  well  as  the  American  Historical  Society 
and  the  New  York  City  Bar  Association.  He  does 
not  bind  himself  politically  to  any  blind  partisanship 
but  necessarily  takes  the  sincerest  interest  in  all 
questions  touching  our  civil  or  national  govern- 
ment. He  was  married  June  2,  1879,  to  Miss 
Anne  Theresa  Phelps,  daughter  of  Walter  and 
Eliza  Ann  (Schenck)  Phelps.  They  have  four 
children  :  Laura,  William  Henry,  Walter  and  Phelps 
Barnum. 


MKN    OI-    rROCRRSS. 


235 


BURRAI.L,  George  Beach,  Banker,  of  I.akcvillc, 
Litchfield  county,  Connecticut,  was  born  in  Canaan 
of  the  same  state  on  July  18,  1826.  His  father. 
Captain  Charles  Hurrall,  married  Lucy  Beach  of 
Hartford,  a  descendant  of  (Governor  William  Brad- 
ford, and  iiis  ancestry  on  both  the  maternal  and 
paternal  sides  is  notable  as  recording  the  names  of 
many  who  figured  prominently  in  our  history  of 
early  Colonial  and  Revolutionary  times.  Mr.  Bur- 
rail  was  educated  at  Dr.  Reed's  private  school  in 
Richmond  and  early  entered  upon  what  has  proved 
a  most  successful  business  life.  He  was  a  pioneer 
in  the  field  of   jiocket  cutlery  manufacture  in  this 


GEO.    BEACH    BURRALL. 

country  and  was  for  tliirty  years  Treasurer  of  the 
Holley  Manufacturing  Company  and  its  predecessor 
in  Lakeville.  He  is  a  charter  meml)er  of  the  Salis- 
bury Savings  Society  of  Lakeville,  organized  in 
1848,  and  for  tliirty-six  years  has  been  its  Presi- 
dent. He  is  well  known  in  banking  circles,  and  is 
now  the  senior  partner  in  the  private  banking  firm 
of  Robbins,  Burrall  &  Company,  established  in  1874. 
Mr.  Burrall's  acknowledged  public  spirit  has  won 
for  him  the  esteem  of  his  community  and  tlieir 
appreciation  has  been  evidenced  in  their  selection 
of  him  as  their  candidate  for  many  important  trusts. 
He  has  served  in  various  town  offices  and  has  long 
been    President    of    the    Board    of    Education ;    is 


'I'rustce  and  member  of  the  Cioveming  Board  of  the 
Hotchkiss  Preparatory  School  and  is  also  President 
of  the  Hoard  of  Trustees  of  the  Connecticut  School 
for  Imbeciles.  He  belongs  to  the  Order  of  the 
Sons  of  the  American  Revolution  and  is  a  warm 
advocate  of  all  measures  tending  to  the  cultivation 
of  ])atriotism  in  the  public  mind.  He  takes  an 
active  interest  in  all  rural  im))rovements,  tree-plant- 
ing, water  supply,  good  roads,  etc.,  and  is  ambitious 
for  the  best  good  of  the  community  in  every  direc- 
tion. Politically  Mr.  liurrall  is  a  Republican  and 
is  an  earnest  advocate  of  a  protective  tariff  jwlicy 
that  shall  advance  the  highest  interest  of  American 
labor.  He  is  a  member  of  the  Congregational 
church  and  a  faitiiful  worker  in  its  behalf.  Mr. 
lUirrall  married  Miss  Malinda  Martin  in  1847. 
Tiieir  only  daughter,  Harriet  ICverest,  is  now  the 
wife  of  Thomas  L.  Norton  of  Lakeville.  In  1857 
Mr.  lUirrall  married  Miss  Mary  R.  Bostwick,  the 
eldest  daughter  of  Robert  Bostwick,  of  Lakeville. 


15A1\.N1",S,  CH.VRLF.S  Dennis,  Secretary,  Treasurer 
and  (leneral  Manager  of  the  Southington  Lumber 
&  Feed  Company,  Southington,  was  born  in  that 
town,  Lifuary  12,  1843,  son  of  Dennis  and  Caro- 
line (Sage)  Barnes.  His  father  was  a  native  of 
Southington  which  has  been  the  home  of  the 
family  for  si.\  generations,  and  his  mother  was  born 
in  Torringford,  Connecticut.  Charles  D.  Barnes 
was  left  an  orphan  i)revious  to  his  sixth  birthday, 
and  after  completing  his  studies  at  the  Meriden 
High  School  he  served  an  a])prenticeship  at  the 
carpenter's  trade.  On  June  24.  1862,  he  enlisted 
as  a  private  in  Company  1!  Fifteenth  Regiment, 
Connecticut  \'olunteer  Infantry,  was  promoted  to 
Sergeant  and  served  continuously  imtil  wounded 
and  taken  prisoner  at  the  Battle  of  Kingston,  North 
Carolina,  March  8,  1865,  and  was  released  from 
Libby  Prison  one  week  previous  to  the  surrender 
of  General  I.ee.  He  subseipiently  resumed  his 
trade  in  Southington,  following  it  until  1S72,  when 
he  took  charge  of  the  shipping  department  of  the 
Peck,  Stow  &  Wilcox  Bolt  Works,  remaining  in  that 
position  two  years.  In  1874  he  engaged  in  the 
boot  and  shoe  business,  which  he  carried  on  until 
selling  out  in  1895  in  order  to  devote  his  attention 
to  the  more  important  interests  with  which  he  had 
become  connected.  In  iSSi  he  established  the 
lumber  and  feed  company  of  which  he  has  since 
been  Secretary,  Treasurer  and  General  Manager;  he 
has  been  a  Director  and  one  of  the  Loan  Committee 


236 


MEN   OF  PROGRESS. 


of  the  Southington  Savings  Bank  since  1875,  was 
elected  Vice-President  of  the  Southington  National 
Bank  in  1889,  and  President  in  1890;  is  a  Director 
of  the  Southington  Cutlery  Company,  and  for  a 
number  of  years  has  been  President  of  the  Oak  Hill 
Cemetery  Association.  His  public  services  cover  a 
period  of  nearly  twenty-five  years  dating  from  1873 
when  he  was  elected  to  the  Board  of  Selectmen, 
and  a  Grand  Juror,  and  from  1874  to  1896  he  served 
continuously  with  the  exception  of  one  year  as 
Town  Clerk  and  Treasurer,  Registrar  and  Treasurer 
of  the  School  Pund,  declining  a  re-election  to  those 
ofKces.     When   the    Borough   of   Southington   was 


CHAS    D.  bar::es, 

formed  he  was  named  as  Warden  upon  the  only 
ticket  in  the  field,  an  honor  which  he  also  declined, 
but  was  persuaded  to  become  one  of  the  Burgesses, 
and  served  for  two  years  as  Chairman  of  the  Com- 
mittees on  Sewers,  Highways  and  Streets.  As  a 
member  of  the  Deadlock  session  of  the  Legislature, 
1891,  he  served  as  Clerk  of  the  Committee  on 
Appropriations,  and  in  1893  was  House  Chairman 
of  the  same  and  a  member  of  the  Committee  on 
Banks.  In  politics  he  isaRepubhcan.  Mr.  Barnes 
was  one  of  the  organizers  of  Trumbull  Post  No.  16, 
Grand  Army  of  the  Republic,  of  which  he  was  the 
first  Commander,  is  a  member  of  the  Army  and  Navy 


Club  of  Connecticut,  the  Merchants'  Club  of  South- 
ington, and  of  the  First  Congregational  Church. 
He  contracted  the  first  of  his  three  marriages  Sep- 
tember 27,  1865,  with  Sarah  H.  Hamlin,  who  died 
June  II,  1869;  his  second  on  December  21,  1870, 
with  Sarah  H.  Gridley,  who  died  April  14,  1893  ; 
and  his  third  on  July  2,  1895,  with  Margaret  H. 
Taylor.  To  his  first  union  were  born  two  children  ; 
Frank  Hamlin,  born  October  4,  1866,  now  in  busi- 
ness with  his  father;  and  Marion  J.  Barnes,  born 
November  27,  1S68,  who  died  aged  two  months. 


BURR,  Alfred  Edmund,  of  Hartford,  Senior 
Editor  and  Proprietor  of  the  Hartford  Times,  was 
born  in  that  city  on  March  27,  1815.  The  name 
of  Burr  is  one  that  has  figured  conspicuously  in  the 
history  of  the  state  for  over  a  generation  and  the 
present  capital,  especially,  claims  in  certain  bearers 
of  this  name  some  of  its  most  distinguished  citizens. 
Upon  the  monument  in  the  Centre  Church  burying- 
ground  of  Hartford  is  recorded  the  name  of  Ben- 
jamin Burr,  a  noted  ancestor  of  the  subject  of  our 
sketch,  who,  with  a  company  of  colonists,  came  to 
Hartford  from  Newtown  (Boston)  in  1635,  and  thus 
became  one  of  its  earliest  settlers.  Alfred  Edmund 
Burr's  descent  from  this  sturdy  pioneer  is  lineal 
through  four  generations,  and  undoubtedly  it  is 
from  the  same  lusty  forebear  that  he  inherits  his 
robust  qualities  of  heart  and  brain.  His  parents 
were  James  Burr  and  Lucretia  (Olcott)  Burr,  the 
latter  being  a  daughter  of  Jonathan  Olcott  of  Hart- 
ford, who  was  allied  in  direct  descent  to  John 
Marsh,  another  of  Hartford's  earliest  settlers,  who 
came  to  that  town  in  the  year  1635.  Alfred  Edmund 
received  his  first  instructions  in  the  schools  of  his 
native  place.  But  upon  abandoning  these  and  en- 
tering upon  an  apprenticeship  to  a  trade,  he  by  no 
means  permitted  his  education  to  be  neglected 
His  subsequent  career  has  testified  to  the  fact  that 
he  has  at  no  time  allowed  his  mind  to  lie  fallow  but 
has  always  kept  it  spurred  to  the  spirited  pace  of  the 
times,  and  on  occasions,  has  even  pressed  it  beyond 
the  actual  course  of  events  by  the  keenness  of  his 
perception  and  the  soundness  of  his  ratiocination. 
He  had  but  barely  attained  his  majority  when  he 
first  associated  himself  with  the  Hartford  Times, 
the  paper  with  which  he  has  ever  since  been  identi- 
fied and  which  bears  so  unmistakably  the  stamp  of 
his  powerful  personality  and  undoubted  genius. 
His  eager  love  for  journalism  had  led  to  his  pur- 
chasing a  half-interest  in  the  organ  and   his  strong 


MKN    f)l'    I'ROCRF.SS. 


political  convictions  from  the  start  were  unfalter- 
ingly proclaimed  (and  in  no  uncertain  voice)  from 
its  columns.  One  of  Mr.  Burr's  biographers  has 
said  that  by  all  the  tests  which  can  be  ap|)lied  he  is 
entitled  to  rank  with  such  born  editors  as  Horace 
Greeley,  Samuel  Bowles  and  Henry  J.  Raymond  ; 
and  we  would  add  that  if  indeed  the  pen  is  mightier 
than  the  sword,  then  the  comparison  may  be  e.\- 
tended  into  another  field  and  Mr.  Burr  be  classed 
with  such  born  warriors  as  (".rant,  Sheridan  and 
Sherman,  for  in  intrepidity  he  has  matched  them 
all  in  the  use  of  the  quill.  Whatever  have  been  his 
opinions  he  has  never  spoken  from  anything  less 
than  a  conscientious  belief  in  their  righteousness. 
His  convictions  have  always  been  born  of  careful 
thought  and  deep  study,  and  the  political  principles 
of  The  Times  have  been,  and  are,  consistent  and 
unvarying.     The  paper  was  founded  on  January  i, 

1817,  but  previous  to  his  becoming  its  proprietor 
Mr.  Burr  had  been  engaged  in  the  printing  office  of 
the  old  Whig  and  Federal  sheet,  the  Connecticut 
Courant,  a  popular  daily  edition.  The  publishers, 
contemplating  retirement,  offered  the  organ  to  Mr. 
Burr,  making  the  inducements  considerable  but 
attaching  certain  conditions  that  he  could  not  bring 
himself  to  accept.  Therefore  he  turned  his  back 
upon  the  Courant  and  in  January  1841  he  pur- 
chased the  remaining  interest  in  The  Times  and 
became  its  editor  and  sole  proprietor.  For  nearly 
fourscore  years  he  has  been  its  controlling  spirit, 
and  it,  in  turn,  has  been  the  leading  exponent  of 
Democratic  principles  in  the  community.  "  Its 
special  historic  renown  lies  in  its  championship  of 
needed  reforms ;  in  having  caught  and  strengthened 
the  spirit  of  the  times,  and  in  leading  on  progres- 
sive lovers  of  liberty  to  eventual  victory."  "  Its 
first  campaign,"  to  quote  from  an  article  in  "  The 
Representative  Men  of  Connecticut,"  "  was  against 
the  old  Connecticut  system  of  Church  and  State. 
All  the  citizens  were  taxed  for  the  maintenance  of 
the  '  Standing  Order,'  the  Congregational  Church. 
The  elections  held  in  1817  resulted  in  the  downfall 
of  the  dominant  Federals  and  in  calling  the  con- 
vention which  framed  the  present  Constitution  in 

1818.  Godly  and  learned  ministers  strove  in  vain 
to  avert  the  inevitable.  They  really  believed  that 
everything  would  go  to  destruction  in  case  of  any 
material  departure  from  the  old  order  of  civil  and 
churchly  affairs.  The  Hartford  Times  was  in  the 
van  of  the  Tolerationists  who  succeeded  in  incorjio- 
rating  with  the  Constitution  three  sections  which 
were  intended  for  the  protection  of  religious  free- 


dom." Necessarily  the  recollection  of  that  crusade 
has  passed  from  the  minds  of  all  but  the  most  rclro- 
s|)ective  veterans,  but  the  catastrophes  which  were 
so  confidently  exi)ected  never  eventuated,  and  the 
cause  of  true  religion  and  morality  has  steadily 
advanced.  In  1883  The  Times  once  more  con- 
stituted itself  the  champion  of  liberty  in  vehemently 
demanding  the  rejieal  of  "an obnoxious  and  illiberal 
statute  which  denied  to  every  believer  in  universal 
salvation  of  the  human  family  the  right  to  testify  in 
a  court  of  justice."  "  Whenever  and  wherever  the 
rights  of  the  peojjle  were  threatened  the  voice  of 
The  Times  was  raised  in  their  behalf  and  it  sel- 


A.   E.    BURR. 

dom  spoke  in  vain."  In  1853  Mr.  Burr  was  elected 
to  the  House  of  Representatives  and  served  for  one 
session,  and  in  1866  he  was  again  elected  to  the 
State  Legislature,  on  both  occasions  discharging  the 
duties  of  his  office  with  conscientious  faithfulness, 
and  to  the  entire  satisfaction  of  his  constituents. 
Suljsequently,  however,  when  pressed  to  acce])! 
further  political  honors,  he  refused  ab.solutely, 
declaring  his  preference  for  journalism  over  any 
gubernatorial  or  congressional  distinction,  and  he 
doubtless  felt  that  he  could  exert  the  greatest 
influence  and  attain  the  highest  good  for  the  great- 
est number  by    working  within  the  bounds  of  his 


238 


MEN   OF  PROGRESS. 


own    profession.      That    he    never   permitted   his 
public  zeal  to  llag  is  proved  by  the  fact  that  he  was 
active  and  untiring  in  his  protestation  against  the 
repeal  of  the  Missouri  Compromise,  standing  almost 
alone  and  holding  to  his  views  in  the  face  of  most 
bitter  opposition.     He  warned  his  party  that  if  the 
plans  of  the  ambitious  Stephen  A.  Douglas  were  car- 
ried out,  the  overthrow  of  the    Democratic   party 
would    be    the    result,  and    that    the   consequent 
sectional  organizations  would  probably  involve  the 
country   in   civil   war.     His   predictions   were    not 
seriously  considered  at  the  time,   but   subsequent 
events  have  confirmed  them  and  proved  his  sagacity 
and    foresight.     In    i860   The    Times    supported 
the    candidacy   of   Breckenridge   and   Lane.     Mr. 
Burr  took  strong  grounds  against  the  Know- Nothing 
party.     He  sent  reporters  into  the  Lodges  in  Hart- 
ford  and   gave    their   proceedings   to   the   public. 
Publicity  proved  fatal  to  their  power  and  the  party 
waned  and  became  extinct  under  repeated  expos- 
ures.    Foreseeing  the  possibility  of  a  civil  war  Mr. 
Burr  used  The  Times  as  a  weapon  to  combat  such 
a  calamity,   and  when    it   was   fairly   upon   us  he 
expended  all  his  energy  in  the  cause  which  he  con- 
sidered the  righteous  one.     He  vehemently  scored 
the  Republicans  who,  at  the  end  of  the  war,  declared 
certain   states   to  be  excluded  from  the  Union  in 
order  to  effect  the  adoption  of  war  amendments  to 
the  National  Constitution.     The  circulation  of  the 
Weekly   Times  steadily  increasing,  a  daily  edition 
was   established   on  March  2,   1841,  and  this  met 
with  instant  success  and  is  now  one  of  the  foremost 
organs  in  the  state,  while  its  veteran  editor  is  said  to 
be  the  oldest  active  journalist  in  the  country.     To 
his  remarkable  native  powers  have  been  added  the 
experience  of  half  a  century,  and  it  is  small  wonder 
that  his  pen  exerted  an  influence  second  to  none  in 
the  country.     A  sketch  of  him  written  some  years 
ago  says:  "The  Hartford  Times  is  as  much  Alfred 
E.  Burr  as  the  New  York  Evening  Post  was  William 
CuUen  Bryant  or  the  New  York  Times  was  Henry 
J.  Raymond.     It  is  Alfred  E.  Burr,   speaking  his 
deep-seated  convictions  on  matters  of  importance  to 
locality,  state  and   nation,  and  that  with  a  candor 
and  ability  which  command  universal  respect.     For 
thirty  years  his  counsels  have  been  potent  with  his 
political  party  in  Connecticut  and  have  not  infre- 
quently been  the  means  of  its  victories  at  the  polls. 
In  local  affairs  he  has  always  exhibited  the  keenest 
interest.     He  is  the  advocate  of  Progress  and  the 
exponent  of  broad  and  wise  plans  of  public  useful- 
ness.    To  him  more  than  to  any  other  editor,  and 


indeed  in  opposition  to  some,  the  establishment  of 
the  excellent  High  School  in  Hartford  is  due.  He 
pleaded  for  and  pressed  the  construction  of  the 
City  Water  Works  and  the  introduction  of  pure 
water  from  tlie  mountain,  six  miles  west  of  the  city. 
The  beautiful  Bushnell  Park  is  also  largely  indebted 
to  him  for  existence.  His  too  was  the  project  of 
buying  the  thirteen  acres  of  ground,  together  with 
the  buildings,  owned  by  the  corporation  of  Trinity 
College.  The  Reverend  Dr.  Bushnell  declared  that 
purchase  was  finally  accomplished  through  the  efforts 
of  The  Times  and  its  senior  editor,  Alfred  E.  Burr. 
The  price  paid  to  Trinity  College  was  $600,000. 
The  ground  was  then  tendered  to  the  state  for  the 
site  of  its  new  Capitol.  Mr.  Burr  was  appointed 
President  of  the  commission,  under  the  law  of  the 
state,  to  the  satisfaction  of  the  citizens,  and  also  of 
the  Legislature,  which  passed  resolutions  of  com- 
pliment to  the  commissioners.  In  all  local  improve- 
ment, beneficent  undertakings  and  public-spirited 
measures,  that  tend  to  the  promotion  of  civil  order 
and  welfare,  he  has  been  conspicuous,  and  has 
infused  the  same  spirit  into  his  associates.  Per- 
sonal character  and  eminent  ability  have  always 
commanded  for  him  the  profound  respect  of  his 
fellow  citizens,  while  sterling  honesty  in  all  private 
and  public  relations  has  conducted  him  to  gratifying 
and  assured  prosperity."  Mr.  Burr  occupies  vari- 
ous positions  of  responsibility  and  trust  in  the  com- 
monwealth. He  was  one  of  the  original  members 
of  the  State  Board  of  Health,  which  was  established 
in  1878  ;  President  of  the  Board  of  Pardons,  estab- 
lished in  1 883,  and  he  still  maintains  his  association 
with  the  latter.  He  is  a  member  of  the  permanent 
state  commission  of  art  and  sculpture  ;  President  of 
the  Dime  Savings  Bank  of  Hartford,  and  is  identi- 
fied with  other  committees  and  commissions  under 
the  municipal  government  of  the  city.  Of  late 
years  Mr.  Burr  has  evinced  a  decided  interest  in 
Spiritism,  and  has  devoted  much  of  his  time  and 
consideration  to  the  study  of  the  same.  He  was 
married  on  April  18,  1841,  to  Sarah  A  ,  daughter  of 
Abner  Booth,  of  Meriden,  Connecticut.  Six  years 
ago  the  couple  celebrated  the  golden  anniversary 
of  their  wedding.  Their  children  are  Edmund 
Lewis,  born  February  1842,  died  October  1845  ; 
Willie  Olcott,  born  1843,  and  now  of  the  firm  of 
Burr  Brothers  and  the  successful  business  man- 
ager of  The  Times ;  and  Ella  Burr  McManus,  the 
wife  of  Dr.  James  McManus  of  Hartford,  and  a 
regular  weekly  contributor  to  her  father's  notable 
journal. 


MEN   ni"   PR  OCR  ESS. 


239 


BRADLEY,  General  Edward  Euas,  President 
of  the  New  Haven  Wheel  Company,  New  Haven, 
was  born  in  New  Haven,  January  5,  1845,  son  of 
Isaac  and  Abigail  Knowles  (Hervey)  Hratlley.  He 
traces  his  ancestry  back  to  William  Bradley,  an 
officer  in  Oliver  Cromwell's  army,  who  emigrated 
to  this  country  and  took  the  oath  of  fidelity  at 
New  Haven  in  16.14.  ""  'i'"^  mother's  side  he  is 
descended  from  Rcn.  I'l.  I'.licne/.er  I^ibblee,  a 
Missionary  of  the  Churcli  of  l-lngkmd  before  the 
Revolutionary  War.  Ceneral  Bradley  obtained  his 
education  in  the  Lancasterian  Public  School,  New 
Haven ;  the  public  school  and  Brown's  Academy, 
West  Haven  ;  and  the  Robbins  Commercial  School, 
New  Haven,  where  he  completed  his  studies  in 
i860.  He  entered  the  employ  of  the  New  Haven 
Wheel  Company,  the  oldest  manufacturers  of  vehicle 
wheels  in  America,  April  5,  i860,  as  junior  book- 
keeper, becoming  head  bookkeeper  the  latter  part 
of  that  year.  Six  years  later  he  was  elected  Secre- 
tary and  Treasurer,  continuing  till  1887,  when,  on 
July  I,  he  was  elected  President,  an  office  which  he 
still  holds.  He  is  also  President  of  the  Boston 
Buckboard  and  Carriage  Company,  having  been 
elected  in  1886  ;  of  the  Charles  W.  Scran  ton  Com- 
pany of  New  Haven,  investment  brokers,  since 
189 1,  and  of  the  News  Publishing  Company  of  New 
Haven,  publishers  of  the  Daily  Morning  News.  He 
has  been  a  Director  and  Treasurer  of  the  Fort 
Bascom  Cattle  Raising  Company  of  New  Haven, 
with  a  large  ranch  in  New  Mexico,  since  1884. 
He  is  also  Director  in  the  New  Mexico  Land  and 
Irrigation  Company,  which  has  extensive  property 
in  New  Mexico;  a  Director  in  the  New  Haven 
County  National  Bank ;  and  Incorporator  of  the 
New  Citizens'  Trust  Company  of  New  Haven,  a 
member  of  the  Connecticut  Local  Board  of  the  New 
York  Life  Insurance  Company  ;  a  member  of  the  I'^xe- 
cutive  Committee,  and  a  Director  of  the  New  Haven 
Chamber  of  Commerce  ;  Vice-President  and  Direc- 
tor of  the  Young  Men's  Institute  of  New  Haven  and 
a  Director  of  the  New  Haven  Colony  Historical 
Society.  He  served  on  the  Board  of  Burgesses  of 
the  borough  of  West  Haven,  and  also  on  the  Union 
School  District  Committee  of  the  Town  of  Orange 
for  five  years.  Twice  he  has  been  elected  a  mem- 
ber of  the  House  of  Representatives,  in  1882  and 
1883,  and  once  a  member  of  the  Senate,  in  1886. 
For  nine  years  he  has  been  one  of  tlie  New  Haven 
public  Park  Commissioners,  a  board  which  has 
charge  of  the  city's  splendid  park  system.  He  was 
Democratic  candidate  for  Lieutenant-Governor  in 


1886,  and  though  he  had  about  two  thousand  more 
votes  than  his  leading  o|iponcnt,  yet  he  was  del)arred 
from  taking  olhce  by  the  Constitution  of  the  State, 
which  requires  a  majority  over  all  opposing  candi- 
dates. He  was  also  the  candidate  of  the  Gold 
Democrats  of  New  Haven,  for  Mayor,  in  1.S96,  but 
was  defeated  because  of  the  party  split  on  the  gold 
and  silver  question,  through  he  ran  sixteen  hundred 
votes  ahead  of  his  ticket.  He  is  well-known  as  a 
military  man,  having  given  much  of  his  time  to  the 
service  of  the  state  in  this  way.  He  enlisted  in  the 
New  Haven  tlrays  in  1861,  became  corjjoral  in 
1862,  Lieutenant  of  Company  F,  .Second  Regiment, 


EDWARD   E     BRADLEY. 

Connecticut  National  Ciuard,  in  1863,  was  Captain 
from  1865  to  1867,  Lieutenant-Colonel  of  the  Regi- 
ment in  1868,  and  Colonel  from  1869  to  187 1.  In 
1S77  he  was  appointed  Paymaster-General  with  the 
rank  of  Brigadier-General  on  the  Staff  of  Governor 
Richard  D.  Hubbard,  and  in  1893,  Adjutant  Gen- 
eral with  rank  of  Brigadicr-Ciencral  on  the  Staff  of 
Governor  Luzon  B.  Morris.  He  is  a  member  of 
the  Protestant  Episcopal  Church,  a  \'estryman  of 
St.  Paul's  Church,  New  Haven,  a  Director  of  the 
Missionary  Society  of  Connecticut,  and  a  Trustee 
of  the  F-piscopal  Academy  of  Connecticut,  at  Che- 
shire, founded  in  1794.  He  is  a  loyal  son  of  New 
Haven,  being  deeply  interested  in   all   which  con- 


240 


MEN    OF   PROGRESS. 


cerns  its  welfare.  Starting  out  for  himself  at  the 
age  of  fifteen,  with  no  capital  but  brains,  energy  and 
good  health,  he  lias  made  a  success  of  whatever  he 
has  undertaken,  and  has  won  a  position  in  the  front 
rank  of  the  progressive  men  of  New  England.  On 
.April  26,  187  I,  he  married  Mary  Elizabeth,  daughter 
of  the  late  Nathaniel  Kimberly  of  West  Haven.  They 
have  three  daughters  :  lulith  Mary,  Bertha  Kimberly, 
and  Mabel  Louise  Bradley. 


BREWER,  John  Mm. ton,  an  enterprising  Drug- 
gist of  Norwich,  an  ex-member  of  the  Connecticut 


JOHN    M.  BREWER. 

Legislature  and  a  Civil  War  veteran,  was  born  in 
East  Hartford,  Connecticut,  October  7,  1843,  son 
of  George  and  Fanny  (Stevens)  Brewer,  both  of 
whom  were  descendants  from  the  earliest  settlers  of 
this  country  who  were  actively  engaged  in  the 
heroic  struggles  of  the  Colonists  during  the  Colonial 
and  Revolutionary  wars.  His  common  school  edu- 
cation was  supplemented  by  courses  at  East  Hart- 
ford Academy  and  the  Lewis  Academy,  Southing- 
ton,  Connecticut.  At  the  age  of  fifteen  he  entered 
the  employ  of  Williams  &  Hall,  wholesale  druggists, 
Hartford,  with  whom  he  remained  until  enlisting  in 
Company  G,  Sixteenth  Regiment,  Connecticut  Vol- 
unteers,   in    July    1862.     He   participated    in    the 


Battle  of  Antietam,  after  which  he  was  Acting  Hos- 
pital Steward  until  the  spring  of  1863.  when  he  was 
discharged  on  account  of  physical  disability.  Soon 
after  his  return  he  engaged  in  business  at  Manches- 
ter Green,  Connecticut,  where  he  remained  until 
1868,  and  then  moved  to  Norwich,  where  he  has 
since  carried  on  an  apothecary  establishment  for  a 
period  of  nearly  thirty  years.  Politically  Mr.  Brewer 
is  a  Republican  and,  although  he  is  earnestly  de- 
voted to  the  principles  of  that  party,  he  has  many 
warm,  personal  friends  among  the  other  political 
factions,  which  accounts  for  his  being  frequently 
chosen  to  preside  at  town  and  city  meetings.  He 
was  a  member  of  the  City  Council  for  the  years 
1886-87,  of  the  Board  of  Aldermen  in  1888-89, 
Representative  to  the  Legislature  in  1895-96,  and 
a  member  of  the  Town  Committee  for  three  years. 
He  is  Secretary  and  Treasurer  of  the  Norwich 
Branch  of  the  Co-operative  Building  Bank,  and  is 
deeply  interested  in  all  measures  which  tend  to 
advance  the  general  welfare  of  the  community.  In 
Masonry  he  is  prominent,  being  a  member  of  St. 
James  Lodge,  Free  and  Accepted  Masons,  Franklin 
Chapter,  Franklin  Council,  Columbian  Comniandery 
Knights  Templar,  and  Sphinx  Temple  Order  of 
Mystic  Shrine.  He  is  also  a  member  of  the  Ancient 
Order  of  LInited  Workmen,  the  Army  and  Navy 
Club,  the  Connecticut  Pharmaceutical  Association 
and  the  Sedgwick  Post.  He  has  served  as  Com- 
mander of  Sedgwick  Post,  No.  i,  Grand  Army  of 
the  Republic,  three  years,  and  has  been  Junior  and 
Senior  Vice-Commander,  and  finally  Commander  of 
the  Department  of  Connecticut  in  1895.  He  is 
also  an  Ex-President  of  the  Arcanum  Club  and 
National  Croquet  Association.  On  January  23, 
1866,  Mr.  Brewer  married  Ellen  Florinda  Roberts, 
daughter  of  Jason  and  M.  Eliza  Roberts,  and  has 
two  daughters  :   Florence  E.  and  Nellie  R.  Brewer. 


BLIRR,  Richard  Ogden,  Carriage  Manufacturer 
of  New  York  city,  is  a  scion  of  noted  Connecticut 
stock,  being  eighth  in  direct  descent  from  Jehu 
Burr,  of  Fairfield,  Connecticut,  who  came  over  with 
Winthrop's  fleet  in  1630.  The  line  is  through 
Major  John  Burr  of  F"airfield,  son  of  the  immigrant, 
Jehu  Burr,  of  Fairfield,  son  of  Major  John ;  Colonel 
Andrew  Burr,  son  of  the  third  John,  and  commander 
of  the  Connecticut  Regiment  in  the  Cape  Breton 
(Louisburg)  Expedition  of  1744;  Oliver  Burr,  of 
Danbury,  son  of  Colonel  Andrew ;  William  Hub- 
bard Burr,  of  Danbury,  son  of   Oliver  and  grand- 


MEN    Ol"    I'KOr.RESS. 


341 


father  of  the  subject  of  this  sketch.  Richani  Ogiien 
Burr  was  born  in  New  York  city,  August  31,  1S59, 
son  of  Edward  Wliite  and  Catherine  Ann  (Cape) 
Burr.  He  received  his  education  in  the  public 
schools,  and  his  training  for  active  life  in  farming  in 


RICUAKD   OODEN    BURK. 

Northern  New  Jersey,  mining  in  Mexico,  and  clerk- 
ships in  New  York  in  the  carriage  business.  In  1892 
he  established  himself  in  that  business  in  New  York, 
in  which  he  has  since  continued.  His  residence 
is  in  Haworth,  New  Jersey.  In  politics  he  was  a 
Jeffersonian  Democrat  when  such  a  party  e.xisted, 
but  voted  for  McKinley  in  1S96.  Mr.  Burr  was 
married  in  April  1889,  to  Anna  L.  O'Connell,  of 
New  York.  They  have  two  children  :  Charles  Car- 
rington,  born  January  30,  1890,  and  Richard  Ogden 
Burr,  Jr.,  born  March  13,  1891. 


BROWN,  OrI-undo,  M.  D.,  Washington,  was 
born  in  Groton,  Connecticut,  April  13,  1827,  son  of 
Benjamin  and  Mary  Ann  (Middleton)  JSrown. 
He  is  a  lineal  descendant  of  the  Rev.  C'had  Brown, 
who  on  account  of  religious  intolerance  left  Massa- 
chusetts in  1636  to  become  an  Elder  of  the  Baptist 
church  in  Providence,  Rhode  Island,  and  of  Elder 
William  Brewster,  the  Mayflower  Pilgrim.  His 
early    education    was    acquired    in    the    common 


schools  and  at  William  II.  Poller's  .Academy,  Mys 
tic,  and  he  pursued  his  professional  studies  at  the 
University  of  New  York,  and  at  Yale  .Medical  Col- 
lege, graduating  in  1851.  Entering  upon  ihe  prac- 
tice of  his  profession  in  Warren,  Connecticut,  he 
resided  there  until  1855,  when  he  moved  to  Wrcn- 
tham,  Massachusetts.  In  1861  he  was  commis- 
sioned Assistant  .Surgeon  of  the  ICightecnlh  Regi- 
ment, Ma.ssachusetts  \'olunleers,  and  in  December 
of  that  year  was  matie  Surgeon  of  the  Twenty-ninth 
Regiment,  with  which  he  served  until  the  latter 
part  of  1862,  when  ill  health  comi)elled  him  to  re- 
sign. Upon  his  recovery  a  few  months  later  he  re- 
entered the  service  as  a  Contract  Surgeon,  in  which 
capacity  he  was  appointed  Ins|)ector  of  Hospitals 
and  Surgeon  in  charge  of  the  General  Hospital  at 
Newport  News,  and  in  the  autumn  of  1863,  on 
account  of  his  great  interest  in  the  condition  of  the 
I'reedmen,  he  was  given  charge  of  the  welfare  of 
those    people    south   of  the  James  River,  and  was 


ORLANDO   BROWN. 

soon  afterward  appointed  Assistant  Quartermaster 
of  United  Stales  Volunteers.  In  1865  he  was 
made  Colonel  of  the  Twenty-fourth  Regiment, 
United  States  Colored  Troop.s,  and  appointed  on  a 
commission  with  Generals  Thomas,  Howard  and 
Swayne  to  meet  in  Washington,  District  of  Colum- 
bia,   for  the  purpose  of  organizing  the    Bureau   of 


242 


MKN    OK    PROGRESS. 


Kefugees,  Frceilnien  and  Abandoned  Lands,  and, 
as  one  of  the  ten  Assistant  Commissioners  of  tlie 
bureau,  was  given  the  management  of  its  affairs  in 
the  state  of  Virginia.  In  i866  he  was  brevelted 
lirigadier-Oeneral  for  meritorious  services  during 
the  war,  and  resigned  his  commission  in  1869. 
He  then  resumed  the  practice  of  his  profession  in 
Washington,  Connecticut.  There  he  has  long  been 
a  marked  figure,  a  man  whose  geniality  of  charac- 
ter, strong  personahty  and  nobility  of  life  make  him  a 
fine  example  of  the  ideal  old-time  country  doctor,  re- 
minding one  of  Balzac's  famous  creation  in  the  novel 
of  that  name.  Dr.  Brown  has  been  several  times 
President  of  the  Litchfield  County  Medical  Society, 
was  elected  Vice-President  of  the  Connecticut  State 
Medical  Society  in  1888,  and  the  following  year 
became  its  President.  In  1852  he  married  for  his 
first  wife  Frances  Tallmadge,  daughter  of  George  P. 
'Pallmadge,  of  Warren,  and  she  died  in  1853,  leav- 
ing one  son :  George  Tallmadge  Brown,  M.  D., 
now  a  practicing  [ihysician  in  Margaretsville,  New 
Nork.  In  1855  he  was  again  married,  to  Martha 
Pomeroy,  daughter  of  David  Chester  and  Mary 
(Cogswell)  Whittlesey,  of  Washington.  They  have 
three  children  :  Fannie  Pomeroy  ;  Mary  Whittlesey, 
wife  of  J.  R.  Perkins,  of  New  Britain  ;  and  David 
Chester  Brown,  M.  D.,  of  Danbury,  Connecticut,  a 
rising  young  physician  of  that  city. 


CAREY,  Frank  Sumner,  Secretary  of  the  Hart- 
ford Courant  Company,  was  born  in  Hartford,  April 
3,  1854,  son  of  George  B.  and  Ann  (Havens) 
Carey.  His  ancestry  goes  back  in  direct  line  to 
the  Reverend  John  Robinson,  the  first  pastor  of  the 
Pilgrims,  and  Captain  Abner  Robinson  of  the 
Revolutionary  War.  The  sturdy  trait  and  sterling 
qualities  of  those  ancestors  are  to  be  found  in  the 
subject  of  this  sketch.  He  received  a  fine  educa- 
tion in  the  common  and  high  schools  of  Hartford 
which  rank  among  the  most  perfect  in  the  country. 
After  leaving  the  High  School  he  entered  the 
large  drygoods  commission  house  of  Collins,  Fenn 
&  Company  of  Hartford,  rising  to  a  very  responsi- 
ble position  and  remaining  there  seven  years. 
When  that  successful  house  retired  from  business 
in  the  year  1877,  Mr.  Carey  became  identified  with 
the  Hartford  Courant  with  which  paper  he  has  been 
connected  for  the  i)ast  twenty  years.  His  earnest 
zeal,  his  indefatigable  energy,  his  never-failing 
courtesy  and  his  strict  conscientiousness  made  him 
of  great  value  to  the  paper  from  the  start,  and  his 


(pnilities  have  been  recognized  and  appreciated  not 
only  by  his  immediate  associates  but  by  all  who 
have  had  dealings  with  him  in  business  or  private 
life.  When  the  late  \Villiani  H.  Goodrich  retired 
as  publisher,  in  1892  Mr.  Carey  became  part  owner 
of  the  Courant,  having  bought  one  half  of  Mr. 
(loodrich's  interest  in  the  company.  Since  that 
time  he  has  been  one  of  the  active  managers  who 
have  raised  the  paper  to  an  even  higher  plane  than 
it  had  known  before  in  its  existence  of  over  a  cen- 
tury and  a  <iuarter.  He  is  a  Director  and  holds  the 
office  of  Secretary.  His  associates  in  ownership 
and  on  the  Board  of    Directors  are  llniteil  States 


FRANK    S.    CAREY. 

Senator  Joseph  R.  Hawley,  Charles  Dudley  Warner, 
Charles  Hopkins  Clark  and  Arthur  L.  Goodrich. 
February  3,  1880,  Mr.  Carey  married  Ella  L.  Bis- 
sell,  daughter  of  Hiram  Bissell,  of  Hartford.  They 
have  two  sons :  Hiram  Bissell  and  Harold  Dear- 
born Carey.  It  is  worthy  of  note  that  the  only  two 
concerns  with  which  Mr.  Carey  has  been  connected 
are  Collins,  Fenn  &  Company  and  the  Hartford 
Courant  Company,  both  of  which  were  established 
more  than  a  century  ago  and  both  of  which  have 
stood  among  the  oldest  and  most  reliable  concerns 
in  the  country.  The  Hartford  Courant  with  which 
he  is  at  present  connected  is  the  oldest  paper  in  the 


MI'N    d!' 


'!<()(  ;rfss. 


243 


country  of  continuous  publication.  It  was  estab- 
lished in  1764  and  lias  been  published  since  that 
time  without  interruption. 


CHAKFEI'",,  Charles  Elmkr,  Manufacturer, 
Windsor  Locks,  was  born  in  Monson,  Massachu- 
setts, June  ,50,  1818,  son  of  Freborn  and  Betsey 
(Leonard)  Chaffee,  the  latter  a  native  of  Stafford, 
Connecticut.  After  following  a  course  of  study  at 
the  district  school  in  his  birthplace,  Charles  Elmer 
Chaffee,  at  the  early  age  of  seventeen,  was  appren- 
ticed as  wool-sorter  (then  an  important  branch  of 
the  industry)  in  the  mill  of  Holmes  &  Reynolds. 
It  was  arduous  labor,  but  while  engaged  in  its  per- 
formance the  boy  received  valuable  training  for  his 
future  business  life.  In  1838  he  went  to  Rockville, 
Connecticut,  where  he  was  engaged  by  the  parties 
running  the  Rockville  and  New  England  Mill. 
After  six  years  of  this  employment,  sickness  com- 
pelled his  return  to  his  old  home  and  he  went  there 
with  the  hope  of  recuperating  and  building  up  for 
himself  a  new  stock  of  health.  .An  idle  life  being, 
however,  impossible  to  this  energetic  young  man, 
he  turned  his  attention  to  agriculture  and  for  two 
years  lived  the  wholesome,  vigorous  life  of  a  farmer, 
discovering  at  the  close  of  that  term  that  his  hope 
had  been  fulfilled  and  that  he  was  physically  fully 
restored  and  entirely  able  to  take  up  again  the 
trade  he  had  been  obliged  to  resign.  His  next 
move  was  to  'Lhomsonville,  Connecticut,  where  he 
engaged  as  wool-sorter  in  the  Enfield  Stockinet 
Mill.  M  that  time  Mr.  \V.  G.  Medlicott  was  the 
agent  of  the  company,  Mr.  Chaffee  acting  as  buyer 
and  seller  of  wool,  but  in  1863  Mr.  Medlicott 
bought  a  small  shoddy  mill  at  Windsor  Locks,  Con- 
necticut, and  Mr.  Chaffee  joined  him  in  the  enter- 
prise, his  judgment  being,  in  fact,  so  valuable  to  the 
new  proprietor  that  he  was  the  one  chosen  to  go  to 
Nottingham,  England,  for  the  purjiose  of  selecting 
and  purchasing  machinery  for  the  manufacture  of 
full-fashioned  underwear,  a  commodity  the  mill  still 
continues  to  produce.  In  1869  Mr.  Medlicott  be- 
came involved  in  financial  difficulties  and  it  was 
necessary  to  reorganize  the  business.  A  new  com- 
pany was  therefore  formed  and  Mr.  Chaffee  took 
advantage  of  this  opportunity  to  invest  in  a  consid- 
erable portion  of  the  stock.  The  same  year  saw 
his  retirement  from  active  association  with  the  com- 
pany and  his  engagement  in  mercantile  business  in 
Windsor  Locks,  where  he  proved  most  successful. 


In  1S76  the  company  failed  and  Mr.  Chaffee,  being 
a  Director,  was  ajiijointed  assignee.  He  subsc- 
(|uenlly  formed  a  new  company,  one  hundred  and 
twenty-five  thousand  dollars  capital,  Mr.  Geo. 
Watson  IScach  of  Hartford  being  chosen  ['resident. 
The  old  stock  and  plant  were  bought  and  to  these 
many  large  additions  and  improvements  were  made 
and  Mr.  Chaffee  was  created  Treasurer  and  Mana- 
ger of  the  new  enterprise,  it  is  unnecessary  to  say, 
no  less  to  the  advantage  of  the  comjiany  than  to  his 
own.  Mr.  Chaffee  holds  many  positions  of  influ- 
ence and  is  highly  esteemed  among  his  business  as- 
sociates for  his  tact,  abilitv  and  integrity.     He  is  a 


CHARLES   E.  CHAFFEE. 

Director  in  the  J.  R.  Montgomery  &  Company  mill, 
at  Windsor  Locks  ;  for  five  years  was  .Assessor,  and 
for  four  terms  Selectman  of  the  town,  and  while  a 
resident  of  Monson  was  identified  with  its  militia. 
Mr.  Chaffee  is  a  man  of  large  charily.  The  Soldiers' 
Memorial  Hall  (a  beautiful  stone  structure)  at 
Windsor  Locks,  costing  about  thirty  thousand  dol- 
lars, was  built  by  him,  and  in  addition  to  this  he  has 
aided  materially  in  the  building  of  the  town's  large 
library.  Such  munificence  is  rare  and  wins  the 
highest  recognition,  appreciation  and  esteem  for 
Mr.  Chaffee,  on  the  part  of  his  grateful  townsmen. 
He  was  married  in   1839,  to  .Abilena,  daughter  of 


!44 


MEN    OF    PROGRESS. 


Cyrus  ami  Cliloe  llunbar.  Mrs.  Chaffee  dieii  in 
1S96  having  borne  her  husband  three  children,  all 
of  whom  are  deceased. 


CASE,  .Ai.iiEKT  WiLLARL),  the  well-known  paper 
manufacturer  of  South  Manchester,  was  born  in 
Manchester,  Connecticut,  October  30,  1840,  son  of 
Charles  and  Mary  Ingalls  (Clough)  Case.  He  is  a 
descendant  in  the  eighth  generation  of  John  Case, 
of  Aylshani,  England,  who  arrived  in  Connecticut 
at  an  early  date  in  the  Colonial  period,  and  the  line 
is  traced  from   him  through   John,    Richard    first. 


•j^^^ 

«- 

'         ^ 

^Jb 

j&HU^HL^ 

^^^ 

A.   WILLARD   CASE. 

Richard  second,  Joseph,  David,  Uriah,  and  Charles, 
to  the  subject  of  this  sketch.  Albert  Willard  Case 
acquired  a  public  school  and  an  academic  education 
in  his  native  town  and  for  some  time  after  the 
completion  of  his  studies  he  assisted  his  father  in 
carrying  on  the  homestead  farm.  Being  desirous 
of  entering  upon  a  business  career  and  believing 
that  success  in  any  line  is  only  attainable  through  a 
practical  knowledge  of  its  various  details,  he  at  the 
age  of  twenty  years  availed  himself  of  an  oppor- 
tunity offered  him  by  Messrs.  W.  &  E.  Bunce, 
paper  manufacturers,  to  enter  their  service  for  the 
purpose  of  learning  the  business.  He  succeeded  so 
well   in   ma-stering   the   elementary   principles  and 


nietliods  of  paper-making  that  in  less  than  two  years 
he  started  in  business  with  his  younger  brother,  F. 
L  Case,  under  the  firm  name  of  W.  &  F.  Case,  and 
later  his  twin  brother,  .A.  Wells  Case,  who  had  been 
in  the  paper  and  stock  business  in  Hartford,  was 
admitted  to  the  firm  which  was  thereafter  known 
as  Case  Brothers.  Their  business  has  steadily  in- 
creased on  account  of  the  high  standard  of  quality 
which  has  characterized  their  out-put  from  the  first, 
and  by  the  aid  of  improvements  of  their  own  inven- 
tion, including  a  machine  for  finishing  heavy  papers 
in  the  roll,  patented  by  A.  Willard  Case,  they  are  able 
to  compete  with  any  concern  in  the  country.  Mr. 
Case  devotes  his  whole  time  to  the  practical  part  of 
the  industry  striving  constantly  to  develop  the  re- 
sources of  the  plant  in  order  to  meet  the  increasing 
demands  made  upon  the  product,  owing  to  the  vari- 
ous uses  to  which  paper  is  now  being  put,  and  by  so 
doing  is  able  to  keep  abreast  of  the  times.  The 
Case  Brothers  received  awards  at  the  Paris  and 
Melbourne  Expositions  for  the  superior  excellence 
of  their  goods,  and  so  steady  have  been  the  sales  of 
their  products  that  the  mills  were  almost  continuously 
in  operation  during  the  recent  business  depression. 
Mr.  Case  is  deeply  interested  in  his  business,  to- 
gether with  all  subjects  relative  to  its  progress  and 
development,  and  is  a  member  of  the  Home  Market 
Club  of  Boston.  Politically  he  is  independent,  pre- 
ferring to  use  his  own  judgment  as  to  casting  his 
vote,  rather  than  allying  himself  with  any  party. 
On  June  24,  1868,  he  was  married  in  New  Bedford, 
Massachusetts,  to  NTarietta  F.  Stanley ;  they  have 
three  children  ;  Maytie  Alberta,  now  Mrs.  Albert 
L.  Crowell,  of  Boston ;  Laura  Mabel,  a  graduate 
of  Lasell  Seminary,  Auburndale,  Massachusetts, 
class  of  1894;  and  Raymond  Stanley  Case,  who 
completed  his  education  at  the  East  Greenwich 
(Rhode  Island)  Seminary,  and  is  now  connected 
with  the  Case  Manufacturing  Company's  plant  at 
Unionville,  in  the  town  of  Farraington,  Connecticut. 
The  oldest  daughter,  Mrs.  Crowell,  who  was  gradu- 
ated from  the  New  England  Conservatory  of  Music, 
Boston,  in  1892,  is  now  organist  at  the  Winthrop 
Street  Methodist  Church,  Roxbury,  Massachusetts. 


COPEI.AND,  Melvin  Blake,  President  of  the 
Middletown  National  Bank,  was  born  in  Hartford, 
Connecticut,  November  7,  1828,  son  of  Melvin  and 
Lucinda  (Blake)  Copeland.  His  early  educational 
advantages  were  confined  to  the  public  schools,  and 
his  training  in  financial  and  banking  methods  was 


MF.N    Ol-    1M<0(;KFSS. 


245 


obtained  as  clerk  in  the  Exchange  Bank  of  Hartford, 
and  as  teller  in  the  City  Bank.  In  1S55  he  was 
appointed  cashier  of  the  Middletown  Bank,  Middle- 
town,  performing  the  duties  of  that  responsible 
position  with  accuracy  and  faithfulness  for  a  period 


M.    B.   COPELAND. 

of  nearly  tliirty  years,  and  becoming  so  closely 
identified  with  the  interests  of  that  institution  as  to 
cause  his  election  to  its  Presidency  in  1883.  As  a 
financier  he  occupies  an  important  position  among 
the  leading  bankers  of  the  state,  with  whom  his  long 
experience  gives  him  a  prestige  accorded  to  but 
few  of  his  contemporaries.  Personally  he  is  a 
courteous  gentleman  of  (juiet,  refined  manners  and 
cultivated  tastes,  who  is  not  only  respected  but 
beloved  by  the  community.  Mr.  Copeland  has 
been  Treasurer  of  the  Connecticut  Hospital  for  the 
Insane  from  its  foundation,  and  is  an  honorary 
member  of  the  Psi  Upsilon  Fraternity.  On  Decem- 
ber 17,  1885,  he  married  Mrs.  Anna  P.  Sanford 
McCrackan. 


COOGAN,  JdSEi'H  Ai.hert,  Physician  of  Windsor 
Locks,  was  born  in  that  place  .September  14,  1849, 
son  of  James  and  Elizabeth  (liyrne)  Coogan,  who 
were  both  nati\es  of  County  Dublin,  Ireland,  but 
were  married  in  Brooklyn,  New  York,  in  the  year 
1840.     Dr.  Coogan's  education  was  received  in  the 


common  school  of  his  native  place,  and  later  in  the 
Holy  Cross  College  and  St.  John's  College,  Ford- 
ham,  New  York.  He  entered  the  Bclleviie  Hospital 
Medical  College  in  1873  and  after  a  full  three-years 
cour.se  graduated  among  the  Honor  men  of  his  class. 
The  next  ten  years  he  spent  in  following  his  pro- 
fession in  Hartford,  where  he  succeeded  in  building 
u|)  a  large  and  remunerative  ])racticc.  But  failing 
health,  the  result  of  two  severe  attacks  of  ])neinnonia, 
obliged  him  to  abandon  his  work  and  devote  himself 
to  recovering  his  shattered  strength.  To  this  end 
he  took  a  luirojjean  tri])  and  subseipiently  si)ent  a 
winter  in  l.os  Angeles,  Southern  California.  The 
ensuing  year  he  spent  in  New  York  city,  where  he 
again  renewed  his  old  association  with  Bellevue, 
this  time  under  the  direction  of  his  friend,  the 
noted  Professor  Edward  Janeway.  Having  obtained 
this  additional  experience  he  determined  to  bestow 
the  benefit  upon  the  town  of  his  birth  and  the  home 
of  his  early  manhood,  and  in  .Ajiril  of  the  year  1888 


JOSEPH  A.  COOGAN. 

he  began  to  practice  in  Windsor  Locks.  During 
his  residence  in  Hartford  he  was  a  member  of  the 
High  .School  Committee  as  well  as  of  the  Board  of 
Health  Commission,  and  physician  and  surgeon  to 
all  the  Roman  Catholic  institutions  in  the  city, 
including  St.  Augustine's  College  and  the  Old 
People's  Home  of  West  Hartford.     He  was  Presi- 


246 


MEN    OF   PROGRESS. 


dent  of  the  order  of  the  Knights  of  St.  Patrick ; 
Surgeon  of  the  First  Company  of  Governor's  Horse 
Guards  ;  and  Chairman  of  the  I')emocratic  City  and 
Town  committees.  He  is  at  present  a  Cens^or  of 
the  Hartford  County  Medical  Society  and  Health 
Officer  of  the  Town  of  Windsor  Locks.  For  two 
successive  years  Dr.  Coogan  was  a  Fellow  of  the 
State  Medical  Society.  He  was  a  frequent  con- 
tributor to  the  columns  of  the  Connecticut  Catholic 
in  its  infancy,  and  wrote  for  the  published  History 
of  the  Ancient  Town  of  Windsor  its  article  on  the 
early  Irish  settlers  and  settlements.  Dr.  Coogan 
was  married  in  New  York  city  September  28,  1882, 
to  Margaret  E.  Brady,  a  former  classmate  in  tlie 
schools  at  Windsor  Locks.  They  have  had  four 
children,  the  eldest  of  whom,  Mary  Laurenlia,  is 
deceased.  Those  still  living  are  Joseph  Thomasi 
Margaret  Brady  and  John  Byrne  Coogan. 


CULVER,  Moses  Eugene,  Lawyer  and  Prosecut- 
ing Attorney  of  the  City  of  Middletown,  was  born 
in  East  Haddam,  Connecticut,  July  10,  1856,  son  of 
the  late  Judge  MosesCulver  and  Lucinda  (Baldwin) 
Culver.  His  maternal  grandfather  was  David  Bald- 
win, and  his  father's  mother's  father  was  Titus 
Hall,  a  quarter  master  under  General  Washington. 
His  father,  the  well  beloved  and  eminent  Judge 
Moses  Culver,  was  at  the  time  of  his  death,  in 
October  1884,  Judge  of  the  Superior  Court  and 
one  of  Middletown's  most  prominent  and  respected 
citizens.  His  career  was  a  happy  illustration  of  that 
sure  reward  which  follows  diligence  and  persistent 
well-doing.  Born  in  Wallingford  he  studied  law  in 
the  office  of  Honorable  Ely  W'arner,  of  Chester, 
Connecticut.  He  removed  to  East  Haddam  where 
his  son  Moses  Eugene  was  born.  He  represented 
that  town  in  the  Legislature  in  1846,  also  served  as 
Judge  of  Probate,  while  living  in  East  Haddam. 
From  1856  until  his  death  he  resided  in  Middletown. 
The  son  was  educated  in  the  public  schools  of 
Middletown,  and  was  graduated  from  Wesleyan 
University  in  1875.  He  traveled  in  the  West  for 
several  months  after  graduation,  and  on  his  return 
commenced  the  study  of  law  under  the  personal 
supervision  of  his  father.  He  was  admitted  to  the 
Bar  of  Middlesex  county,  March  13,  1878,  and  has 
been  in  the  practice  of  his  profession,  at  Middletown, 
continuously  since  that  time.  For  a  year  he  held 
the  office  of  prosecuting  agent  for  violations  of 
the    licpior   laws.     He  was   elected    to  his  present 


position  as  Prosecuting  Attorney  for  the  city  and 
town  of  Middletown  in  April  1883,  and  has  been 
elected  to  the  same  office  by  the  Common  Council 
every  tn-o  years  since  that  date.  He  was  clerk  of  the 
South  Congregational  Church  for  thirteen  years  but 
declined  a  re-election  some  three  years  since.     In 


I.l     UUGENE  CULVER. 


politics  he  is  a  Democrat.  Mr.  Culver  was  married 
June  10,  1896,  at  Mankato,  Minnesota,  to  Lizzie 
Huntington  Sparrow. 


CHAPMAN,  Leander,  a  prominent  business 
man  of  Colchester,  was  born  in  Montville,  Connecti- 
cut, May  18,  1829,  son  of  Joseph  Lee  and  Phebe 
(Wickwire)  Chapman.  His  American  ancestor  was 
William  Chapman,  who  arrived  from  England  in 
1637  and  settled  in  Saybrook,  Connecticut.  The 
grandparents  were  Zebulon  and  Ann  (Latimer) 
Chapman,  and  Joseph  Lee  Chapman,  the  father, 
was  an  industrious  farmer.  Leander  Chapman 
attended  the  common  schools  of  his  native  town, 
where  he  resided  until  nineteen  years  of  age.  He 
located  in  Colchester  in  1848,  and  has  been  identi- 
fied with  the  rubber  business  for  the  past  fifty  years. 
With  the  exception  of  six  years  he  has  been  Warden 
of  the  Borough  since   1869,  was  Representative  to 


MEN    l)K    I'ROC.RKSS. 


247 


the    Legislature    in    1876,    lias    liekl    various    (own      was  that  of  watchman  on  the  Lakes,  liul  his  i-f1i<icncy 


offices,  and  is  First  Selectman  at  the  present  time, 
in  politics  he  is  a  Democrat  of  the  Jacksonian  type 
Mr.  Chapman  contracted  the  first  of  his  two  mar- 
riages ^L1y  1 8,  1851,  with   Kmiiy  E.  I-imphere,  am! 


LEANDER   CHAPMAN. 


on  October  3,  18S8,  he  niariietl  for  liis  second  wife 
Harriet  ].  Clark. 


DONOHUE,  John,  Superintendent  of  Dr.  Rose's 
Sanitarium,  located  at  South  Windham,  was  born  in 
(keenfield,  Saratoga  county.  New  York,  June  3, 
1858,  son  of  Daniel  and  Mary  (O'Connell)  Dono- 
hue.  He  is  descended  from  an  illustrious  family, 
his  father,  a  native  of  County  Kerry,  Ireland,  having 
been  one  of  the  wealthy  and  influential  family  of 
that  name  and  whose  members  have  in  so  many 
instances  figured  conspicuously  in  Parliament.  His 
mother  was  also  a  member  of  a  family  distinguished 
for  its  activity  in  public  life.  Mr.  John  Donohue 
received  his  early  education  in  the  common  schools, 
but  when  he  was  still  a  lad  was  compelled  by  the 
premature  death  of  his  mother  to  abandon  his  books 
and  turn  his  attention  to  the  sterner  duties  of  busi- 
ness life.  At  the  age  of  thirteen  he  left  home  and 
began  to  rear  his  own  foitiuic.     His  firsl  jjosilion 


soon  raised  him  toquartcrinastcr,  and  after  following 
the  Lakes  for  three  years  he  returned  home  with  the 
intention  of  skilling  himself  in  the  mason's  trade 
under  the  able  direction  of  his  father.  Subse- 
quently he  was  made  foreman  of  the  work  at  differ- 
ent points  on  the  \Vest  Shore  Railroad  in  which 
])osiiion  he  remained  until  18S3  when  he  repaired 
to  Ulica  and  located  there,  jiurchasing  a  home  and 
accumulating  considerable  property.  Contracting 
first  engaged  his  attention  but  later  this  was  aban- 
doned for  a  connection  with  a  fire  and  life  insurance 
enterprise.  In  1890  Mr.  Donohue  entered  the  law 
office  of  M.  H.  Se.xlon,  a  i)rominent  attorney  of 
rtica,  and  under  his  tutelage  read  I51ackstone  for 
two  years,  although  he  never  engaged  actively  in  the 
profession  for  any  length  of  time.  His  knowledge 
ol  Dr.  Rose's  treatment  commenced  with  his  per- 
sonal use  of  the  cure.      He  was  made  Superintendent 


JOHN   DONOHUE. 

of  the  Sanitarium  at  Saratoga  under  the  original 
company  controlling  the  institution.  South  Wind- 
ham was  selected  as  an  eligible  site  for  an  establish- 
ment of  this  kind,  and  as  soon  as  the  buildings  were 
completed  the  business  was  set  in  operation,  Mr. 
Donohue  being,  as  before  stated,  Superintendent, 
and   later,   the   management  undergoing  a  change, 


24S 


MEN   OF   PROGRESS. 


becoming  proprietor.  The  business  of  the  cure  lias 
increased  under  his  direction  to  such  an  extent  that 
an  ailditional  room  has  become  necessary.  It  has 
been  found  expedient  also  to  open  an  office  in 
Providence,  Rhode  Island.  No  institution  of  the 
kind  in  the  United  States  has  met  with  more  marked 
success,  and  the  patronage  and  results  abuniLintly 
testify  to  the  efficiency  of  the  system.  Mr.  Dono- 
hue  has  been  at  the  head  of  this  noted  institution 
for  two  years,  but  during  that  time  has  introduced 
many  reforms  in  its  management  and  is  one  of  the 
most  popular  men  in  the  place.  Although  such  a 
comparatively  new  comer  he  is  widely  known  and 
commands  the  respect  and  confidence  of  the  best 
people  of  the  community.  He  possesses  the  requi- 
site energy  and  ability  that  are  needed  in  his  under- 
taking and  is  in  every  respect  a  pleasant  and  genial 
gentleman.  He  is  a  member  of  the  Ancient  Order 
of  Inited  Workmen,  Knights  of  Columbus,  Ancient 
Order  of  Hibernians  and  other  popular  organiza- 
tions. He  is  a  Democrat  and  was  reared  in  the 
Roman  Catholic  Church,  being  a  devout  member  of 
that  faith.  Mr.  Donohue  was  married  to  Miss  Sarah 
J.  O'Neal  of  Mechanicsville,  Saratoga  county.  New 
York,  in  February  1881.  They  have  had  seven 
children:  Annie,  John,  Willie  (deceased),  Thomas, 
Willie,  the  second  of  that  name,  James  and  Sarah 
Donohue. 

DICKERMAN,  Watson  Bradley,  of  Mamaro- 
neck.  New  York,  was  born  in  Mount  Carmel,  Con- 
necticut, January  4,  1846,  son  of  Ezra  and  Sarah 
(Jones)  Dickerman.  His  father  was  of  Mount 
Carmel  and  his  mother  of  Wallingford,  Connecticut. 
The  subject  of  our  sketch  is  a  lineal  descendant  in 
the  fourth  generation  of  Isaac  Dickerman  of  New 
Haven,  and  the  ancestors  from  whom  each  line  is 
descended  were  settled  in  New  England  prior  to 
1660.  Mr.  Dickerman  attended  the  Williston  Semi- 
nary, Easthampton,  Massachusetts,  during  the  three 
years,  1861,  1862  and  1863.  He  received  his  train- 
ing for  active  business  life  in  the  banking  house  of 
J.  r.unn  of  Springfield,  Illinois,  where  he  was  a  clerk 
from  1864  to  November  1866.  Following  his  retire- 
ment from  this  position  he  came  to  the  East  and 
settled  in  New  York  city,  was  elected  a  member  of 
the  New  York  Stock  Exchange  in  November  1868, 
and  two  years  later  formed  a  stock  brokerage  firm, 
with  W.  G.  Dominick,  under  the  style  of  Dominick 
&  Dickerman.  This  partnership  still  continues  and 
the  business  has  its  office  at  74  Broadway.  Mr. 
Dickerman  was  a  Governor  of  the  Stock  Exchange 


from  187s  to  iS^2  ;  was  elected  its  President  and 
served  in  that  capacity  twice,  in  1890  and  1891. 
Was  again  made  Governor  in  1892  and  retains  that 
distinction  at  the  present  writing.  He  is  also  a 
Director  of  the  Long  Island  Loan  and  Trust  Com- 
pany and  is  President  of  the  Norfolk  &  Southern 
Railroad  Company.  Mr.  Dickerman  is  associated 
with  some  of  the  most  popular  social  organizations 
in  the  city.  He  is  a  member  of  the  Metropolitan 
and  the  Union  League  clubs,  the  Century  Associa- 
tion (all  of  New  York),  the  Brooklyn  Club,  the 
Country  Club  (Westchester,  New  York)  and  the 
New  York  Yacht  Club.     Mr.  Dickerman  resided  in 


W.   B.   DICKERMAN. 

Brooklyn  from  1867  until  1885  and  since  the  latter 
date  at  Hillanddale  Farm  in  the  vicinity  of  Mama- 
roneck,  New  York,  where  he  has  a  charming  home. 
He  was  married  February  18,  1869,  to  Miss  Martha 
Elizabeth  Swift,  daughter  of  the  late  Samuel  and 
Mary  Phelps  Swift,  of  Brooklyn,  New  York.  One 
son  was  born  to  them  in  187 1,  whom  they  lost  when 
he  was  but  two  years  of  age. 


DANAHER,  Cornelius  Joseph,  a  graduate  of  the 
Yale  Law  School  and  a  rising  young  attorney  of 
Meriden,  was  born  in  that  city,  August  10,  1870, 
son    of    John   and    Margaret    (Sullivan)    Danaher. 


MKN    OF    PROCRRSS. 


249 


His  early  education  was  acquired  in  the  public 
schools,  and  after  reading  law  in  the  office  of  Hon. 
O.  H.  Piatt,  he  entered  the  Yale  Law  School,  from 
which  he  was  graduated  in  the  class  of  1893.  Since 
his  admission   to  the   Par  he  has  been   connected 


C.    J.   DANAHER. 

witii  the  well-known  law  liim  of  O.  H.  &  J.  P. 
Piatt,  and  as  his  practice  calls  him  into  many  cases 
of  importance  in  New  Haven  county,  he  is  a  well- 
known  figure  in  the  various  courts.  From  1S93  to 
1895  he  was  Assistant  City  Attorney  of  Meriden 
and  was  Fiquor  Prosecuting  Attorney  for  New 
Haven  county  during  the  same  period.  In  1895  he 
was  elected  Secretary  of  both  the  City  and  County 
Democratic  Committees  and  is  a  prominent  factor 
in  local  politics.  He  is  President  of  The  Catholic 
Club  of  Meriden,  and  was  ]>usiness  Manager  of  the 
Young  Men's  Total  .Abstinence  Society  in  1892. 
On  June  30,  1897,  Mr.  Danaher  married  Kllen 
Jane  Ryan,  of  Meriden. 


ELLSWORTH,  Lf.muki,  SrounirroN,  Manufac- 
turer, Simsbury,  was  born  in  East  Windsor,  January 
9,  1840,  son  of  Abner  Moseley  and  Lucy  Wetmore 
(Stoughton)  ICllsworth.  His  first  ancestors  in  this 
country,  both  paternal  and  maternal,  early  removed 
from  Massachusetts,  Josias  Ellsworth  having  settled 


in  Windsor  about  i6.)6  and  Thomas  Stoughton 
about  1640.  Lemuel  Stoughton  Ellsworth  was  edu- 
cated at  the  common  schools  of  his  native  state,  and 
the  earlier  years  of  his  life  were  spent  upon  a  farm. 
Hut  such  a  life  as  this  was  not  to  the  mind  of  the 
enterprising  young  man  and  he  soon  left  the  F^ast 
and  agriculture  for  the  more  stirring  experiences  of 
business  life  in  California.  In  the  year  1867  he 
became  associated  with  the  firm  of  Toy,  Heckford  & 
Company,  manufacturers,  and  represented  them  in 
the  West.  Four  years  later  he  again  turned  his  face 
eastward,  and  entered  into  tratle  in  Hartford  with 
his  brother,  maintaining  the  association  for  si.xleen 
years ;  then  in  1887,  he  connected  himself  with 
ICnsign,  liickford  &  Company,  in  Simsbury,  of  which 
he  is  still  a  partner.  Mr.  Ellsworth  is  highly 
esteemed  by  his  fellow  townsmen  for  his  sound 
judgment  and  ability  in  commercial  affairs,  as  well 
as  for   his  admirable  personal    qualities   and   keen 


L.  S.    ELLSWORTH. 

interest  in  whatever  ])romiscs  to  benefit  the  com- 
munity. He  is  a  member  of  the  Connecticut 
Historical  Society  and  is  regarded  as  an  acquisition 
by  the  several  other  organizations  with  which  his 
name  is  associated.  His  ])olitical  views  are  those  of 
a  Republican  and  he  is  an  active  and  interested  mem- 
ber of  that  party.  He  was  married  October  i  7,  1866, 
to  Miss  Anna  Jane  Toy  of  Simsbury,  Connecticut. 


'■so 


MEN    OF    PROGRESS. 


They   have  liaii    five   children,  two   of    whom   are 

ileceased  :  I.iuy   Stoiighton,    George    Toy,    Annie 

Stoughton,  Henry   Kilwarils   and    John    Stoughton 

Ellsworth.  

EGGLESTON,  .Arthur  P.,  State's  Attorney, 
Hartford  county,  was  born  in  Enfield,  Connecticut, 
October  jj,  1844,  son  of  Jere  D.  and  I.ouisa  (Carew) 
Isggleston.  He  is  a  direct  descendant  of  Begat 
Eggleston,  who  came  from  England  to  Dorchester, 
Massachusetts,  in  1630,  and  removed  to  Windsor 
Connecticut,  in  1635.  Mr.  Eggleston  prepared  for 
college  at  Monson  Academy,  Monson,  Massachu- 


ARTHUR    F.    EGGLESTON. 

setts.  At  the  age  of  seventeen,  he  entered  the 
Union  Army,  enlisting  in  the  forty-sixth  Regiment, 
Massachusetts  Volunteers.  In  1864  he  entered 
Williams  College,  and  was  graduated  in  the  class  of 
1868.  Mr.  Eggleston  early  developed  a  fondness 
for  the  legal  profession.  Anyone  knowing  him 
today  would  say  of  him,  "  He  is  a  lawyer  by  nature." 
After  studying  in  the  office  of  Strong  &  Buck,  in 
Hartford,  he  was  admitted  to  the  bar  in  1872, 
endowed  with  a  good  physique,  indomitable  energy, 
an  active  brain  and  sterling  common  sense.  Today 
he  is  a  member  of  the  firm  which  succeeded  that 
one,  now  known  as  Buck  &  Eggleston,  and  his 
abilities   have    contributed   largely   to   the    success 


which  has  attended  it  from  its  inception.  The 
senior  member  of  the  firm  is  Ex-Congressman  John 
R.  Buck.  Mr.  Eggleston  won  the  familiar  title  of 
"Judge,"  by  which  he  is  everywhere  known,  by  his 
six  years  of  service  as  Judge  of  the  Police  Court  of 
Hartford.  He  received  his  appointment  as  State's 
.Attorney  of  Hartford  county  in  1888,  and  has  held 
the  office  continuously  to  the  present  time.  Few 
State's  Attorneys  in  the  history  of  the  state  have 
attained  such  a  record  as  he  has  for  being  a  terror 
to  criminals.  His  keen  eyes  see  to  the  very  bottom 
of  intricate  cases ;  all  mere  verbiage  is  swept  away 
and  the  jury  finds  itself  in  the  possession  of  the  hard, 
cold,  unalterable  facts.  Mr.  Eggleston  loses  no 
time  in  coming  to  his  ]3oint ;  he  studies  up  every 
detail  carefully  before  he  enters  the  court  room,  and 
is  frequently  able  to  anticipate  his  adversary,  how- 
ever clever.  If  there  are  even  the  smallest  loopholes 
in  the  defense,  Mr.  Eggleston  is  sure  to  find  them, 
and  once  an  opening  made,  he  pushes  on  rapidly 
and  relentlessly  till  justice  is  satisfied.  While  Mr. 
Eggleston  is  a  busy  man,  he  does  not  fail  to  take  an 
interest  in  all  that  is  going  on  around  him,  and 
particularly  in  politics,  where  he  is  to  be  found 
always  on  the  Republican  side.  He  was  Treasurer 
of  Hartford  county  for  ten  years  and  Police  Com- 
missioner of  Hartford  for  three  years.  On  March  i, 
1870,  he  married  Mary  Isabel  Abbe,  of  Windsor 
Locks,  Connecticut      They  have  no  children. 


ENSIGN,  Ralph  Hart,  of  the  firm  of  Ensign, 
Bickford  &  Company,  manufacturers  of  safety-fuse, 
Simsbury,  Connecticut,  was  born  in  that  town,  Nov- 
ember 3,  1834,  son  of  Moses  and  Martha  Tuller 
(Whiting)  Ensign.  He  is  descended  on  both 
sides  from  original  proprietors  of  Hartford.  The 
paternal  ancestors  were  James,  David,  Thomas, 
Moses,  Isaac  and  Moses  Ensign,  and  the  maternal 
line,  which  started  from  William  Whiting,  was  con- 
tinued through  Joseph,  Colonel  John,  Allyn  and 
Elijah  Whiting.  Moses  Ensign,  the  father,  was  a 
prosperous  farmer  of  Simsbury.  Ralph  H.  Ensign 
attended  the  schools  of  his  native  town,  the  Suffield 
Literary  Institute,  and  the  Academy  in  Wilbraham, 
Massachusetts.  He  resided  at  home  assisting  his 
father  upon  the  farm  until  twenty-one  years  of  age, 
and  for  the  next  few  years  was  engaged  in  various 
occupations,  mostly  mercantile.  In  1863  he  entered 
the  employ  of  Toy,  Bickford  &  Company,  the  safety- 
fuse  manufacturers  of  Simsbury,  was  admitted  to 
partnership  in  187c,  and  when  the  firm  of   Ensign, 


MEN    OF    I'ROORFSS. 


251 


Bickford  &  Company  was  organized  in  18S6,  he  being  killed  on  the  Welsh  marshes  during  a  night 
succeeded  to  tiie  general  management  of  the  con-  attack.  Other  ancestors  on  the  paternal  side  are 
cern.  He  is  a  Director  of  the  Hartford  National  such  men  as  Judge  liarle,  Judge  Vrecland,  Abraham 
Bank,  and  the  Hartford  County  Mutual  Kire  Insur-  I'into,  a  Revolutionary  hero;  Dr.  Johannes  do  la 
ance  Company,  and  a  Trustee  of  the  Dime  Savings      Montagne,  a  Huguenot,  and   for  nineteen  years  a 

member  of  the  Councils  of  (Jovernors  Kieft  and 
Stuvesant ;  John  Montagne,  William  Morris,  one  of 
the  organizers  and  one  of  the  first  vestry  of  Trinity 
Church;  Jesse  de  Forrest  and  Corneles  Swits,  all 
names  identified  with  the  early  history  of  New  Vork 
and  the  New  Netherlands.  On  the  maternal  side 
Mr.  I'^arle  is  ecjually  fortunate  in  the  matter  of  ances- 
try, his  mother,  ICli/.abcth  Finney,  being  the  (laughter 
of  Judge  Benjamin  I'inney  of  ICIlington,  Connecti- 
cut, a  veteran  of  the  War  of  1812,  and  a  descendant 
of  Humphrey  Pinney  of  Broadway,  Somersetshire 
county,  England,  who  was  one  of  the  first  settlers  of 
Connecticut  and  who  came  from  England  in  the 
ship  Mary  and  John  in  1630.  The  names  given  are 
hut  a  few  of  an  illustrious  many,  but  space  will  not 


RALPH    H.    ENSIGN. 

Bank  of  that  city.  Politically  he  generally  acts  with 
the  Democratic  party,  by  which  he  was  elected  to 
the  Connecticut  House  of  Representatives  in  1876, 
and  at  the  present  time  he  is  allied  with  the  Gold 
Wing  of  the  party.  Mr.  Ensign  is  a  member  of  the 
Masonic  Order  and  the  Hartford  Club.  On  July 
22,  1863,  he  married  Susan  Toy,  of  Simsbury, 
daughter  of  Joseph  Toy.  They  have  three  children 
living:  Joseph  R.,  Susan  A.  and  Julia  W.  Ensign. 


EARLE,  Wii.i.iAM  Hi;nrv,  Hotel  Proprietor,  of 
New  Vork  city,  was  born  in  Hartford,  Connecticut, 
on  August  16,  1837.  He  is  the  son  of  William 
Pitt  Earle  and  Elizabeth  Pinney,  and  possesses  hon- 
orable record  of  ancestry  on  both  paternal  and 
maternal  sides.  His  fatlier  was  a  lineal  tlescendant 
of  Edward  Earle,  the  youngest  member  of  that 
family  who  took  such  a  prominent  part  in  the  par- 
liamentary struggles  in  England,  his  brother,  Sir 
Walter  Earle,  l)eing  the  originator  of  the  Habeas 
Corpus  /\ct,  and  another  brother.  Sir  Michael  liarle. 


WM.  H.    EARLE. 

])ermit  of  further  specification.  'I"he  forefather  of 
the  subject  of  our  sketch,  Edwartl  I^arle,  came  from 
England  to  the  Barbadoes  Islands,  where  he  stopi)ed 
a  short  time  with  relatives  before  sailing  for  Balti- 
more, Maryland,  marrying  there  Hannah  Baylis. 
In  1676  he  removed  to  New  Jersey  and  purchased 
the  Island  of  Secaucus  in  Bergen  county  and   thus 


2!;2 


MEN    OF    I'ROORRSS. 


became  the  parent  of  the  Earle  family  in  New 
Jersey.  Mr.  WiUiani  Henry  Earle  received  a  good 
business  education.  Early  in  life  he  entered  the 
employ  of  Earle  &  Company,  wholesale  grocers,  in 
Front  street.  New  York  city,  only  leaving  to  take  a 
position  as  clerk  in  his  father's  hotel  in  Park  Row. 
In  1861  he  entered  into  a  partnership  with  his 
father,  opening  Earle's  Hotel  in  Canal  street,  a 
hostelry  noted  for  many  years  as  a  popular  resort 
for  men  of  affairs,  commercial  and  political.  In 
1S72,  having  amassed  a  handsome  competence,  he 
sold  his  interest  in  the  hotel  and  bought  a  country 
residence  in  Norwalk,  Connecticut,  retiring  from 
active  business  thereupon.  In  1886  he  made  some 
excellent  investments  in  real  estate  in  and  about 
Colorado  Springs,  Colorado,  which  have  since 
yielded  him  large  returns,  Mr.  Earle  having  fore- 
stalled the  silver  panic  in  his  sale  of  the  property. 
In  1890,  wishing  to  start  his  sons,  Arthur  G.  and 
Howard  de  Forest  Earle,  in  business,  he  leased  the 
Park  .Vvenue  Hotel,  New  York,  from  the  estate  of 
A.  T.  Stewart.  The  hotel  was  built  by  the  late  Mr 
Stewart  at  a  cost  of  three  million  dollars,  but  having 
been  run  by  managers  for  the  estate  it  proved  unsuc- 
cessful and  Mr.  Earle,  after  a  general  renovation 
and  many  alterations  involving  an  expenditure  of  one 
hundred  and  fifty  thousand  dollars,  and  by  giving 
his  experience  and  personal  attention  to  all  the 
details  of  the  enterprise,  has  brought  it  to  the  high 
standard  of  excellence  it  has  attained.  It  has 
proved  a  profitable  investment,  though,  unfortu- 
nately, neither  of  his  sons  lived  to  enjoy  its  success  ; 
Arthur  G.  Earle  dying  in  1894  and  his  brother, 
Howard  de  Forest  Earle,  but  two  years  later.  Mr. 
Earle  is  rather  retiring  in  disposition,  a  lover  of 
home  and  his  family  circle  and  has  never  taken  an 
active  part  in  politics  though  often  urged  to  accept 
responsible  public  trusts.  He  married  Miss  Alice 
A.  Peers,  daughter  of  the  late  Colonel  Thomas  F. 
Peers,  and  they  have  had  four  sons,  none  of  whom 
are  now  living 


and  has  built  up  a  flourishing  business  in  that 
industry.  He  was  a  member  of  the  Common  Coun- 
cil in  1888-89,  of  the  Board  of  Education  in  1893- 
94  and  1895,  and  was  first  Selectman  and  town 
agent  in  1894-95  and  1896,  in  all  of  which  he 
rendered  valuable  and  efficient  service.  He  is  a 
member  of  Pacific  Lodge,  Free  and  Accepted 
Masons,  of  Amherst,  Massachusetts,  Keystone  Chap- 
ter Royal  Arch  Masons,  St.  Elmo  Commandery, 
Knights  Templar,  The  Royal  Arcanum,  Chosen 
Friends,  and  the  Home  Club,  all  of  Meriden,  and 
the  Republican  League  Club  of  New  Haven.     On 


GEO.    L.  ELLSBREE. 


November  21,  1876,  Mr.  Ellsbree  was  married  in 
Amherst,  Massachusetts,  to  Lizzie  M.  Russell,  and 
has  one  son  :   Edward  C.  Ellsbree. 


ELLSBREE,  George  Lyman,  Druggist  and  Man- 
ufacturer, Meriden,  was  born  in  Palmer,  Hampden 
county,  Massachusetts,  November  i,  185 1,  son  of 
George  H.  and  Emeline  (Pierce)  Ellsbree.  After 
acquiring  a  practical  education  in  the  common 
schools  he  learned  the  drug  business,  and  in  March 
1877,  he  purchased  the  apothecary  establishment  in 
Meriden,  formerly  conducted  by  N.  B.  Welton,  at 
6  Palace  Block.  In  1888  he  engaged  in  the  manu- 
facture of  lacquers  and  varnishes  with  W.  R.  Mackay, 


GOODWIN,  R.4I.PH  Schuyler,  M.  D.,  Thomaston, 
was  born  in  Litchfield,  Connecticut,  July  24,  1839, 
son  of  Charles  and  Jane  Ann  (Guilford)  Goodwin. 
His  boyhood  and  youth  were  spent  in  New  York 
state,  he  having  resided  ten  years  in  Binghamton 
and  four  years  in  Albany,  from  which  city  he 
removed  to  Brooklyn.  He  was  fitted  for  college 
at  the  liinghamton  Academy,  but  abandoned  the 
college  course,   to  take  up  the  study  of  medicine. 


^[F\    OF    PROGRESS. 


253 


From  i86i  to  1S63,  he  taught  elocution  and  Fnijlish 
at  the  State  Normal  School,  Albany,  and  from  186,^ 
to  1865,  he  was  a  teacher  in  the  Brooklyn  CollcLiiate 
and  Polytechnic  Institute.     He  pursued  a  full  course 

of  medical  instruction  at  the  College  of  Physicians 


R.   S.  GOODWIN. 

and  Surgeons,  New  York  city,  and  for  the  past 
thirty  years  has  practiced  his  profession  in  Thomas- 
ton  with  gratifying  success.  He  has  held  various 
local  and  stale  offices,  including  Town  Health 
Officer  and  Acting  School  Visitor.  He  has  been, 
during  the  last  twelve  years,  a  member  of  the  Con- 
necticut State  Board  of  Health,  and  was  elected 
President  of  the  Connecticut  Medical  Society  at  its 
annual  meeting  in  May  1897.  He  is  also  a  member 
of  the  American  Medical  Association,  and  of  the 
American  Public  Health  Association,  in  which  he 
now  holds  a  [irominent  office.  In  politics.  Dr. 
Goodwin  acts  with  the  Rci)ublican  party  ;  and  is 
connected  with  the  Independent  Order  of  Odd 
Fellows,  being  a  Past  Grand  of  the  local  lodge.  In 
religion  he  is  a  Congregationalist.  On  Feb.  28, 
1867,  he  married  Miss  Jeanie  Edith  Irvine,  a  native 
of  New  York  city.  They  have  two  children ;  Dr. 
Ralph  S.  Goodwin,  Jr.,  now  practicing  in  New 
Haven,  and  Grace  Goodwin,  a  graduate  of  Vassar 
College  of  the  class  of  1895. 


GROSS,  Chari-KS  Ekwarh,  Lawyer,  was  born  in 
Hartford  August  18,  1847,  son  of  Mason  and  Cor- 
nelia (Barnard)  Gross.  Among  his  ancestors  are 
some  of  the  leading  men  in  the  history  of  the  Com- 
monwealths of  Connecticut  and  Massachusetts. 
Prominent  among  them  are  IClder  William  Brewster, 
of  the  Mayflower,  Governors  John  Webster  and 
Thomas  Welles  of  Connecticut,  Gov.  Thomas  Prince, 
of  Plymouth  Colony,  Captain  Joseph  Wadsworth 
who  hid  the  Charter  in  the  Charter  Oak,  Richard 
Treat,  one  of  the  ])alentees  named  in  the  Charter 
of  1662,  and  Captain  John  Barnard  who  served  in 
the  French  and  Indian  Wars,  was  a  ca])tain  through 
almost  the  entire  Revolutionar)'  War  and  was  ])resenl 
with  \\ashington  at  the  surrender  of  Cornwallis  at 
Yorktown.  Mr.  Gross  was  graduated  at  the  Hart- 
ford Public  High  School  and  at  Yale  College  in  the 
class  of  1869.  He  was  admitted  to  the  Bar,  Sep- 
tember 22,   1872.      He   studied    law  first  with    the 


CHARLES    E.  GROSS. 

Hon.  Charles  J.  Hoadley,  Slate  Librarian,  and  sub- 
seipienlly  in  ihc  office  of  Walilo,  Ihibbartl  iv  Hyde 
where  he  remained  after  being  admitted  to  the  Bar. 
Gifted  with  the  qualities  which  go  to  make  a  good 
lawyer  he  was  made  a  member  of  the  distinguished 
firm  January  i,  1877.  ^"  ''''^  death  of  the  senior 
member.  Judge  Loren  P.  Waldo,  in   1881,  the  firm 


254 


MEN    OF    I'ROCIRKSS. 


style  was  changed  to  Hubbard,  Hyde  &  Gross,  the 
senior  member  being  (.'lovernor  Richard  D.  Hubbard. 
On  March  i,  1S84,  after  the  death  of  Governor 
Hublwird,  the  firm  name  became  Hyde,  Gross  & 
Hyde,  William  Waldo  Hyde  having  been  admitted. 
'I'he  senior  member  then  was  the  Hon.  Alvan  P- 
Hyde  on  whose  death  the  name  of  the  firm  was 
changed  in  February  1S94  to  Gross,  Hyde  &  Ship- 
man.  Mr.  Gross  is  a  man  of  wide  business  expe- 
rience as  is  attested  by  the  number  of  leading 
corporations  with  which  he  is  officially  connected. 
He  is  a  Director  in  The  .Etna  Insurance  Company  ; 
The  Phcenix  Mutual  Life  Insurance  Company;  The 
Society  for  Savings;  The  Smyth  Manufacturing 
Company ;  the  Western  Automatic  Machine  Screw 
Company  ;  the  Wadsworth  .\theneum  ;  the  Hartford 
&  Connecticut  Western  Railroad  Company ;  and  in 
1893  he  was  a  Director  of  the  New  York  &  New 
England  Railroad  Company.  He  is  a  member  of 
the  Connecticut  Society  of  the  Cincinnati ;  the  Con- 
necticut Society  of  the  Colonial  W'ars  and  of  the 
Connecticut  Society  of  the  Sons  of  the  American 
Revolution.  He  is  President  of  the  Hartford  Yale 
.-\lumni  Association  and  was  the  first  President  of 
the  City  Club.  .Another  jiosition  he  holds  which  is 
of  great  responsibility  is  the  Presidency  of  the  Board 
of  Park  Commissioners.  For  six  years  he  was  a 
member  of  the  Board  of  School  Visitors.  On  Octo- 
ber 5,  1875,  he  married  Ellen  Clarissa,  daughter  of 
the  late  Calvin  Spencer  of  Hartford.  Their  children 
are  :  Charles  Welles,  a  student  in  Yale  University, 
William  Spencer  (deceased)  and  Helen  Clarissa 
Gross. 


HILL,  Norman  Nkwion,  Bell  Manufacturer, 
East  Hampton,  was  born  in  that  village,  October  4, 
1863,  son  of  Claudius  L.  and  Olive  S.  (Pease)  Hill. 
He  received  a  common  school  education  and  at  the 
age  of  seventeen  began  work  in  a  cotton  mill  at 
fifty  cents  a  day.  Thus  he  remained  until  the  spring 
of  1882  when  he  accepted  employment  in  the  finish- 
ing department  of  a  bell  factory.  He  worked  at 
the  bench  until  the  summer  of  1884  when  he  was 
given  a  position  as  travelling  salesman  for  the  firm. 
This  position  he  retained  until  December  1888, 
when  he  resigned  and  in  the  following  month  with 
a  capital  of  eight  hundred  dollars  saved  from  his 
daily  wages  of  the  past  years,  started  in  the  manu- 
facture of  bells  on  his  own  account.  The  business 
was  first  conducted  in  a  small  room  barely  twenty 
feet  square,  but  within  six  weeks  the  business  was 
moved    to   a   two-story  building   about    twenty   by 


thirty  feet,  which  was  destroyed  by  fire  with  all  its 
contents  on  July  15,  1890.  Within  two  months 
Mr.  Hill  was  again  established  in  a  new  factory,  and 
from  this  time  on  the  business  has  increased  with 
l)henomenal  rapidity.  Within  eight  years,  starting 
on  an  insignificant  scale,  an  enterprise  has  been 
developed  which  is  today  the  largest  exclusive  bell 
plant  in  the  world.  Mr.  Hill  is  the  sole  proprietor. 
The  plant  occupies  three  large  brick  buildings  and 
has  today  a  capacity  for  over  fifty  thousand  bells 
per  day.  The  catalogues  of  the  N.  N.  Hill  Brass 
(,'ompany  show  a  wide  variety  of  sleigh  bells,  call 
bells,  toy  bells  and  bicycle  bells.     The  little  village 


N.    N.   HILL. 

of  East  Hampton  has  long  been  known  as  the  home 
of  the  bell  industry.  A  greater  number  of  bells  are 
here  manufactured  than  in  all  the  remainder  of 
America  combined,  and  the  N.  N.  Hill  Brass  Com- 
pany is  the  largest  single  establishment.  The  un- 
precedented demand  for  bicycle  bells  in  the  last  few 
years  has  added  a  new  impetus  to  the  industry  and 
orders  for  the  goods  have  continually  come  in  faster 
than  the  manufacturer  could  supply.  Mr.  Hill  is 
still  a  young  man  but  has  won  the  respect  and 
admiration  of  his  fellow  townsmen  for  his  abilities 
and  unprecedented  business  success.  His  native 
town  has  shared  in  his  prosperity  and  has  accorded 
him  the  recognition  which   his  career  so  well  de- 


Mi:\    Ol"    I'RdCKKSS. 


255 


sers'es.  Mr.  Hill  is  a  Republican  in  jiolitics  but 
his  business  duties  have  prevented  him  from  accept- 
ing office.  He  was  married  .August  14,  1S90,  to 
.•\nnette  liarton,  a  daughter  of  one  of  tiie  well- 
known  bell  manufacturers  of  h'.asl  Hampton.  'I'hey 
have  two  children  :  Wyman  N.  and   I'.velyn  R.  Hill. 


HliN('.i:i\F(  »K|i,  Im;ank  I.iwi^,  Ia  Judge  and 
.Attorney  of  the  Hailford  firm  of  llungerford,  ll\(le. 
Jcslyn  &  Ciilman,  was  born  in  Torrington,  Connecti- 
cut, in  1S4?,  son  of  John  and  Charlotte  (.Austin) 
Hungerford.     Mr.   llungerford    traces   his   descent 


F.   L.   HUNGERFURD, 

from  Thomas  Hungerford,  of  England,  who  settled 
in  Hartford  about  1639.  He  was  educated,  first, 
at  the  Torrington  common  schools,  supplemented 
by  private  study  which  prepared  him  for  college. 
In  i860  he  entered  tlie  University  of  Vermont,  but 
after  two  years  of  study  in  that  institution,  he  went 
into  the  office  of  that  distinguished  lawyer  and 
statesman.  Senator  (leorge  F.  Fdmunds,  at  IJurling- 
ton,  \'ermont,  to  begin  his  legal  work.  .Admitted 
to  the  Bar  in  Burlington,  in  1S65,  he  soon  returned 
to  Connecticut  and  began  his  law  practice  in  Tor- 
rington the  next  year,  remaining  there  four  years ; 
then  removing  to  New  Britain  where  for  nearly 
thirty  years,  1869  to  1897,  he  was  engaged  in  a  suc- 


cessful professional  career.  During  all  this  time 
Charles  K.  Mitchell  was  his  law  i)artner  and  in  1.S93 
the  firm  became  Mitchell,  Hungerford  iS:  Bariletl. 
I'pon  the  dissolution  of  the  partnership,  Mr.  llun- 
gerford came  to  Hartford  in  1897  to  form  the  firm 
of  Hungerford,  Hyde,  Joslyn  &  (;ilman,  for  the 
general  practice  of  the  law,  bringing  to  this  new 
( (innertion  a  wide  reputation  and  the  ripe  e.vperi- 
cnce  of  many  years.  In  addition  to  his  active 
duties  as  a  lawyer,  Mr.  llungerford  has  served  in 
the  past  as  Judge  of  Probate  at  Toiringlon  and  at 
New  Britain,  and  for  the  latter  city  acted  for  several 
years  as  botli  Ciiv  Attorney  and  Corporation  Coun- 
sel. Hut  of  late  years  the  demands  of  a  large  busi- 
ness have  kept  him  closely  confined  to  law  practice. 
He  is  a  Republican  in  politics  but  has  never  sought 
or  held  office.  Mr.  Hungerford  is  one  of  Connecti- 
cut's able  lawyers,  who  has  been  active  in  many 
leading  cases  ;  the  estimation  in  which  he  is  held  by 
his  ])rofessional  brethren  is  evinced  in  the  i)lacing 
of  his  name  at  the  head  of  the  well-known  Hartford 
firm  above  mentioned.  The  University  of  Vermont 
has  conferred  upon  him  the  degree  of  M.  .A.  When 
Senator  F.dmunds  was  electeil  to  the  United  States 
Senate,  his  ojjinion  of  Mr.  Hungerford  was  so  high 
that  he  wished  to  place  his  own  e.xtensive  practice 
in  the  young  lawyer's  hands,  an  offer  only  declined 
because  Mr.  Hungerford  wished  to  return  to  his 
native  s'ate.  He  married  Sarah  A.  Churchill,  of 
New  Britain,  in  1869,  and  they  have  one  son  :  Wil- 
liam C.  Hungerford,  also  a  lawyer  and  a  member  of 
his  father's  firm. 


1 1(  )l.l,ISTi;i\,  Dwiii  F'redkric,  Lawyer,  of 
Bridgeport,  was  born  in  Washington,  Connecticut, 
March  31,  1826.  His  father,  Gideon  Hollister, 
was  a  well-to-do  farmer  of  sterling  integrity  and  of 
much  influence  in  the  community  in  which  he  lived. 
When  his  son  was  sixteen  years  of  age  Mr.  Hollister 
removed  with  his  family  to  \Voodbury,  Connecticut, 
where  in  accordance  with  his  father's  wish,  the 
boy  remained  with  him  for  several  years.  But 
while  thus  at  home  on  the  farm  he  had  (to  quote 
from  a  biograjjliical  article)  "  the  fortune,  good  or 
bad,  to  cut  his  foot  so  severely  as  to  interfere  with 
active  duties  for  many  months,  and  he  finally 
obtained  the  consent  of  his  father  to  jirepare  for 
college.  He  then  determined  to  enter  Vale  in  the 
class  of  185 1,  though  there  were  then  but  eleven 
months  before  the  commencement  of  the  term.  He 
made  the  best  use  of  his  time  and  at  the  commence- 


-56 


MEN   OF    PROGRESS. 


ment  of  the  term  i)rcseiitcil  himself  for  examination 
without  having  completed,  however,  quite  two-thirds 
of  the  preparatory  course."  In  spite  of  this  he 
gained  admission  to  the  class,  having  by  pluck  and 
intelligence  passed  his  examinations  satisfactorily, 
and  proved  to  the  faculty  tiiat  lie  was  a  man  of 
ability  and  discrimination.  In  his  Junior  year  he 
was  elected  from  his  class  to  represent  and  advocate 
ihe  claims  of  the  Litonian  Literary  and  Debating 
Society  in  its  then  annual  contest  with  the  "  Brothers 
in  Unity,"  and  in  his  Senior  year  he  was  elected 
first  President  from  his  class  of  the  same  Literary 
Society,  an  honor  which  was  then  esteemed  second 


D.    F.   HOLLISTER 

to  none  in  college  life.  Prior  to  entering  the  uni- 
versity he  had  studied  law  for  a  time,  and  immedi- 
ately after  graduation  he  entered  the  law  ofifice  of 
his  brother,  the  late  Gideon  H.  HoUister  of  Litch- 
field, author  of  the  " History  of  Connecticut"  and 
graduate  of  Yale  class  of  1840.  In  the  December 
following  his  graduation  (1851),  he  was  admitted  to 
the  Bar  of  Litchfield  county,  and  opened  an  office 
for  the  practice  of  his  profession  in  Salisbury,  Con- 
necticut, where  he  had  removed.  Three  years  later 
he  repaired  to  Bridgeport,  where  he  settled  perma- 
nently and  where  he  still  maintains  a  successful  and 
lucrative  practice.  Soon  after  moving  to  Bridgeport 
he   purchased  several  tracts  of  land  in  and  about 


the  city,  and  devoted  his  leisure  time  to  opening  up 
and  developing  the  property  that  has  since  proved 
one  of  the  most  attractive  sections  of  the  town.     In 
1866  he  received  the  degree  of  M.  A.  from  his  Alma 
Mater.     He   has  always   been    identified  with  the 
public  institutions  and  improvements  of  his  adopted 
city,  and  has  been  a   member  of    its  government. 
In  1858  he   was  elected  Judge  of  Probate  for  the 
District  of  Bridgeport  and  was  re-elected  in   1859. 
On  August  IS,  1862,  he  was  appointed  by  President 
Lincoln    Collector   of    Internal     Revenue    for    the 
Fourth  District  of  Connecticut,  and  after  the  con- 
solidation of    the  Second  and    Fourth  Districts  in 
October  1873,  he  was  appointed  Collector  of  the 
Consolidated   District   by  President   Grant,   which 
ofifice  he  held  continuously  until  September  i,  1883, 
when  upon  the  consolidation  of  all  the  districts  in 
the  state,  with  ofifice  at  Hartford,  he  retired  from 
the  public  service,  having  worked  in  its  interest  for 
over   twenty- one    years   and    having  served    under 
Presidents  Lincoln,  Johnson,  Grant,  Hayes,  Garfield 
and  Arthur.     Mr.  Hollister  was  an  ardent  supporter 
of  the  Government  during  the  War  of  the  Rebellion, 
and  although  not  a  subject  for  military  duty  by  rea- 
son   of   the    injury   already  referred    to,  and    from 
which  he   never  fully  recovered,  he  procured  and 
sent  to  the  front  two  good  substitutes  to  represent 
him    on    the    field,  while  at   home    he    assisted  in 
various  ways  in  rendering  those  important  services 
which  were  so  essential  to  the  success  of  the  cause. 
At  the  close  of  his  official  life  he  formed  a  copart- 
nership with  William  H.  Kelsey  of  Bridgeport  (who 
served  in  his  office  as  Deputy  Collector  for  several 
years),  under  the  name  of  Hollister  &  Kelsey,  and 
the  firm  is  still  engaged  in  an  extensive  practice  in 
the  various  branches  of  law  business.     Mr.  Hollister 
is   prominently  associated  with  many  of  the  most 
prominent  organizations  in  the  state.     He  is  a  mem- 
ber of  the  St    John's  Lodge    Free   and   Accepted 
Masons,   a  member  of  the  Board  of  Trade  and  of 
the  Seaside  Club.     It  is  through   his  iniluence  and 
energy  that  many  charters  of  public   interest  have 
been  granted  to  the  city,  such  as  that   to  the  Boys' 
Club,  The  Young  Men's  Christian  Association,  the 
Citizens'   Water   Company,  now  consolidated  with 
the  Bridgeport  Hydraulic  Company,  the  Bridgeport 
&   West   Stratford    Horse    Railroad    Company,    of 
which  he  was  President  for  several  years,  but  which 
is  now  consolidated  with  the  Bridgeport  Traction 
Company,    the   Stratford    Land   and    Improvement 
Company,  and  the  City  Savings  Bank,  of  which  he  is 
now  the  President.     Upon  attaining  his  -uajority  Mr. 


MI;N    of    I'KOCRKSS. 


257 


Hollister  cast  his  first  vote  witii  the  iild  \Vhij,'  party, 
and  upon  the  formation  of  the  Repul)iic:an  party, 
under  the  ])rcsidential  leadership  of  the  famous  Path- 
finder, Jolm  C  Fremont,  he  espoused  the  interests 
of  that  party  and  lias  ever  since  been  an  earnest 
advocate  and  supporter  of  its  principles  and  policy. 
On  moving  to  liridgeport,  he  united  witli  the  First 
Presbyterian  Churcli  of  that  city,  and  has  been  ever 
since  an  active  member  of  tlie  same  and  alive  to  all 
its  interests  and  its  welfare.  He  has  been  an  Kider 
of  the  church  for  over  thirty- five  years  and  is  now 
its  Senior  Elder  and  Treasurer,  and  one  of  the 
Society's  Committee.  He  has  also  been  connected 
with  the  Sunday  Scliool  and  a  teacher  of  an  adult 
Bible  class  for  over  thirty-five  years.  Mr.  Hollister 
was  married  in  September  1852,  to  Miss  Mary  E. 
Jackson,  of  Brooklyn,  New  York,  a  graduate  of 
Packer  Collegiate  Institute.     She  is  deceased. 


HUNT1N(;T0N,  Jamks,  Senior  member  of  the 
law  firm  of  Huntington  &  Warner,  of  Woodbury, 
Litchfield  county,  and  Judge  of  Probate,  was  born 
in  Coventry  (South    Parish),   Tolland  county,  June 

4,  1833,  son  of  Edward  Guy  and  Eliza  (Clarke) 
Huntington.  His  paternal  grandfather,  Joseph 
Huntington,  who  was  a  son  of  the  Reverend  Joseph 
Huntington,  D.  D.,  was  born  in  Coventry,  Septem- 
ber 13,  1767,  and  was  graduated  from  Dartmouth 
College.  Soon  after  his  admission  to  the  Tolland 
county  Bar  he  went  South,  settling  in  Washington 
county,  Georgia,  where  he  practiced  law  until  April 
1794,  when  he  removed  to  Charleston,  South  Caro- 
lina, and  died  in  August  of  that  year.  In  17S8,  he 
married  Mirza  Dow  of  Coventry,  a  sister  of  Lorenzo 
Dow,  a  noted  itinerant  Methodist  minister,  travel- 
ler, and  writer  of  that  day,  and  she  died  in  South 
Coventry,  January  30,  1856,  aged  eighty-four  years. 
Edward  Guy  Huntington,  the  father,  was  born  in 
Washington  county,  Georgia,  October  22,  1792,  and 
died  in  Coventry,  September  15,  1857.  His  wife 
was  a  native  of  Coventry  and  a  daughter  of  John 
Clark,  born  in  Lebanon,  this  state,  and  after  serving 
as  a  soldier  in  the  Revolutionary  War,  he  purchased 
a  farm  at  the  head  of  the  pontl  in  Coventry,  where 
he  resided  until  his  death,  which  occurred  January 

5,  1847,  at  the  advanced  age  of  ninety-five  years. 
He  married  Lucy  Hammond,  of  Hampton,  Con- 
necticut, and  she  died  October  24,  1848,  aged 
eighty-eight  years.  James  Huntington  attended 
the  common  schools,  the  Wilbraham  (Massachu- 
setts) and  the  Charlottesville  Academies,   and  was 


graduated  from  the  state  and  National  Law  School 
of  Poughkeepsie,  New  York,  in  1857.  His  legal 
preparation  was  finished  in  the  oflice  of  Waldo  & 
Hyde,  in  Tolland,  where  he  was  admitted  to  the 
Bar,  on  Ai)ril  6,  1S59,  and  he  immediately  located 
in  Woodbury,  where  he  has  since  been  in  active 
practice.  He  has  been  associated  with  .Arthur  D. 
Warner  since  1883,  was  Juiige  of  Probate  continu- 
ously from  1861  to  1895  and  re-elected  in  1896, 
was  State's  .Attorney  for  Litchfield  county  for  twenty- 
two  years  from  1874  to  1896,  and  has  been  Chair- 
man of  the  Litchfield  County  Bar,  and  President  of 
Bar  Library  Association  since  1891.     Politically  Mr. 


JAMES   HUNTINGTON. 

Huntington  is  a  Democrat.  He  filled  the  office  of 
Representative  to  the  Legislature  during  the  years 
1894-95,  and  was  elected  Senator  for  two  years  from 
the  Sixteenth  District  in  1876.  He  has  served  as 
Worshipful  Master  of  KingSolomon's  Lodge  Freeand 
Accepted  Masons,  of  Woodbury,  and  also  as  Secre- 
tary and  Treasurer.  On  January  6,  1863,  h^  mar- 
ried for  his  finst  wife  Rebecca  Huntly  Hurd  of 
Honesdale,  Pennsylvania,  daughter  of  Edward  and 
Annistine  (Hunlly)  Hurd.  She  died  February  28, 
1865,  aged  twenty-eight  years,  leaving  an  infant 
daughter,  Rebecca  .Annistine  Huntington.  On  June 
II,  1868,  he  wedded  for  his  second  wife  Helen 
Elizabeth   Parker,  daughter  of  Norman  and   luinice 


-^58 


MEN    OF   PROGRESS. 


(Thompson)  Parker,  and  to  this  union  were  born 
two  liaughters;  Eunice  Eliza,  born  July  19,  1873, 
and  Lucy  Hammond  Huntington,  born  June  21, 
1875,  who  died  September  21  of  the  same  year. 


HOI.DEN,  John,  Lawyer,  New  York  city,  is  of 
sterling  Connecticut  stock,  his  ancestors  on  both 


JOHN    HOLDEN. 

sides  having  lived  in  the  neighborhood  of  Norwich, 
Connecticut,  for  many  generations.  He  is  a  son  of 
Isaac  and  Esther  (Stead)  Holden,  and  is  ninth  in 
descent  from  Elder  William  Brewster.  After  gradu- 
ating from  the  Bridgeport  High  School,  he  entered 
Yale  College  where  he  won  a  number  of  literary 
prizes,  and  graduated  in  the  class  of  1884.  Subse- 
quently he  took  a  course  at  Columbia  Law  School, 
and  was  admitted  to  the  Bar  of  New  York  in  1888. 
For  two  years  after  leaving  college  he  was  with  the 
Wheeler  &  Wilson  Mantifacturing  Company,  and 
following  this  period  was  engaged  in  newspaper 
work  on  the  New  York  Tribune,  New  York  Herald 
and  San  Francisco  Examiner.  From  the  date  of 
his  admission  to  the  Bar  he  has  practiced  law  with 
success  in  New  York  city,  since  about  1892  in 
partnership  with  F.  Sturges  Allen,  a  classmate  and 
roommate  at  Yale.  Mr.  Holden  has  also  been 
President  of  the  Liberty   Cycle  Company  for  the 


last  two  years.  He  is  a  member  of  the  New  York 
Bar  Association,  the  Yale  Club  of  New  York,  the 
New  Rochelle  Yacht  Club  and  many  minor  clubs 
and  organizations.  In  politics  he  is  an  Indepen- 
dent Democrat.  He  was  married  November  22, 
1892,  to  Florence  Heywood.  They  have  two  chil- 
dren :  Heywood  and  Arthur  Ballou  Holden. 


HARRIM.\N,  Patrick  Henry,  M.  1).,  a  promi- 
nent physician  of  Norwich,  was  born  in  Calais, 
Washington  county,  ^Laine,  March  17,  i860,  son  of 
Patrick  and  Bridget  (Ryan)  Harriman.  His  parents 
were  natives  of  Ireland  and  both  emigrated  to  the 
United  States  when  young.  He  acquired  his  early 
education  in  the  public  schools  of  Winchendon, 
Massachusetts,  was  graduated  from  Holy  Cross 
College,  Worcester,  with  the  class  of  1881,  taking 
the  highest  honors  and  receiving  the  bachelor's 
degree.     He  pursued  his  first  course  in  medicine  at 


p.    H.    HARRIMAN. 

the  Dartmouth  Medical  School,  was  graduated  from 
the  University  of  New  York  in  March  1SS4,  and  in 
the  following  June  was  honored  by  his  .'\lma  Mater 
with  the  degree  of  A.  M.  After  a  few  months  as 
Assistant  Physician  at  Sanford  Hall,  Flushing,  Long 
Island,  he  located  in  Norwich,  where  he  has  sue 
ceeded  in  building  up  a  large  and  lucrative  practice 


MRN    OF    PROGRESS. 


259 


and  is  highly  (omnK'inleii  for  liis  ability  as  a  general 
practitioner.  Dr.  Ilarriman  is  visiting  physician  to 
the  William  \V.  liackus  Hospital,  and  lecturer  at 
the  Training  School  lor  Nurses.     He  is  a  member 


Gift  for  .Mourners"  ;  "The  Kingdom  of  Christ  on 
Earth,"  lectures  before  the  Andover  Theological 
Seminary;  "The  Philosophical  I5asis  of  Theism"; 
"  I'he  Self  Revelation  of  God  "  ;  "  God  the  Creator 


of  the  State,  County,  and  City  Medical  associations,  and  Lord  of  All."  He  was  married  Ajiril  30,  1839, 
the  Order  of  Elks,  the  Ancient  Order  of  Hibernians,  to  Deborah  Kobbins  Dickinson,  of  .Amherst,  Massa- 
the  Foresters  of  .America  and  several  other  benevo- 
lent societies.  In  politics  he  is  an  active  supporter 
of  the  Democratic  party  and  as  candidate  for 
Alderman  in  1896  he  ran  ahead  of  his  ticket  by 
several  hundred  votes,  lacking  but  seven  ballots  of 
being  elected.  On  September  30,  1890,  he  married 
15ertha  A.  Congdon,  youngest  daughter  of  the  well- 
known  contractor,  Gilbert  C.  Congdon.  Mrs.  Har- 
rinuui  died  July  3,  1895. 


HARRIS,  S.'iMUKi.,  I).  D.,  LL.  D.,  Professor  in 
the  Yale  Theological  School,  New  Haven,  was  born 
in  East  Machias,  Maine,  June  14,  1S14.  He  is  the 
youngest  of  nine  children  of  Josiah  Harris  and  Lucy 
(Talbot)  Harris.  His  father  was  a  native  of  Boston, 
and  on  his  mother's  side  he  is  descended  from 
Peter  Talbot,  one  of  the  first  settlers  of  East 
Machias.  He  was  fitted  for  college  at  Washington 
Academy  in  his  native  town,  and  was  graduated 
from  Howdoin  College  with  the  degree  of  B.  A.  in 
1833.  For  two  years  after  graduation  he  was  Prin- 
cipal successively  of  Limerick  .Academy,  in  Limer- 
ick, Maine,  and  of  Washington  Academy,  in  East 
Machias,  Maine.  He  then  entered  the  Theological 
School,  Andover,  Massachusetts,  where  he  com- 
pleted the  course  in  1838.  He  was  then  again 
Principal  of  Washington  .Academy  three  years.  In 
December  1841,  he  was  ordained  Pastor  of  the 
Congregational  Church,  in  Conway,  Massachusetts, 
where  he  continued  until  185  i  when  he  was  called 
to  the  pastorate  of  the  South  Congregational 
Church,  Pittsfield,  Massachusetts.  In  1855  he  was 
appointed  Professor  of  Systematic  Theology  in  the 
Theological  School  at  Bangor,  Maine,  where  he  also 
served  jointly  with  Professor  George  Shepard,  I).  I)., 
as  Pastor  of  the  Central  Church  of  Bangor.  l'"rom 
1867  to  187 1  he  was  President  of  Bowdoin  College, 
also  filling  the  chair  of  Mental  and  Moral  Philosophy. 
In  1871  he  was  appointed  I'rofessor  of  Systematic 
Theology  in  the  \'ale  Divinity  School.  He  retired 
from  active  work  in  instruction  in  1896,  and  is  now 
Professor  Emeritus.  He  is  the  author  of  the  follow- 
ing books :  "  Zaccheus,  the  Scriptural  Plan  of 
Systematic  Benevolence  "  (a  prize  essay)  ;  "  Christ's 
Prayer   for   the    Glorification    of  his  Redeemed,  a 


SAMUEL   HARRIS. 

chusetts.     .After  her  death  he  was  married,  October 
II,  1877,10  Mary  Sherman   Fitch,  of  New  Haven, 

Connecticut. 

HOUSE,  James  .Ai.i'oki),  Inventor,  President  of 
the  House  Corset  Machinery  Company,  Bridgeport, 
was  born  in  New  York  city  .A|)ril  6,  1838,  son  of 
Ezekiel  Newton  and  Susanna  (^  King)  House.  He 
inherited  his  faculty  for  invention.  His  paternal 
grandfather  was  James  N.  House,  one  of  whose 
sons.  Royal  I*",.  House,  made  the  House  name 
famous  by  inventing  the  first  printing  telegraph. 
That  was  in  1845  and  the  instrument  was  named 
after  him.  His  name  is  also  known  in  the  history 
of  other  inventions,  notably  the  telephone.  James 
.Alford  House  studied  in  schools  in  Little  Meadows, 
Pennsylvania,  and  Oswego,  New  York.  Soon  he 
took  up  the  study  of  architecture  and  then  of  me- 
chanical engineering,  in  both  of  which  he  became 
proficient.     The  Wheeler  &  Wilson  Manufacturing 


26o 


MKN    OF    I'ROC.RKSS. 


Company,  of  liridgeport,  being  on  the  lookout  for 
bright  men,  he  readily  found  a  position  there  where 
he  remained  for  ten  years.  The  great  concern  was 
then  devoting  its  attention  to  making  sewing 
machines  which  were  improved  from  year  to  year, 


married  in  i860,  was  Mary  Francis  Dimond.  He 
has  one  daughter,  Gertrude,  who  is  the  wife  of 
Dr.  James  Douglass  Gold,  of  Bridgeport. 


r 

^^;^^^^| 

i 

'^.^^^1 

m 

^;^^^H 

'> 

^Sh 

w 

-  ( 

y 

'<i:. 

i 

u  /JA 

M. 

/] 

JAMES    A,    HOUSE. 

and  here  his  inventive  genius  found  full  play.  Mr. 
House  devised  button-hole  and  sewing  machines 
together  with  other  articles,  taking  out  in  all  over 
three  hundred  patents.  With  one  thing  in  particular 
did  Mr.  House  show  himself  a  leader  in  this  progres- 
sive age,  indeed,  he  may  be  said  to  have  been  in 
advance  of  his  time.  As  early  as  1866  he,  with  his 
brother  Henry  A.  House,  made  a  horseless  steam 
carriage  which  they  ran  in  and  about  the  city  of 
Bridgeport  for  months.  There  was  no  hill  this 
carriage  could  not  climb  and  it  attained  a  speed  of 
thirty-six  miles  an  hour,  or  over  one  mile  in  one 
minute  and  forty  seconds.  He  received  permission 
from  the  city  of  Bridgeport  to  run  it  within  the  city 
limits.  Today  he  is  President  of  the  House  Corset 
Machinery  Company  of  Bridgeport  which  was 
organized  by  him  in  1884.  In  the  Masonic  Order 
he  belongs  to  Corinthian  Lodge,  Jerusalem  Chapter 
and  Hamilton  Commandery,  No.  8.  For  two  years 
he  served  his  city  as  Alderman,  in  1873  and  1874. 
In  politics  he  is  a  Republican  and  his  first  vote  was 
'-ast   for   Abraham    Lincoln.      His   wife   whom    he 


JOHNSON,  Cyril,  Woolen  Manufacturer,  Staf- 
ford Springs,  was  born  in  West  Stafford,  Connecti- 
cut, December  17,  1831.  He  comes  of  sturdy 
Scotch  ancestry  and  is  the  son  of  Cyril  and  Clarissa 
(McKinney)  Johnson.  His  early  education  was 
obtained  entirely  in  the  schools  of  his  native  town 
where  he  proved  himself  an  apt  pupil.  At  the  age 
of  sixteen  he  began  his  life  work  by  accepting  em- 
ployment in  the  card  room  of  the  Staffordville 
Woolen  Company.  After  several  years'  service  in 
this  position  he  went  to  work  at  Fox's  Mill  in  the 
same  town.  He  remained  with  the  latter  mill  for 
two  years,  but  his  previous  good  record  caused  his 
recall  to  the  Staffordville  Woolen  Company,  where 
he  entered  the  finishing  department  and  was  soon 


CYRIL  JOHNSON. 

promoted  to  be  head  of  the  department.  In  1870 
Mr.  Johnson  became  part  owner  and  Superintendent 
of  the  Phoenix  Woolen  Mill  at  Hydeville.  After 
eleven  years  of  successful  business  experience  at 
Hydeville,  he,  with  others,  organized,  in  1881,  the 
Riverside  Woolen  Company  at  Stafford  Hollow. 
Within  a  year  he  was  elected  President  and  agent 


Mi:\    OF    I'ROC.RKSS 


261 


of  the  company,  which  offices  lie  continues  to  hold. 
In  1888  he  was  the  leading  spirit  in  the  organiza- 
tion of  the  Central  Woolen  Company.  The  Gran- 
ite Cotton  Mills  property  at  Stafford  Sjirings  was 
purchased  and  transformed  into  a  woolen  mill  and 
Mr.  Johnson  also  became  agent  and  President  of 
this  com])any.  There  are  no  more  desirable  mill 
properties  in  the  State  than  those  of  the  Riverside 
and  Central  Companies.  Their  substantial  stone 
and  brick  buildings  are  provided  with  modern 
machinery  and  thoroughly  equip])ed  for  the  manu- 
facture of  high  grade  kerseys,  meltons,  cassimeres, 
cloakings,  coverts  and  other  woolen  fabrics.  The 
product  of  these  mills  is  widely  and  favorably 
known,  and  the  success  which  has  been  attained  is 
directly  attributable  to  Mr.  Johnson's  ca]iable  and 
intelligent  management.  In  addition  to  his  super- 
vision of  these  companies  he  has  lately  been  per- 
suaded to  accept  the  Presidency  of  the  \\'arren 
Woolen  Company  at  Stafford  S]irings.  In  the  reor- 
ganization of  this  company  Mr.  Johnson's  advice 
and  business  standing  have  been  of  very  great 
value.  Mr.  Johnson  takes  an  active  interest  in  all 
public  matters  in  his  native  town  antl  lias  been  a 
liberal  promoter  of  every  worthy  object.  He  has, 
.  however,  resolutely  refused  to  accept  political 
honors.  He  is  a  member  of  the  Home  Market 
Club  of  Boston,  and  a  loyal  defender  of  protection 
and  the  Republican  doctrines.  He  belongs  to  the 
New  York  Wool  Exchange  and  is  a  Director  in  the 
First  National  Bank  of  Stafford  Springs.  He  was 
married  May  21,  1857,  to  Julia  C,  daughter  of 
Daniel  Pinney,  of  Stafford.  Their  hospitable  and 
attractive  home  is  located  at  Stafford  Hollow. 
Both  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Johnson  are  greatly  interested 
in  the  Stafford  Public  Library,  whose  building  was 
presented  by  Mrs.  Johnson  to  the  Library  Associa- 
tion. As  has  well  been  said  of  him,  his  peculiar 
genius  in  directing  the  policy  of  his  mills  has  made 
him  successful  where  others  would  have  failed. 
During  the  recent  business  depression  his  mills 
were  the  only  ones  in  his  vicinity  which  were  not 
shut  down  for  a  protracted  period,  and  during  the 
entire  hard  times,  the  wages  of  none  of  his  employ- 
ees were  lowered,  but  were  maintained  as  they 
were  during  the  highly  prosperous  years  of  1891-92. 
His  relations  with  his  employees  have  always  been 
of  the  most  cordial  nature,  and  he  has  their  respect 
and  sincere  affection.  Although  nearly  seventy 
years  old  he  looks  at  least  fifteen  years  younger. 
His  genial  manner,  sympathetic  nature,  generous 
disposition,    frank  and  business-like  methods  make 


him  unusually  esteemed  by  all  who  have  the  i)rivi - 
lege  of  his  acquaintance.  He  is  csiiccially  beloved 
by  the  many  yoimg  men  to  whom  his  guidance  and 
assistance  have  been  of  lasting  benefit. 


KKLLOOG,  MiNOT  CKciioor,  Vice-President  of 
the  Patterson  Hardware  Comjiany,  New  \'ork,  was 
born  in  New  Canaan,  Connecticut,  December  17, 
1834,  son  of  Matthew  ami  Electa  (Crofoot)  Kel- 
logg. He  is  a  descendant  of  Daniel  Kellogg,  born 
in  1638,  was  an  early  settler  in  Norwalk,  Connecti- 
cut and  a  Selectman  in    1670,  ami   died   in    1713. 


M.   C.   KELLOGG. 

He  had  a  son,  Samuel  Kellogg,  born  in  1673,  -in'' 
the  line  continues  through  the  latter's  son,  Gideon 
Kellogg,  born  in  1 7 1 7.  Isaac  Kellogg,  son  of  Gideon 
and  grandfather  of  Minot  C.  Kellogg,  rendered  able 
service  to  the  cause  of  American  independence  as 
a  soldier,  and  his  name  appears  upon  the  pension 
rolls.  Matthew  Kellogg,  the  father,  who  was  born 
September  22,  1792,  was  a  prosperous  farmer  of  New 
Canaan  and  lived  to  the  advanced  age  of  ninety 
years.  Minot  Crofoot  Kellogg  was  reared  upon  the 
homestead  farm  and  acquired  such  education  as  was 
afforded  by  the  town  schools.  At  the  age  of  nine- 
teen he  went  to  New  York  city  where  he  entered  the 
employ   of    Patterson    Brothers,    hardware    dealers, 


;62 


MEN    OF  PROGRESS. 


commencing  as  office  boy  and  working  his  way  for- 
ward, step  by  step,  to  the  position  of  senior  clerk, 
and  at  length  to  an  equal  partnership  in  the  busi- 
ness. In  1S84  the  concern  was  incorporated  under 
its  present  style  and  he  was  elected  its  Vice-Presi- 
dent. Mr.  Kellogg  is  President  of  the  Co-operative 
Building  Bank  of  New  York,  a  position  formerly 
occupied  by  the  late  Hon.  James  W.  Wyatt,  of  Nor- 
walk,  and  among  its  directors  are  several  prominent 
Connecticut  men  including  Ex-Governor  Lounsbury 
and  the  present  Lieutenant-Governor  of  New  York, 
Hon.  Timothy  L.  Woodruff.  Mr.  Kellogg  is  also 
Yice-President  of  the  Bank  of  Mount  Vernon  (New 
York),  a  Director  of  the  East  Chester  Bank,  and  of 
various  other  institutions,  is  one  of  the  managers  of 
the  Mount  Vernon  Hospital  and  President  of  the 
Hoard  of  Trustees  of  the  First  Methodist  Church. 
His  business  interests  necessitated  his  removal  from 
Connecticut  in  1874,  and  since  that  year  he  has  re- 
sided in  Mount  Vernon,  New  York.  The  moral  and 
religious  institutions  of  the  community  in  which  he 
lives  have  in  him  an  earnest  and  a  liberal  helper, 
and  the  only  organization  in  the  Metropolis  with 
which  he  is  said  to  affiliate  is  the  Hardware  Club. 
Politically  he  is  a  Republican.  On  September  24, 
1863,  Mr.  Kellogg  married  for  his  first  wife  Emily 
E.,  daughter  of  Charles  E.  and  Abigail  Ann  Disbrovv, 
of  Norwalk.  They  had  two  sons  and  two  daughters 
of  whom  the  latter  survive  :  Mildred  C,  the  oldest, 
married  Samuel  W.  Bertine,  October  24,  1893,  and 
has  one  son,  Edwin  Wilbur,  born  August  i,  1897  ; 
and  the  younger  daughter  is  attending  the  Mt. 
Vernon  High  School.  His  first  wife  died  Febru- 
ary 8,  1889,  and  on  January  7,  1891,  he  married 
Mary  L.,  daughter  of  the  late  William  H.  Tallmadge, 
of  New  Canaan,  Connecticut. 


KEENEY,  George  Edward,  of  Somerville,  Pay- 
master-General on  Governor  Cooke's  staff,  was  born 
in  Manchester,  Connecticut,  March  22,  1849,  son  of 
Rockwell  and  I^eonora  (Gowdy)  Keeney.  He  is  a 
descendant  in  the  seventh  generation  of  Alexander 
Keeney,  who  was  made  a  Freeman  in  Wethersfield 
in  1667  and  died  in  1680,  and  from  him  the  line  is 
traced  through  Joseph,  Ashbel  ist,  Ashbel  2d,  and 
Ashbel  3d,  to  Rockwell  Keeney.  George  E.  Keeney 
attended  the  common  .schools  until  he  was  thirteen 
years  old,  at  which  time  he  began  work  in  a  woolen 
factory,  and  was  thus  employed  about  five  years. 
After  a  year's  course  at  the  Cheshire  Military  Acad- 
emy he  became  associated  with  his  father  in  the 


woolen  business  and  has  been  identified  with  the 
trade  since  186S.  He  was  a  member  of  the  State 
Senate  for  the  years  18S9-90  and  1893-94,  was 
appointed  to  his  present  position  on  the  Governor's 
staff  in  1897,  and  in  politics  he  is  a  Republican. 
Mr.  Keeney  was  made  a  Mason  in  1870.  On 
August  13,  1873,  he  married  Ellen  Denison  of 
Mystic,   Connecticut.      They    have    two    children : 


GEORGE   E.   KEENEY. 


Elizabeth  E.,  a  graduate  of  Smith  College,  class  of 
1897  ;  and  Raymond  G.  Keeney,  a  student  at  Yale 
University,  class  of  igoo. 


KENT,  John  Bryden,  M.  D.,  Physician  and 
Surgeon,  Putnam,  Connecticut,  was  born  in  Truro, 
Nova  Scotia,  November  16,  1845,  ^'^^  °^  Alexander 
and  Olivia  (Archibald)  Kent.  His  paternal  ances- 
tors came  originally  from  Alloa,  Scotland,  settling 
first  in  New  England  and  later  in  Nova  Scotia,  and 
his  mother's  family,  the  Archibalds,  who  were 
English,  arrived  in  that  province  in  1762,  locating 
in  Truro,  where  she  was  born.  John  Bryden  Kent 
attended  the  public  schools,  graduated  at  the  Truro 
Academy,  and  fitted  for  college  at  a  private  prepar- 
atory school  for  boys.  His  professional  studies 
were  pursued  at  the  Harvard  University  Medical 
School,  from  which  he  was  graduated  in  i86g.  In 
1887  he  took  a  private  course  of  practical  instruc- 


MF.X    OF    PROC.RFSS. 


261 


tion  in  gynecology  at  Hellevnc  Hospital,  New  York, 
spent  the  winter  of  iSgoand  1S91  stiulying  pathol- 
ogy and  bacteriology  at  the  University  of  Uerlin, 
Germany,  his  time  being  occupied  in  laboratory 
work,  clinics  and  lectures,  and  in  1896  he  took  a 
post-graduate  course  at  the  Polyclinic  School  of 
Medicine,  New  York.  In  1896  he  locatetl  in  Put- 
nam where  he  has  practiced  medicine  continuously, 
and  has  become  closely  identified  with  the  city  and 
its  public  institutions.  Dr.  Kent  is  Examining 
Physician  or  I)ei)uty-Coroner,  was  United  States 
Pension  Examiner  under  the  Harrison  Administra- 
tion, was  for  two  years  a  member  of  the  State  Hoard 


JOHN    B    KENT. 

of  Medical  Examiners  appointed  by  the  Connecticut 
Medical  Society,  is  examining  Surgeon  for  most  of  the 
leading  life  and  accident  insurance  companies,  Post 
Surgeon  of  the  Connecticut  National  Guard,  and 
Physician  and  Surgeon  to  the  Day-Kimball  Hospi- 
tal. He  is  connected  with  the  American  and  State 
Medical  societies,  of  Israel  Putnam  Lodge,  Inde- 
pendent Order  of  Odd  Fellows,  the  Ancient  Order 
of  United  Workmen,  the  Arcanum  Club  and  other 
similar  organizations,  and  is  a  member  of  the  Ha])- 
tist  Church.  He  has  served  with  ability  upon  the 
School  Board  for  fifteen  years,  and  is  a  member  of 
the  High  School  Committee,  and  in  politics  is  a 
Republican.     On    September  5,    1872,  he    married 


Helen  Abbie  Manning,  only  daughter  of  Hon. 
James  W.  and  Emily  Manning  of  Putnam.  They 
have  one  son  :  James  Manning  Kent,  born  .August 
14,  1876,  and  now  in  his  Junior  year  at  Hrown 
University,  Providence,  Rhode  Island. 


I,OG.\N,  W.MiiK  Skmi,  .\ttorney-at-I.aw,  New 
York  city,  was  born  in  \Va.shington,  Connecticut, 
April  15,  1847,  son  of  Seth  Savage  and  .Abigail 
Serene  (Hollister)  Logan.  His  ancestors  were 
among  the  first  settlers  in  ancient  Woodbury,  the 
original  settlement  in  Litchfield  county.  'I'hey 
came  first  to  Watertown,  Ma.ssachusetts,  thence  to 
\Vethersficl(l,  Connecticut,  thence  to  Stratford, 
thence  to  Woodbury.  In  each  case  the  move- 
ment was  a  religious  one,  the  church  <lividing  on 
some  doctrinal  point  and  the  minority  moving  off 
to  form  a  new  settlement.  The  ancestors  of  Gen- 
eral and  Senator  Sherman  were  in  all  these  migra- 
tions and  their  names  are  found  in  the  cemetery 
at  Woodbury.  On  the  maternal  side  Mr.  I^ogan's 
L^encalogical  record  is  qiiite  comjilete.  He  is  the 
seventh  generation  from  Lieutenant  John  and  Joanna 
(Treat)  Hollister.  Lieutenant  Hollister  was  born 
in  161 2,  and  died  in  .April  1665.  From  there 
the  line  descends  to  Stephen  and  .Abigail  (Treat) 
Hollister,  to  Gideon  and  Rebecca  (Sherman)  Hol- 
lister, to  Captain  (jideon  and  Patience  (Hurd) 
Hollister,  to  Sherman  P.  and  Sarah  (Ford)  Hollister, 
to  Sherman  and  Patty  (Nettleton)  Hollister,  the 
grandjxirents  of  tlie  subject  of  this  sketch.  Walter 
S.  Logan's  father,  Seth  S.  Logan,  who  died  in  1887, 
was  prominent  in  Democratic  politics  and  for  more 
than  twenty  years  was  a  member  in  one  branch  or 
the  other  of  the  Connecticut  Legislature,  and  was 
an  intimate  friend  of  many  of  Connecticut's  most 
famous  public  men,  who  were  frequent  visitors  at 
his  house.  Mr.  Logan  thus  considers  that  he  has 
inherited  both  his  political  and  his  liberal  religious 
views,  as  he  is  a  descendant  of  the  Reverend  John 
Hollister  of  Wethersfield  whose  trial  for  heresy  is 
noted  in  the  histories  of  the  state.  Young  Logan 
received  his  early  education  at  The  (junnery  at 
Washington,  Connecticut,  going  from  there  to  the 
l''ort  lOdwanl,  New  York,  Institute,  thence  to  the 
Connecticut  Literary  Institute  at  Suffield,  Connecti- 
cut. He  was  graduated  from  Yale  with  the  class 
of  1870.  He  then  studied  law  at  the  Harvard  Law 
School  where  he  was  graduated  in  187 1,  an<l  in  the 
following  year  took  the  degree  of  ]i.  L.  at  the 
Columbia  Law  School.     He    is   probably  the  only 


264 


MEN    OF   PROGRESS. 


graduate  to  hold  a  sheepskin  from  the  tliree  great 
universities  o(  Vale,  Harvard  and  Columbia.  The 
circumstances  of  his  coming  to  New  York  are  related 
here  in  his  own  words  :  "  It  was  in  September  187 1 
at  Cambridge.  I  had  graduated  at  the  Law  School 
in  July  of  that  year,  but  came  back  intending  to 
spend  another  year  in  a  post-graduate  course.  I 
arrived  a  day  or  two  after  the  beginning  of  the 
term.  I  had  enjoyed  during  the  year  the  special 
friendship  of  Professor  C.  C.  Langdell,  Dean  of  the 
Law  School,  a  formerly  distinguished  practicing 
lawyer  of  New  York  and  associate  of  Mr.  James 
C.  Carter.      When  I  reached   my  room   in   Cam- 


WALTER    S.    LOGAN. 

bridge  in  September  1871,  I  found  a  note  from 
Professor  Langdell  asking  me  to  call  at  his  room 
at  once  whether  it  was  night,  day,  or  Sunday.  I 
took  him  at  his  word,  and  aroused  him  from  his 
bed  within  ten  minutes  after  I  had  received  his 
note.  He  said  to  me  that  his  friend,  Mr.  James 
C.  Carter,  had  lately  visited  him  and  desired 
him  to  select  from  the  graduates  of  the  law 
school  some  person  to  fill  a  particularly  impor- 
tant and  delicate  position  in  his  office  in  New  York. 
Professor  Langdell  added,  '  I  have  held  this  posi- 
tion for  you  and  it  is  yours  if  you  will  take  it,  but 
you  must  decide  at  once;  Mr.  Carter  is  waiting. 
You  know  how  much  I  would  like  to  have  you  with 


me  for  another  year,  but  this  is  an  opportunity 
which  I  do  not  think  you  can  afford  to  lightly  pass 
over.'  I  said,  '  I  will  take  it.'  This  was  eleven 
o'clock  at  night.  1  had  not  unpacked  my  trunk  and 
took  a  carriage,  paid  the  Jehu  an  extra  dollar  and 
caught  the  midnight  train  for  New  York.  The  next 
morning  at  nine  o'clock,  I  met  Mr.  Carter  in  his 
office  in  New  Y'ork  and  went  to  work  with  Mr. 
Carter  and  Mr.  O'Conor  on  the  famous  Jumel  case, 
which  occupied  for  several  years  thereafter  so  much 
of  the  time  and  attention  of  the  New  York  courts. 
I  was  able  to  do  good  work  in  that  case  and  through 
it  to  make  for  myself  a  position  in  the  New  York 
Bar ;  but  more  than  all  else,  I  was  able  to  win  the 
intimate  and  enduring  friendship  of  Mr.  Charles 
O'Conor  and  Mr.  James  C.  Carter,  the  thing  which  in 
my  whole  career  I  have  valued  most."  Since  that 
time  Mr.  Logan  has  been  in  the  active  practice  of 
his  profession  and  has  been  entrusted  with  much 
important  litigation.  .Among  the  well  known  cases 
in  which  he  has  been  retained  are  the  Wirt  and  the 
Waterman  Fountain  Pen  cases,  the  Chesebrough 
Estate  and  the  Phelps  Estate  litigations,  the  Andrew 
}.  Davis  will  case,  the  Myerle  vs.  the  LInited  States 
suit,  the  Van  Ingen  libel  suits,  and  the  water  right 
controversies  in  the  South  West.  These  latter 
suits  have  brought  him  much  business  in  Mexico. 
He  has  become  a  student  of  Mexican  politics  and 
is  now  engaged,  as  a  pastime,  in  writing  a  history  of 
Mexico.  His  practice  frequently  also  takes  him  to 
Washington  in  the  arguing  of  cases  before  the 
United  States  Supreme  Court,  and  he  is  widely 
recognized  as  an  advocate  of  rare  ability.  On  com- 
mencing the  practice  of  law  he  was  for  a  time  asso- 
ciated with  Alfred  C.  Chapin,  and  later  with  Horace 
E.  Deming  and  Salter  S.  Clark.  His  present  firm 
of  Logan,  Demond  &  Harby  has  offices  at  58  Wil- 
liam street,  New  York  city,  Marx  E.  Harby  and 
Charles  M.  Demond  being  the  other  members  of 
the  firm.  He  finds  time  to  do  quite  a  little  literary 
work,  and  has  published  the  following  papers  :  An 
Argument  for  an  Eight  Hour  Law,  Nationalism, 
Needed  Modifications  of  the  Patent  Laws,  A  Work- 
ing Plan  for  an  International  Tribune,  Peonage  in 
Mexico,  The  Siege  of  Cuautla,  the  Bunker  Hill  of 
Mexico,  and  a  Mexican  Law  Suit.  He  is  also  an 
orator  of  no  mean  reputation  and  is  in  frequent 
demand  on  public  occasions.  This  year  (1897)  he 
delivered  the  oration  before  the  literary  societies  of 
Washington  and  Lee  University  on  the  Mission  of 
the  Saxon  Scholar.  His  paper  delivered  before 
the  Social  Science  Association  on  the  intricacies  of 


Mi:\    t)F    I'kOC.RFSS. 


265 


the  Latin  Code,  showed  wide  research  and  brought 
liini  many  apjireciative  letters  from  prominent  mem- 
bers of  tlie  liar.  Not  less  appreciated  and  compre- 
hensive was  his  report  as  Chairman  of  the  Committee 
on  Commercial  Law  of  the  American  IJar  Associa- 
tion at  Cleveland  in  1897  on  the  subject  of  A 
liroader  Basis  of  Credit,  while  his  address  in  1S96 
as  Vice-President  of  tlie  New  \'ork  State  Bar  Asso- 
ciation was  an  elo([uent  plea  for  international  arbi- 
tration, and  elicited  tiniversal  commendation,  among 
others  a  special  letter  from  Sir  Julian  I'auncefote  of 
the  British  Embassy.  In  his  friendships  and  his 
social  relations  Mr.  Logan  has  been  particularly 
fortunate.  On  the  occasion  of  his  fiftieth  birthday, 
in  April  1897,  he  was  given  a  happy  surprise  in  the 
presentation  of  a  very  handsome  loving  cup  engraved 
with  the  names  of  the  givers,  among  which  are  such 
well-known  names  as  John  Fiske,  Ex- Postmaster- 
General  Wilson,  Matias  Romero,  the  Mexican 
Minister  to  the  United  States,  General  Horace 
Porter,  Lieutenant-Governor  Woodruff  and  Judges 
Daily,  'I'ruax  and  Bartlett  of  the  Supreme  Court  of 
New  York.  Mr.  Logan  is  a  member  of  many  clubs, 
as  is  most  natural  in  one  of  so  wide  a  circle  of 
friends  to  whom  he  is  known  as  a  prince  of  good 
fellows.  He  is  one  of  the  founders  of  the  Lawyers' 
Club  and  the  Reform  Club  and  is  also  a  member  of 
the  Manhattan,  Democratic,  Lotos,  Nineteenth 
Century,  New  York  Yacht,  New  York  Athletic, 
Colonial,  Marine  and  Field,  and  Adirondack  League 
clubs  of  New  York,  Cosmos  Club  of  Washington, 
Hamilton  of  Brooklyn,  and  Fort  Orange  Club  of 
.Albany.  He  also  belongs  to  the  Sons  of  the  Amer- 
ican Revolution,  Society  of  Colonial  Wars,  Society 
of  Founders  and  Patriots,  Geographical  Society, 
Historical  Society  and  Academy  of  Sciences.  He 
is  Vice-President  of  the  New  York  State  Bar  Asso- 
ciation, and  of  the  Empire  State  Society  of  the  Sons 
of  the  American  Revolution.  He  was  married  .-^pril 
i3>  187s,  to  Eliza  Preston  Kenyon  of  Brooklyn. 
Three  children  have  been  born  to  them:  HoUister, 
Janette,  and  Walter  Seth  Logan,  Jr. 


MacLAREN,  William  Stevenson,  ^L  D.,  Litch- 
field, was  born  in  Princeton,  New  Jersey,  January  i, 
1866,  son  of  Chaplain  Donald,  United  States  Navy, 
and  Elizabeth  Stockton  (Green)  MacLaren.  His 
paternal  ancestry  were  originally  members  of  a  clan 
of  Scotch  Highlanders  whose  principal  seat  was 
upon  the  shores  of  Loch  Voil.  His  great-grand- 
father, Finlay  MacLaren  (born  1750.  died  in   18 10 


at  Manlius,  New  York),  of  Balquidder,  married 
Margaret  Cam|)bell,  of  Calandcr,  Scotland.  'I'hey 
had  ten  children  :  Mary,  died  in  infancy  ;  Margaret, 
Ixirn  September  i,  1787,  married  Oliver  Rijjlcy 
Strong,  died  .April  15,  1827,  at  Onondaga,  New 
York  ;  John,  died  in  infancy  ;  Janet,  died  in  infancy  ; 
Christine,  born  May  6,  1792,  married  Hon.  James 
R.  Lawrence,  of  .Syracuse,  New  York;  Donald 
Campbell,  D.  I).,  born  October  3,  1794,  died  May  7, 
1882;  Mary;  Malcolm  McNeil,  D.  I)  ,  born  1798, 
of  Auburn,  New  York  ;  William  ;  and  the  Reverend 
John  Finlay  MacLaren,  LL.  1)  ,  of  Pittsburg,  Penn- 
sylvania, father  of  the  Rt.  Rev.  William  E.  Macljren, 


WILLIAM    S.   MucLAREN. 

Bishop  of  Chicago.  Donald  Campbell  MacLaren, 
the  grandfather,  was  born  in  New  York  city,  October 
3,  1794  (died  May  7,  1882),  was  graduated  from 
Union  College  in  1813,  and  was  a  student  of  astrology 
under  Reverend  John  Mason  in  New  York  city. 
He  married  Jane  Stevenson,  born  in  1803,  daughter 
of  William  and  Mary  (McNeil)  Stevenson,  and  had 
a  family  of  ten  children,  namely  :  Finlay,  born  1S31 
died  1862;  Malcolm  M.,  born  183S,  died  1861 ; 
Reverend  William  S.,  born  1824,  died  1874;  James^ 
born  1841,  died  1861;  Margaret,  born  1826,  died 
1863;  John;  General  Robert  W  ,  born  1S28,  died 
1886;  Mary,  born  1S36,  married  Edward  Richard- 
son;   Jeanie,    married    Reverend    K.    Kirby  :    and 


»66 


mp:n  of  progress. 


Donaia  MacUren,  born  1834.  The  father  was  born 
March  7,  1S34,  anil  became  a  Chaplain  in  the 
I'niteil  States  Navy  in  1863,  retiring  from  active 
duty  March  7,  1896.  He  married  Elizabeth  Stock- 
ton Green,  born  January  14,  1838,  daughter  of 
Jacob,  M.  D.,  and  Ann  Eliza  (McCuUoch)  Green, 
and  a  descendant  in  the  seventh  generation  of 
Thomas  Green,  born  in  England  in  1606,  and  died 
in  Maiden,  Massachusetts,  December  19,  1667. 
Lieutenant  Henry  Green,  the  next  in  line,  was  born 
in  1 638,  and  died  September  19, 1717-  He  married 
Esther  Hasse,  and  his  son,  Jacob  Green,  who  was 
born  May  10,  1689,  and  died  in  Maiden,  July  19 
1723,  married  Dorothy  Lynde,  July  8,  17  13.  Jacob 
Green,  D.  D.,  who  was  born  in  1721,  and  died  in 
1790,  was  a  graduate  of  Harvard  University  and  was 
the  founder  and  Pastor  of  a  Presbyterian  church  in 
Hanover,  New  Jersey.  While  Pastor  of  the  small 
country  church  at  Hanover  he  increased  his  income 
in  various  ways.  He  opened  a  small  school ;  held 
the  public  office  of  Proctor ;  and  as  there  was  no 
physician  in  the  place,  he  read  a  little  medicine  and 
practiced  "  physick."  He  also  bought  the  country 
mill  in  connection  with  which  was  a  small  distillery. 
On  this  account  one  of  his  waggish  Philadelphia 
friends  having  occasion  to  write  him,  addressed  the 
letter, "  To  J  acob  Green,  Preacher,  Teacher,  Proctor, 
Doctor,  Miller,  Distiller,  Hanover,  New  Jersey." 
He  was  one  of  the  original  members  and  for  many 
years  President  of  the  Board  of  Trustees  of  Prince- 
ton University.  On  October  19,  1757,  he  married 
Elizabeth  Pierson.  She  was  a  daughter  of  John 
Pierson,  who  was  son  of  Reverend  Abram,  2d,  and 
Abigail  (Clark)  Pierson,  and  grandson  of  Reverend 
Abram,  ist,  and  Anne  (Cartwright)  Pierson.  Rev- 
erend Abram  Pierson,  1st,  was  an  Englishman  who 
graduated  from  Trinity  College,  Cambridge,  in  1632, 
and  arrived  at  Lynn,  Massachusetts,  in  1640.  Rev- 
erend Abram  Pierson,  2d,  was  born  in  Lynn  in  1641, 
and  died  in  1 707.  He  with  several  others  originated 
the  idea  of  founding  an  institution  of  learning  to  be 
located  not  further  east  than  Saybrook,  nor  further 
west  than  New  Haven.  He  was  selected  to  be  its 
Rector  or  President,  and  in  his  letter  of  acceptance 
he  said  that  he  durst  not  refuse  such  a  service  for 
God  and  his  generation,  but  submitted  himself  to 
take  the  charge.  He  was  President  of  Yale  Uni- 
versity from  1701  to  1707.  Reverend  Jacob,  D.  D., 
and  Elizabeth  (Pierson)  Green  were  the  parents  of 
Reverend  Ashbel  Green,  D.  D.,  LL.  D.,  who  was 
born  in  1762  and  died  in  1848,  was  graduated  from 
Princeton   in    1783    in    the    presence  of    General 


Washington  and  the  members  of  the  Continental 
Congress,  and  was  Valedictorian  of  his  class.  He 
was  the  first  Chaplain  of  one  of  the  houses  of  Con- 
gress, holding  office  until  the  Capitol  was  removed 
to  Washington,  and  was  President  of  Princeton 
University  from  181 2  to  1822.  His  first  wife  was 
Elizabeth  Stockton,  his  second  Christina  Anderson, 
and  his  third  was  Mary  McCulloch.  To  his  first 
union  were  born  two  sons  ;  Jacob,  M.  D.  ;  and 
James  Sproat  Green,  LL.  D.,  who  married  Isabella 
McCullough  and  was  the  father  of  Hon.  Robert 
Stockton  Green,  M.  C,  and  Governor  of  New 
lersey.  Jacob  Green,  i\L  D.,  maternal  grandfather 
of  Dr.  MacLaren,  was  Professor  of  Chemistry  at 
Princeton  University,  and  one  of  the  founders  and 
Professor  of  the  same  department  of  Jefferson 
Medical  College,  Philadelphia.  Reverend  Donald 
and  Elizabeth  McLaren  had  a  family  of  seven  chil- 
dren :  Donald  Campbell,  born  in  1859  ;  Anna  Green, 
born  in  t86i;  Elizabeth  Stockton,  born  in  1826; 
William  Stevenson,  M.  D.,the  subject  of  this  sketch  ; 
Malcolm  McNeil,  born  in  1S69;  Alice  McMurrin, 
born  in  1872;  and  Isabella  Williamson,  born  in 
1874.  William  Stevenson  MacLaren  fitted  for 
college  at  Professor  Hastings'  West  Philadelphia 
Academy,  and  was  graduated  from  Princeton  with 
the  degree  of  A.  B.  in  1886  receiving  his  Master's 
degree  in  1SS9.  He  completed  his  medical  studies 
at  the  College  of  Physicians  and  Surgeons,  New 
York  city,  in  1889,  and  after  serving  upon  the  staff 
of  the  Fourth  Medical  Division  of  Bellevue  Hospital 
from  April  of  that  year  until  April  1891,  located  in 
Litchfield,  w-here  he  has  since  been  in  practice. 
He  is  a  member  of  the  County  and  State  Medical 
Society  and  the  American  Medical  Association ; 
also  of  the  Society  of  .'\lumni  of  Bellevue  Hospital 
and  non-resident  member  of  the  New  York  State 
Medical  Association.  In  politics  he  is  a  Repub- 
lican. On  June  14,  1892,  he  married  Louisa 
Cobane  of  New  York,  and  she  died  July  13,  1896, 
leaving  two  children  ;  Lydia  Cobane,  born  June  2, 
1894;  and  William  Stevenson,  Jr.,  born  June 
16,  1896. 

McCOLLUM,  Fenelon,  Manufacturer  of  Church 
Organs,  Rockville,  Connecticut,  was  born  in  Rock- 
ville,  October  5,  1841,  of  Scotch  descent,  son  of 
Erastus  and  Harriet  (Bosworth)  McCollum.  About 
1835  Erastus  McCollum  moved  from  Manchester  to 
Rockville,  and  built  the  first  house  on  Brooklyn 
street,  and  also  erected  a  barn  in  the  rear  of  what  is 
now  Rock  Mill.     It  was  in  this  barn  in   1841   that 


MEN    OK    PROC.RF.SS. 


!67 


the  first  church  organ  was  set  up  by  his  sons,  Sclilon, 
Julius  and  Henry,  all  the  different  parts  of  the  organ 
being  made  by  them  in  their  father's  workshop 
The  brothers  grew  to  be  experts  in  organ  building, 
and  made  a  name  for  themselves  as  reed  makers 
and  voicers  of  rare  ability.  The  services  of  the 
McCollum  brothers  were  in  great  demand  by  vari- 
ous organ  manufacturers  among  whom  were  the 
firms  of  Hook  &  Hastings  of  Boston,  Johnson  iS; 
Son  of  Westfield,  Massachusetts,  and  the  Mansfield 
Organ  Pipe  Works  at  Mansfield.  The  youngest  of 
the  McCollum  Brothers,  Fenelon,  received  his  edu- 
caiiim    at    the    Rciikvillo    High    School    and     later 


FENELON    McCOLLUM. 

followed  in  his  brothers'  footstejis.  He  conceived 
the  idea  of  making  the  manufacture  of  the  organ 
pipes  a  separate  industry,  and  in  187 1  started  this 
independent  business.  He  and  his  brother  Henry 
carried  on  this  industry  in  the  Milliard  Mill  at  Mer- 
row,  supplying  action  work  as  well  as  pipes  to 
builders.  In  1876  the  business  was  removed  to  the 
ell  part  of  the  Brigham  Mill,  at  Mansfield  Depot, 
and  the  firm  name  of  the  Mansfield  Organ  Pipe 
Works  was  adojited.  The  business  soon  demanded 
more  room  and  tlie  whole  mill  was  leased,  later  in 
1889,  the  whole  mill  property,  tenement  houses  as 
well  as  mill,  became  the  property  of  Mr.  McCollum 
and  also  in   1892-93  a  new  four-story  factory  was 


erected  to  accommodate  the  rapidly  growing  busi- 
ness. In  1S90  Henry  McCollum  was  ol)liged  to  retire 
from  business,  and  died  soon  afterwards.  In  1896 
the  mills  were  burned  clown,  but  with  his  energy 
Mr.  McCollum  erected  new  ones,  and  e<iuip|)ed  the 
factories  with  the  latest  improvements  in  machinery. 
.Mr.  McColhnn  is  an  inventor  and  patentee  himself 
and  has  made  special  machinery  for  some  of  the 
work.  The  factories  are  the  best  etpiipped  in  the 
country  for  the  manufacture  of  organ  ])i|)es,  and 
constitute  the  largest  manufactory  of  wood  ])ipes  in 
the  world.  About  four  hundred  thousand  feet  of 
the  best  Michigan  ])ine  is  used  a  year.  The  skill 
and  care  with  which  each  part  of  the  work  is  attended 
jilaces  them  at  the  head  of  their  industry.  Mr. 
McCollum  has  always  been  active  in  religious  and 
moral  affairs,  and  the  result  of  his  labors  is  very 
apparent  in  the  section  of  the  town  occupied  by  his 
industry.  Mr.  McCollum  is  a  member  of  the 
.Ancient  Order  of  United  Workman.  In  politics 
descended  from  old  Whig  stock,  he  has  always  been 
identified  with  the  Republican  party,  and  greatly 
interested  in  political  issues,  even  as  a  boy  taking  an 
active  part  m  the  Fremont  campaign,  but  he  always 
refrained  from  holding  office.  He  was  married 
December  15,  1870,  to  Mary  Flizabeth  Carpenter  of 
New  Britain,  Connecticut,  who  died  some  twenty 
years  later.  He  again  married  in  1896  Minnie 
Louise  Bowers,  of  Mansfield,  Connecticut,  where  he 
at  present  resides.  There  are  no  living  children 
from  eitlier  union. 


ROBINSON,  Henry  Cornelius,  LL.  D.,  Mayor 
of  Hartford  1872-74,  was  born  in  Hartford,  August 
28,  1832,  son  of  David  Franklin  and  .Anne  (Sey- 
mour) Robinson,  both  of  whom  were  descendants 
from  the  Puritans.  On  his  father's  side  there  are  in 
the  family:  Thomas  Robinson,  who  settled  in  Guil- 
ford in  1667  ;  David  Robinson,  one  of  the  founders 
of  Durham,  and  Colonel  Timothy  Robinson,  one  of 
the  leading  promoters  of  the  Revolutionary  War, 
besides  tiie  Coes,  Roses,  Johnsons  and  Millers. 
Through  his  mother  he  descends  from  h'.lder  William 
Brewster,  of  Plymouth  ('olony.  Captain  (ieorge  Deni- 
son,  Ciovernor  jolin  Webster,  Richard  Treat,  Colo- 
nial Patentee  in  the  Charter  of  1662,  and  Richard 
Seymour  who  came  to  Hartford  in  1639  and  is  said 
to  be  of  noble  descent.  Mr.  Robinson  was  fitted 
for  college  in  the  Hartford  Crammar  School  and  the 
Hartford  Public  High  School.  t)n  his  graduation 
at   Yale   in  1853  he  received  the  degree  of  A.  B. 


268 


MKN    OF    PROGRESS 


which  has  since  been  supplemented  with  those  of 
A.  M.  and  I.L.  D.  Taking  up  the  study  of  law  in 
his  brother's  oftice,  he  was  admitted  to  practice  in 
1855.  Three  years  later  he  founded  a  partnership 
with  his  brother  Lucius  F.,  which  continued  till  his 
brother's  death  in  1861,  after  which  time  he  man- 
aged his  fast  increasing  business  alone  till  his  sons 
returned  from  college  and  law  school,  when  they 
were  taken  into  partnership  one  after  the  other. 
The  firm  is  known  far  beyond  the  confines  of  the 
state.  With  all  his  regular  business  requirements 
Mr.  Robinson  has  found  time  for  the  cultivation  of 
science  and  literature.     To  him  belongs  the  credit 


HENRY  C.    ROBINSON. 

of  first  making  an  intelligent  study  of  fish  culture  in 
the  state  and  he  was  an  original  fish  commissioner, 
appointed  by  Governor  Hawley  in  1866.  The  first 
artificial  hatch  of  American  shad,  now  such  an  im- 
portant industry,  was  made  under  his  direction. 
Mr.  Robinson  was  made  Mayor  of  Hartford,  usually 
a  Democratic  city,  in  1872.  His  administration 
was  notable  for  its  purity  and  efficiency ;  business 
principles  prevailed  and  the  interests  of  the  tax- 
payers were  well  cared  for.  In  1879  he  was  chosen 
Representative  in  the  General  Assembly.  As  Chair- 
man of  the  Judiciary  Committee,  he  was  recognized 
as  his  party  leader  in  the  House.  He  has  been  a 
Republican  since  the  party  was  established.     Three 


times  he  has  been  nominated  for  Governor  by 
acclamation,  once  in  the  spring  of  1876,  again  in 
the  fall  of  that  year  and  the  third  time  in  187S  ;  the 
last  nomination  he  declined.  He  was  a  member  of 
the  National  Convention  in  Chicago  in  1880  when 
he  took  an  active  part  in  framing  the  platform.  He 
was  Commissioner  for  Connecticut  at  the  Constitu- 
tional Centennial  celebration  in  Philadelphia  in  18S7. 
He  is  a  Director  of  the  New  York,  New  Haven  & 
Hartford  Railroad  Company,  of  the  Connecticut 
Mutual  Life  Insurance  Company,  of  the  Pratt  & 
Whitney  Company,  of  the  Connecticut  Fire  Insur- 
ance Company,  and  of  the  Hartford  Steam  Boiler 
Insurance  &  Inspection  Company ;  a  Trustee  of  the 
Connecticut  Trust  &  Safe  Deposit  Company  and  a 
member  of  the  Hartford  Board  of  Trade.  He  is  a 
member  of  the  Hartford  Tract  Society,  and  a 
trustee  of  the  Wadsworth  Atheneum  and  of  the 
Hartford  Grammar  -School.  He  is  also  the  Vice- 
President  of  both  the  Connecticut  Bar  Association 
and  of  the  County  Bar  Association;  Ex- President 
of  the  Hartford  Vale  .Alumni  Association  and  one 
of  the  founders  of  the  Connecticut  Society  of  the 
Sons  of  the  Revolution.  His  grace  and  power  as 
an  orator  have  caused  him  to  be  called  upon  to 
make  many  memorial,  welcome  and  dedication 
addresses.  He  was  the  memorial  orator  at  the  local 
obsequies  of  both  President  Garfield  and  General 
Grant,  and  has  delivered  eulogies  upon  such  prom- 
inent members  of  the  Bar  as  Judge  Storrs,  Ex- 
Governor  R.  D.  Hubbard,  Judge  L.  P.  Waldo  and 
C.  E.  Cole.  His  orations  at  the  unveiling  of  two 
Putnam  statues  alone  entitle  him  to  a  high  position 
among  men  of  eloquence,  while  a  number  of  his 
Memorial  Day  addresses  have  received  wide  circu- 
lation. He  married  Eliza  Niles,  daughter  of  John 
F.  Trumbull  of  Stonington,  August  28,  1862.  His 
children  are  :  Lucius  F.,  Lucy  T.,  wife  of  Sidney  T. 
Miller  of  Detroit;  Henry  S.,  John  T.  and  Mary  S. 
Robinson. 

ROBERTSON,  George  Eustis,  Assistant  Secre- 
tary of  the  American  Real  Estate  Company,  New 
Vork  city,  was  born  in  New  Haven,  Connecticut, 
December  23,  1858,  son  of  James  Thomas  and  Mary 
Jane  (McClelland)  Robertson.  He  comes  of  sturdy 
Scotch  ancestry,  his  grandfather  on  the  paternal 
side  coming  to  this  country  from  Edinburgh  in 
1810.  His  father  was  born  in  New  Vork  city  in 
1 818,  and  his  mother  was  a  native  of  Paisley,  Scot- 
land, coming  to  America  in  1S22  at  the  age  of  four. 
Young  Robertson  was  sent  to  the  public  school  in 


MKN    C)l-    I'ROClklCSS. 


'69 


New  Haven,  and  later  attended  the  Eaton  ("iraniniar 
School  and  the  I  lillhouse  High  Scliool  of  Now  Haven. 
While  still  a  schoolboy  he  served  as  an  errand  hoy  in 
stores,  and  at  the  age  of  eighteen  became  a  clerk  in 
a  retail  hat  store  in  New  Haven  Here  he  remained 
seven  years,  and  in  1S83  became  a  wholesale  hat 
salesman  in  New  York  city.  Thus  he  remained  for 
another  seven  years  when  he  became  private  Secre- 
tary to  Profcsscir  \\illiani  K.  Har]>er,  then  professor 
at  Vale.  CJn  the  hitter's  election  to  the  Presidency 
of  University  of  Chicago,  Mr.  Robertson  went  to 
(.'hicago,  and  there  served  President  Harper  in  a 
similar  capacity.     From  1890  to  1S93  he  was  Cashier 


GEO.    EUSTIS   ROBERTSON. 

and  Business  Manager  of  the  American  Institute  of 
Sacred  Literature,  and  from  1893  to  1895  was 
Cashier  and  Assistant  Registrar  of  the  University  of 
Chicago.  During  a  part  of  1892  and  1893  he  was 
a  special  student  in  the  Chicago  University,  and 
from  1890  to  1895  was  the  Secretary  of  the  Ameri- 
can Publishing  Society  of  Hebrew.  In  1895  Mr. 
Robertson  became  interested  in  social  questions 
concerning  co-operative  forms  of  business,  and  in 
that  year  resigned  from  his  position  of  trust  at 
Chicago,  and  accepted  his  present  office  as  Assis- 
tant Secretary  of  the  American  Real  Estate  Com- 
pany at  New  York.     The   distinct  success  of    this 


comjiany  has  justiflcd  the  foresight  antl  wisdom  of 
his  ilecision.  The  company  lias  developed  the 
beautiful  suburban  property  at  Park  Hill,  overlook- 
ing the  Hudson,  and,  with  its  system  of  co-operation 
and  combination  of  the  capital  of  small  investors, 
offers  a  most  safe  and  profitable  form  of  .accumula- 
tive investment.  Mr.  Robertson  is  a  member  of 
Hiram  Lodge  No.  i  Free  and  Accepted  .Masons  of 
New  Haven,  Lincoln  Council,  National  Union  of 
Chicago,  "  O.  O."  Chapter,  Sigma  Chi  I'Vaternily, 
and  has  been  a  member  of  the  \'oung  Men's  Rei)ub- 
lican  Club  of  New  Haven,  of  the  Sons  of  Connecti- 
cut of  Chicago,  of  which  he  was  Secretary,  the 
Hlainc  anil  Review  clubs  of  Chicago,  antl  the  Park 
Hill  Country  Club,  of  N'onkers,  New  York.  While 
in  New  Haven  he  was  clerk  of  the  First  Haptist 
Church  of  New  Haven,  and  in  Chicago  served  in 
the  same  cajjacity  at  the  Hyde  Park  Baptist  Church. 
.Mr.  Robertson  was  married  June  22,  1887,  to  Agnes 
Eugenia  Smitli,  of  New  Haven.  They  have  two 
children:  George  Percival,  born  July  12,  18S9,  and 
Agnes  Eugenia  Robertson,  born  January  11,  1S92. 


REYNOLDS,  Jamks  Bronson,  of  New  York  city, 
is  a  son  of  Reverend  William  T.  Reynolds,  for 
thirty  years  Pastor  of  the  Congregational  Church  at 
North  Haven,  Connecticut.  His  mother  was  Sarah 
Maria  Painter,  daughter  of  .Me.xis  Painter  of  West 
Haven,  Connecticut.  The  ancestors  of  both  parents 
had  lived  in  West  Haven  over  a  hundred  years. 
He  was  born  in  Kiantone,  New  York,  March  17, 
1 86 1,  and  received  his  early  education  at  the  village 
school  in  North  Haven,  Connecticut,  ."^fter  pre- 
paring for  college  at  the  Hopkins  Grammar  School 
in  New  Haven,  he  pursued  an  academic  course  at 
Yale  college,  graduating  in  the  class  of  1884.  He 
then  took  a  theological  course,  graduating  from  the 
Yale  Divinity  School  in  the  class  of  1888,  which 
study  was  followed  by  one  year  of  further  graduate 
study  at  Yale  in  philosophy  and  theology.  The 
next  four  and  a  half  years  he  spent  abroad,  visiting 
universities  in  connection  with  the  Young  Men's 
Christian  Association  and  occupied  himself  with 
studies  in  social  science  and  European  higher  edu- 
cation, during  which  time  he  was  in  every  country 
in  Eurojie  except  Spain  and  Portugal,  and  met 
leading  university  men  and  practical  reformers  in 
all  the  countries  visited.  On  his  return  from 
iMirope  he  was  offered  a  university  position  as  Lec- 
turer in  Pedagogics  and  Manager  of  University 
Extension.      Hut  after  a  year  in  California  for  the 


270 


MEN   OF   PROGRESS. 


benefit  of  his  health,  he  entered  the  University 
Settlement  in  New  York  city,  and  in  May  1894 
accepted  the  position  of  Head  Worker  of  the  Uni- 
versity Settlement  and  Fellow  of  Sociology  at  Co- 
lumbia College.  This  position  he  still  holds.  The 
University  Settlement  is  an  educational  institution 
which  seeks  to  bring  men  and  women  of  the  edu- 
cated classes  into  contact  with  those  less  fortunately 
circumstanced,  for  mutual  instruction  and  improve- 
ment, and  for  the  good  of  the  entire  community. 
Mr.  Reynolds  was  a  member  of  the  Committee  of 
Seventy  in  the  New  York  Municipal  Campaign  of 
1S94,  and  was  a  member  of  the  Committee  of  Fif- 


J.    B.    REYNOLDS. 

teen  to  draw  up  plans  for  the  campaign  of  1897. 
Subsequently  he  was  elected  Chairman  of  the  Ex- 
ecutive Committee  of  the  Citizens'  Union,  which 
carried  on  the  independent  campaign  in  behalf  of 
Hon.  Seth  Low  for  Mayor  of  Greater  New  York. 
The  only  office  he  ever  held  was  that  of  School 
Trustee  in  the  Tenth  Ward  of  New  York.  After 
holding  this  for  a  year,  he  united  in  a  successful 
attempt  to  secure  the  passage  of  a  law  abolishing 
the  office  of  Ward  Trustee  throughout  the  entire 
city.  Mr.  Reynolds  is  a  member  of  the  Century, 
Social  Reform  and  the  City  clubs  and  the  National 
Municipal  Reform  League.     He  is  unmarried. 


STERLING,  John  Wit.i.iam,  Attorney-at-Law, 
New  York  city,  was  born  in  Stratford,  Connecticut, 
May  12,  1844,  son  of  Captain  John  William  and 
Catherine  Tomlinson  (Plant)  Sterling.  His  ances- 
tors on  the  paternal  side  number  many  honorable 
and  distinguished  names,  and  were  prominent  in 
the  history  of  Stratford  and  Bridgeport.  His  mother 
was  the  daughter  of  Lieutenant-Governor  Plant. 
Young  Sterling  received  his  early  education  at  the 
Stratford  Academy,  where  he  was  graduated  vale- 
dictorian of  his  class.  He  then  entered  Yale  Col- 
lege where  he  was  graduated  with  high  honors, 
taking  one  of  the  Townsend  prizes,  and  becoming  a 
member  of  the  Skull  and  Bones  Society.  After 
graduation  he  spent  a  year  in  a  special  course  of 
study  in  English  literature  and  history  under  Presi- 
dent Porter  of  Yale.  He  entered  the  Columbia 
Law  School  in  1865  and  was  graduated  with  the 
class  of  1867,  for  the  second  time  in  his  career 
having  the  honor  of  delivering  the  valedictory 
address  of  his  class.  He  was  at  once  admitted  to 
the  Bar  and  in  October  of  the  same  year  entered 
the  office  of  David  Dudley  Field,  the  distinguished 
leader  of  the  New  York  Bar,  as  his  youngest  clerk. 
He  left  this  office  in  May  i858  to  take  the  position 
of  managing  clerk  in  another  office,  but  in  Decem- 
ber of  that  year  returned  and  was  taken  into  full 
partnership  with  the  firm  of  Field  &  Shearman, 
of  which  David  Dudley  Field  was  the  senior  mem- 
ber. He  immediately  engaged  in  active  practice. 
The  firm  did  a  business  of  immense  volume  and 
importance  and  was  widely  recognized  as  one  of  the 
leading  law  firms  of  the  United  States.  Mr.  Ster- 
ling sprang  at  once  into  prominence  and  rose  in  his 
profession  with  a  rapidity  rarely  equalled  in  the 
history  of  the  Bar.  In  September  1873  Mr.  Field 
retired  from  the  firm  and  left  for  a  journey  around 
the  world  Mr.  Sterling  and  Thomas  G.  Shearman 
then  formed  a  partnership  under  the  name  of 
Shearman  &  Sterling,  which  has  continued  until  the 
present  time.  The  firm  has  been  continuously 
engaged  in  important  litigation  and  has  achieved 
distinguished  success.  In  1876  they  were  retained 
in  the  numerous  suits  which  grew  out  of  the  gold 
panic  of  1869.  Perhaps  the  most  famous  of  their 
cases  was  the  defence  of  Reverend  Henry  Ward 
Beecher,  of  which  they  had  entire  charge.  Messrs. 
William  M.  Evarts,  Benjamin  F.  Tracy  and  other 
famous  men  were  also  associated  with  them  as 
counsel  but  every  detail  of  the  case  was  under  the 
personal  supervision  of  Messrs.  Shearman  and  Ster- 
ling. The  proceedings  which  began  in  1874  and  were 


MKN    OF    PROGRESS. 


271 


finished  in  December  1876,  resulted  in  the  defeat 
of  Mr.  Bcecher's  adversaries,  antl  their  payment  of 
costs.  In  the  last  few  years  Mr.  Sterling's  time  has 
been  largely  emi^loyed  as  counsel  for  trust  estates 
and  large  corporations.  He  has  been  retained  in 
the  formation,  foreclosure  or  reorganization  of  many 
important  railroads  and  corporations,  including  the 
International  &  (".real  .Xorthcrn  Railroad  fonipany 
of  Texas  in  1879,  the  New  \'ork  &  Texas  Land 
Company  in  1880,  the  Soutii  Carolina  Railroad 
Com[)any  in  18S1,  the  Columbus,  Chicago  &  Indiana 
Central  Railroad  Company,  the  Canadian  Pacific 
Railway  Company  in  1 88 1,  the  Chicago,  St.  Louis  iV 


JOHN    W.    STERLING. 

Pittsburg  Railroad  Company  in  1882,  the  Creat 
Northern  Railroad  Company  in  iSgoand  llie  Duluth 
&Winnipeg  Railroad  Company  in  i8g6.  He  has  also 
been  retained  as  counsel  for  many  British  corpo- 
rations and  investors  including  the  City  of  Glasgow 
Bank,  the  Arizona  Copper  Company  and  some  of 
the  great  cattle  companies.  In  the  management  of 
the  affairs  of  these  extensive  interests  Mr.  Sterling 
has  shown  not  only  legal  acumen  and  research  but 
a  genius  for  organization  and  a  business  ability  of 
rare  quality.  These  (jualities  have  made  his  services 
invaluable  to  a  long  list  of  individual  clients  and  he 
has  frequently  been  called  upon  to  act  as  trustee  for 


important  interests.  Mr.  Sterling  is  known  as  a 
lover  of  books,  and  besides  a  very  complete  law 
library  has  an  extensive  collection  of  rare  and  valu- 
alilc  volumes.  He  has  always  taken  a  loyal  interest 
in  his  .Alma  Mater  and  a  few  years  since  devised 
and  superintended  the  erection  of  O.sborn  Hall, 
the  gift  of  one  of  his  clients  to  Yale.  He  has  a 
taste  for  building  and  improvement  and  is  now 
busy  in  the  projecting  and  carrying  out  of  extensive 
])lans  for  the  foundation  of  benevolent  institutions, 
although  uniformly  avoiding  jniblicity  in  his  work. 
In  1893  the  degree  of  1. 1..  1>.  was  conferred  upon 
him  by  Vale,  but  he  has  always  avoided  political 
office  or  public  prominence  of  any  kind  outside  of 
his  profession.  He  is  a  member  of  the  following 
clubs  and  societies  :  Metropolitan,  Union  League, 
L'nion,  University,  I.awyers,  Down  Town  .Associa- 
tion, New  York  Yale  Club,  Riding,  Tuxedo,  New 
England  Society,  .American  Fine  Arts  Society, 
.Ali)ha  Delta  Phi  Society  and  Phi  Beta  Kappa 
Society.     Mr.  Sterling  has  never  marrieil. 


SPAULDING,  J.-w  Ei.i.KRV,  General  Manager  of 
the  New  England  Pin  Company,  Winsted,  was  born 
ill  Northampton,  New  York,  .August  15,  1846,  son 
of  Lockwood  and  Mary  .Ann  (Spaulding)  Spaulding. 
He  actpiired  a  common  school  education,  and  in 
1866  became  a  clerk  in  a  hardware  store  in  Win- 
sted, later  associating  himself  in  business  with  J  J. 
Whiting,  and  S.  F.  Dickerman,  a  jiartnership  which 
lasted  two  years  Going  to  Grand  Rapids,  Michi- 
gan, he  was  for  the  succeeding  two  years  connected 
with  The  Old  National  Bank  in  that  city  and  upon 
his  return  to  Winsted  he  purchased  an  interest  with 
|.  G.  Wetmore  in  the  New  I'ngland  Pin  Company, 
first  acting  as  general  office  man,  later  as  Secretary, 
and  since  the  death  of  Mr.  Wetmore  he  has  had  the 
entire  iiiaiiagement  of  the  concern,  which  is  one  of 
the  ])rinripal  business  enterprises  in  Winsted.  He 
is  President  of  the  Morgan  Silverplate  Company, 
stockholder  and  director  in  several  other  business 
enterprises,  is  agent  of  the  estate  of  his  late  associ- 
ate, J.  G.  Wetmore,  and  is  regarded  as  one  of  the 
most  able  and  successful  business  men  in  Litchfield 
county.  He  was  a  member  of  the  committee  which 
had  charge  of  the  water  im])rovenients,  and  is  a 
Trustee  of  the  Memorial  Park  and  Soldiers'  Monu- 
ment associations.  For  many  years  he  has  been 
Burgess  and  Warden  of  the  Borough  of  Winsted, 
Treasurer  of  the  Town  of  Winchester  for  the  past 
seven  years,  and  was   a  member  of  the  Legislature 


2-]: 


Ml'\    Ol'    I'ROGKKSS. 


in  1S95,  serving  upon  ihe  Committee  on  Incorpora- 
tions and  as  Clerk  of  the  Litchfield  County  Repre- 
sentatives. In  politics  he  is  an  acti\e  supporter  of 
the  Republican  party-  He  is  juominently  identi- 
fied with  the  Fire  Department  and  one  of  the  \'ice- 
Presidents  of  the  State  Association ;  and  also  belongs 
to  the  Masonic  order,  the  Knights  of  Pythias  and 
the  Improved  Order  of  Red  Men.  Mr.  Spaulding 
has  married  twice  :  his  first  wife,  wliom  he  married 
May  9,  1872,  was  Eliza  R.  Wetmore,  who  died  Feb- 
ruary II,  1890,  leaving  two  children:  Louisa  W. 
and  John  W.  Spaulding,  who  died  March  27,  1895. 
On  June  30,  1892,  he  was  again  married  to  (jrace 


^  1^ 


J.  E.   SPAULDING. 

W.  Hopkins.  Louisa  W.  Spaulding  was  married  in 
June  1895,  to  James  W.  Husted,  of  Peekskill,  New 
York,  son  of  the  late  J.  W.  Husted,  the  Bald  Eagle 
of  Westchester  county. 


SKIFF,  Paul  Cheeseborough,  M.  D.,  Homceo- 
pathic  Physician,  New  Haven,  came  from  Kent  in 
Litchfield  county  where  in  the  old  Skiff  homestead, 
occupied  for  generations  by  his  ancestors,  he  was 
born  October  4,  1828.  This  venerable  house,  now 
owned  by  Dr.  Skiff,  replaced  in  1766  the  log  struc- 
ture erected  by  his  great-grandfather,  Nathan  Skiff, 
who  journeyed  from  Tolland  into  what  was  then  the 


wilds  of  Connecticut,  and  located  there   in   1761, 
purchasing  a  large  tract  of  land,  a  part  of  which  is 
still   known  as  Skiff    Mountain.      Dr.    Skiff  comes 
from   Puritan  stock,  his  parents  being  Luther  and 
Hannah  (Comstock)  Skiff.     On  his  father's  side  he 
is  tlescended  from  James  Skiff,  first  of  the  name  in 
America,  whose  name   appears  among  the   records 
of   Plymouth  in    1636,  and    who    was   one   of   the 
founders  of  Sandwich  and  a  Deputy  from  that  town 
to  the  General  Court.     From  this  original  ancestor 
the   line    descends   to    Nathan  Skiff,  who   married 
Hepsibah  Codman,  to  Stephen  Skiff,  whose  wife  was 
Elizabeth  Hatch  and  who  settled  in  Tolland  in  1720, 
to  Nathan  Skiff,  whose  wife  was  Thankful  Eaton, 
and  wlio  first  settled  in  Kent,  to  Nathan  Skiff,  Jr., 
the  grandfather  of  Dr.   Skiff.     Through  his  grand- 
mother,   Abigail    Fuller,    Dr.    Skiff    is   lineally  de- 
scended from  Edward  Fuller,  one  of  the  Mayflower 
pilgi  ims,  and  through    his    mother,   Hannah  Com- 
stock, he  traces  his  descent  from  Christopher  Com- 
stock of  Fairfield   166 1,  and  from  Richard  Piatt  of 
Milford,  and  a  long  line  of  Platts  among  which  may 
be  mentioned  the  founder  of  Plattsburgh,     Young 
Skiff 's  boyhood  was  spent  upon  the  old  homestead 
at  Kent.     He  attended  the  Academy  at  Kent,  but 
at  the  age  of  fifteen  having  been  offered  an  oppor- 
tunity for  a  liberal  education  he  took  a  four-years 
course  at  the  Giand  River  Institute,  Western  Re- 
serve, Ohio.     On  his  return  to  Kent  he  began  the 
study  of  medicine,  but  was  obliged  for  several  years 
to  combine  it  with  teaching  and  with  managing  the 
farm.     He  was  graduated  from  the    Yale   Medical 
School  in    1856,  and  afterwards  took  a  course   in 
the  Jefferson  Medical  College  in  Philadelphia,  where 
he  was  under  the   instruction  of  the  distinguished 
Professors  Mutter,  Pancoast,  Meigs,  and  Dunglison, 
in  a  post-graduate  course.     Although    educated  in 
the  principles  of  the  Allopathic  School  his  attention 
was  early  called  to  homoeopathy  and  after  a  thorough 
and  conscientious  study  of  both  schools  of  medicine 
he  was    led    to    embrace    the    tenets  of   the   latter 
school.      To  this  conclusion  he  was  largely  influ- 
enced by  Dr.  Herring  of  Philadelphia  and  his  cousin 
Dr.  Charles  Skiff,  one  of  the  earliest  homceopathic 
physicians  of   New   Haven.     Dr.   Skiff   began   the 
practice  of  medicine  in  New  Haven  in  1859,  where 
he  has  since  continued  in  active  and  most  success- 
ful practice.     The  qualities  which  have  contributed 
to  his  success  in  his  chosen  profession  have  thus 
been  summarized  :  "  He  combines  skill  in  the  heal- 
ing art  with  prompt  judgment,  admirable  foresight, 
inexhaustible  good  temper  and  an  independent  atti- 


Mi;X    OK    I'ROtlRKSS. 


273 


tude  toward  all  theories  of  ])ra(tice.  Few  people  the  First  Church  of  Christ  in  New  Haven,  and  its 
possess  in  such  an  eminent  ilegree  that  personal  deacon  from  16S9  to  1730.  She  is  also  related  to 
magnetism  which  immediately  attracts  and  retains  Reverend  Jedediah  Mills,  to  the  Treats,  Atwaters, 
the  confidence  of  the  invalid,  that  gentleness  and  ISradleys,  and  many  other  ])rominent  families, 
promptness  of  relief  which  lingers  so  gratefidly  in       They  have  one  daughter,  I'anliiic  Skiff,  born  in  May 

1S80. 


'rilli;Ai.S,  Dan'iki,  STRiwr;,  Cabalt,  for  many  years 
an  extensive  oak\nii  manufacturer,  was  born  in  Old 
Haddam,  Connecticut,  May  10,  1817,  son  of  Thad- 
deus  and  I.ydia  S.  (Haily)  Tibbals.  He  is  a 
descendant  of  Eber  Tibbals  of  Ciuilford,  Connecti- 
cut. The  parents  reared  a  family  of  ten  sons  and 
four  daughters  who  received  religious  training  and 
ail  but  one  of  whom  united  with  the  Congregational 
Churcii.  1  )aniel  S.  Tibbals  acquired  a  district  school 
education,  and  at  the  age  of  eleven  years  obtained 
his  first  knowledge  of  the  oakum  business.  He 
began  the  manufacture  of  that  article  previous  to 
the  advent  of   railroads  and  steamboats  when   the 


PAUL  C.   SKIFF. 

the  memory  of  the  patient,  anil,  more  than  all  else, 
thnt  cliarity  which  the  doctor,  above  all  men,  is 
called  upon  so  frequently  to  e.xercise  towards  his 
fellows  in  the  humbler  walks  of  life.  Thousands  of 
patients,  young  and  old,  rich  and  [)oor,  bear  testi- 
mony that  Dr.  Skiff  possesses  all  these  ([ualities 
and  many  others  which  are  important  factors  in  the 
success  of  the  physician."  Dr.  Skiff  has  been  a 
contributor  to  various  medical  journals  and  has 
taken  an  active  interest  in  the  Humane  Society  and 
many  other  worthy  institutions.  He  was  one  of  the 
founders  of  the  State  Homceopathic  Society  and 
was  an  incorporator  and  is  now  director  and  con- 
sulting physician  of  Crace  Hos|Mlal,  one  of  the  most 
successful  hosjiitals  in  New  F.ngland.  Dr.  Skiff  was 
married  in  June  iSy.j  to  I'jiima  Mcdregor  ICIy  of 
lirooklyn,  New  York.  Mrs.  Skiff's  great-grand- 
father was  Reverend  David  Ely,  D.  D.,  of  Lyme, 
Connecticut,  a  descendant  of  Richard  Ely,  first  of 
the  name  in  .'\merica.  Her  maternal  grandfather 
was  Reverend  Thomas  I'underson,  a  descendant  of 
Deacon  John  I'underson,  one  of  the  seven  pillars  of 


D.    S.  TIBBALS. 

product  was  shipped  to  New  York  in  sailing  vessels, 
and  his  active  life  has  been  devoted  to  that  industry, 
he  being  at  one  time  Superintendent  of  a  Boston 
factory  and  also  carrying  on  a  factory  at  H.ith, 
Maine,  for  a  number  of  years,  or  until  it  was 
destroyed  by  fire.  He  has  served  with  marked 
ability  in  various  town  offices,  was  elected  Sheriff 


274 


MEN    OF   PROGRESS. 


in  1875  ;  joining  the  State  Militia  in  1842,  he  rose 
to  the  rank  of  Captain.  Mr.  Tibbals  joined  the 
Congregational  Church  in  1841,  and  has  since  been 
an  active  and  inlluential  worker  for  the  cause  of 
religion  and  the  moral  welfare  of  the  community. 
In  1 84 1  he  married  for  his  first  wife  Sally  M.  Clark, 
daughter  of  Oliver  Clark,  and  his  second  wife,  whom 
he  married  in  1878,  is  a  daughter  of  Daniel  Seider 
of  the  state  of  Maine. 


PATl^ISON,  Alexander   Thomas,  Merchant,  of 
Simsbury,  was  born  in  Simsbury,  March  26,  1S61, 


A.   T.    PATTISON. 

son  of  Joseph  and  Delia  (Sceery)  Pattison.  On  the 
paternal  side  he  is  of  Scotch  descent,  his  great- 
great-grandfather  having  migrated  from  Scotland 
and  settled  in  County  Antrim,  North  of  Ireland, 
whence  his  grandfather  and  father  came  to  this 
country  in  1855.  He  was  educated  in  the  common 
schools  and  at  Simsbury  Academy,  and  at  the  age  of 
nineteen,  in  1880,  began  active  life  as  a  clerk  in 
mercantile  business.  Since  18S6  he  has  conducted 
a  general  merchandise  business,  under  the  firm 
name  of  Wilcox  &  Company,  in  his  native  town. 
Mr.  Pattison  was  a  Representative  to  the  General 
Assembly  of  Connecticut  in  1897.     Politically  he  is 


a  Republican.  He  was  married  October  7,  1885, 
to  I':ila  R.  Wilcox,  of  Simsbury.  They  have  two 
daughters  :  Lucy  W.  and  Julia  E.  Pattison. 


TRUBEE,  David,  Wholesale  Grocer,  Bridgeport, 
was  born  in  Fairfield,  September  25,  1825,  son  of 
Samuel  and  Elisabeth  (Curtiss)  Trubee.    His  ances- 
tors, with  one  exception,  came  from  England  in  the 
early  Colonial  days.    The  coat  of  arms  of  his  mater- 
nal ancestor  was  confirmed  to  John  Curtis  of  London, 
Gentleman,  May  9,   1632.     His  paternal   ancestor 
came  from  Holland  and  settled  in  Fairfield,  Con- 
necticut, about  1700.     Mr.  Trubee's  mother,  as  she 
sat  at  the  spinning  wheel,  taught  her  children  the 
Westminster  Catechism  with  such  fidelity  that  they 
could    repeat   both    questions   and   answers.      The 
district  schools  and  the  village  academy  prepared 
Mr.  Trubee  for  a  life  of  usefulness  and  the  career 
of  a  successful  business  man.     At  the  age  of  fifteen 
he  became  a  clerk  in  the  wholesale  grocery  store  of 
Daniel  Sterling,  Bridgeport,  where  he  continued  for 
several  years.    Then  he  accepted  a  position  as  clerk 
in    the    wholesale    grocery   house   of    Mortford   & 
Trubee,  the  junior  member  of  the  firm  being  Mr. 
Trubee's  eldest  brother,  Samuel.    The  firm,  by  strict 
attention  to  business,  built  up  a  large  trade,  seeking 
to    increase    which,  they    engaged    Mr.  Trubee    to 
become   their  commercial    traveller.     He  was  one 
of  the  first  two  men  in  Bridgeport  to  engage  in  this 
line  of  work,  and  so  successful  was  he  in  increasing 
the  patronage  of  his  employers  that  other  concerns 
followed  the  example.     Within  three  years  from  the 
time  Mr.  Trubee  took  the  position  of  clerk,  he  was 
chosen  junior  member  of  the  firm,  and  when  Samuel 
Trubee  retired  two  years  later,  the  firm  name  was 
continued.     The  firm  was  dissolved   in    18S1,  and 
Mr.  Trubee  became   senior  member  of  the  firm  of 
David  Trubee  &  Company.     In  1862,  Mr.  Trubee 
was  elected  a  Director  of  the  Pequonnock  National 
Bank,  of  which  he  has  been  President  since  1882. 
He  was  one  of  the  fifteen  founders  of  the  Seaside 
Club,  but  is  not  now  among  the  frequenters  of  that 
notable    institution,    since    his   chief    delight   after 
business  hours  is  in  the  quiet  of  his  beautiful  home, 
Idlesea,  at    Seaside    Park.     He   is  a   Royal  Order 
Mason,  and  a  member  of  the  Sons  of  the  American 
Revolution,  being  a  descendant  of  Joseph  Curtiss  of 
Stratford,  who  served  on  one  or  more  of  the  various 
committees   of    Stratford,    appointed    for   patriotic 
work.     The    business  of    Mortford  &  Trubee  out- 
growing the  brick  building  they  occupied  on  Water 


mi:n'  or  rRor.RESs. 


275 


street,  they  built  their  present  handsome  sione 
structure  on  the  same  street  where  Davitl  'I'rubee  v'v: 
Company,  Mr.  Trubee  still  the  senior  member, 
conduct  one  of  the  largest  wholesale  stores  in  the 
state.    On  December  15,  1846,  Mr.  Trubee  married 


DAVID  TRUBEE, 


Susan,  daughter  of  Captain  Elisha,  and  Susan 
(Gifford)  Doane,  of  Cape  Cod,  Massachusetts.  She 
is  descended  from  [>ord  l)e  Clifford,  who  fought  in 
the  Crusades  with  Richard  Coeur  dc  l.con. 


TICRRV,  CiixRi.Ks  Ai'i'LKTON,  an  expert  Patent 
Lawyer  of  New  Vork,  was  born  in  Soulli  Weymouth, 
Massachusetts,  March  2,  1858,  son  of  Reverend 
James  Pease  and  Catharine  (Matson)  'Perry.  On 
the  paternal  side  he  is  a  lineal  descendant  of  (jo\er- 
nor  William  Pradford,  and  through  his  maternal 
grandmother,  Phoebe  (Ely)  Matson,  of  the  Ely 
family  of  Connecticut,  his  mother  liaving  been  a 
cousin  of  (lovernor  Buckingham  of  this  state,  and 
of  the  late  Chief  Justice  Waite.  Reverend  James 
Pease  Terry,  the  father,  was  a  native  of  Knfield, 
Connecticut,  and  a  graduate  of  Amherst  College, 
class  of  1834.  Charles  .Appleton  'Perry  attended 
the  public  schools  of  South  Weymouth  until  ten 
years  old  when  he  went  to  reside  in  1-yme,  Con- 
necticut, his  mother's  old  home.     He  continued  his 


studies  at  the  Lyme  High  School,  fitted  for  his 
collegiate  course  at  the  Norwich  Free  Academy 
and  was  graduated  from  Amherst  in  the  class  of 
1879.  Three  other  members  of  the  present  gen- 
eration are  graduates  of  the  same  institution  namely, 
Professor  N.  M.  Terry,  '67,  now  in  charge  of  the 
department  of  Physics  at  the  I'nited  States  Naval 
.\cademy.  .Annapolis  ;  James  L.  Terry,  M.  1). '68, 
now  of  Philadelphia  ;  and  Reverend  L  N.  Terry, 
I).  D  ,  '71,  Pastor  of  the  First  Presbyterian  Church, 
Utica,  New  Vork.  Frank  A.  Terry,  another  brother, 
was  graduated  from  the  Yale  Scientific  School  in 
1876,  and  is  a  chemist  in  Philadelphia.  In  1880 
Charles  A.  Terry  began  the  study  of  law  in  New 
\'ork  city,  entering  the  office  of  Franklin  L.  Pope, 
the  noted  electrical  exjjert  and  patent  solicitor, 
entering  at  the  same  time  the  Columbia  I^iw  School 
from  which  he  was  graduated  with  the  degree  of 
1,L.  P,  in  1883,  and  was  admitted  to  the  New  Vork 
liar  the  same  year.     He  was  fortunate  enough  to  be 


CHARLES  A.  TERRY. 

admitted  to  partnership  with  Mr.  P()])e,  an  associa- 
tion which  offered  unusual  advantages  to  a  young 
l)ractitioner  in  that  special  line,  and  that  he  made 
the  best  use  of  such  excellent  opportunities  has 
been  plainly  demonstrated  by  the  rajiid  jirogress  he 
has  ac(]uired.  The  firm  did  considerable  business 
for   the  Westinghouse  Electric  Company  of  Pitts- 


-76 


MEN   OF    PROGRESS. 


burg  in  iS86-S7,and  in  1888  Mr.  Terry  moved  to 
tiiat  city  to  assume  cliarge  of  their  patent  business. 
He  was  later  retained  as  their  solicitor  and  in  1891 
became  secretary  and  attorney  of  the  reorganized 
Westinghouse  Electric  &  Manufacturing  Company,  a 
position  he  still  holds.  In  1S94  he  returned  to 
New  York  and  aside  from  his  above  mentioned 
duties  he  is  doing  a  large  business  as  a  solicitor  of 
electrical  patents  and  as  an  expert  attorney  in  liti- 
gations growing  out  of  the  same,  including  the  suits 
under  the  Tesla  electric  motor  patents,  the  electric 
trolley  and  the  alternating-current  meter  patents. 
In  connection  with  the  famous  suit  under  the  Edison 
"  feeder  main  "  patent,  he  was  delegated  to  attend 
the  commission  sent  to  Glasgow  for  the  purpose  of 
examining  Lord  Kelvin,  then  Sir  William  Thomson, 
as  an  authority  upon  electrical  subjects.  While  in 
college  Mr.  Terry  was  prominently  identified  with 
athletic  sports,  being  President  of  the  Amherst  foot- 
ball team,  and  member  of  the  principal  societies. 
He  is  a  member  of  the  University,  Harlem  and 
Lawyers'  clubs;  of  the  Bar  Association  of  New  York, 
and  of  the  American  Institute  of  Electrical  Engi- 
neers. He  was  formerly  a  member  of  the  Duquesne 
Club,  of  Pittsburg.  In  politics  he  is  a  Republican. 
On  June  22,  1886,  he  married  Marie  E.  Cady,  of 
New  Haven.  They  have  two  children  :  Catharine 
Louise  and  Matson  Cady  Terry. 


TA\'LOR,  Henry  Augusius,  Railroad  Construct- 
or of  Milford,  was  born  in  the  city  of  New  York  on 
April  8,  1839.  His  father  was  Henry  Johns  Taylor, 
a  member  of  the  Scotch-Irish  military  family  of 
that  name,  of  County  Tyrone,  Ireland,  which,  as 
early  as  17 13,  was  represented  in  America  by  the 
forefathers  of  various  men  who  have  since  been  con- 
spicuously connected  with  our  history  in  Colonial 
times  and  the  Revolutionary  War.  He  is,  more- 
over, descended  on  his  mother's  (Laura  Thomas) 
side  from  the  Fairbanks  family  of  Connecticut, 
members  of  which  immigrated  here  in  1633,  over 
fifty  participating  in  the  wars  of  King  Philip,  the 
Lexington  Alarm  and  the  Revolution.  The  mater- 
nal line  also  connects  him  with  Anneke  Jans 
Bogardus  and  Nicholas  DeVeaux,  who  was  First 
Captain  of  the  Watch  in  New  York  city,  and  built 
the  palisades  on  the  present  line  of  Wall  street; 
and  others  of  equal  note  in  the  records  of  old  New 
Amsterdam.  His  father,  Henry  Johns  Taylor, 
above  mentioned,  removed  to  Jersey  City  when  a 
young  man  and  there  he  became  quite  prominent 


in  the  political  affairs  of  the  state  of  New  Jersey, 
being  Mayor  of  Jersey  City  several  times  and  a 
member  of  the  Legislature.  In  1867  Henry  A. 
Taylor  went  to  the  Northwest  where  he  engaged  in 
the  construction  of  many  of  the  railroad  lines  of 
Wisconsin,  Minnesota  and  Iowa.  Nine  years  later 
he  also  became  engaged  in  the  construction  of 
various  railroad  lines  in  Ohio,  Kentucky  and  New 
York,  and  at  present  holds  considerable  proprietary 
interests  in  the  railroad  lines  of  these  sections. 
Though  warmly  interested  in  all  public  affairs,  Mr. 
Taylor  has  not  taken  an  active  part  in  politics,  nor 
is  he  identified  with  the  various  social  organizations 


HENRY  A.  TAYLOR. 

that  win  the  patronage  of  men  less  seriously  en- 
gaged. The  enterprises  that  appeal  to  Mr.  Taylor 
are  those  that  in  their  very  nature  demand  far- 
reaching  vision  and  a  sense  of  the  public's  need, 
with  an  ardent  desire  to  satisfy  it.  The  Mary 
Taylor  Memorial  Church,  which  he  and  his  children 
erected  in  Milford  and  presented  to  the  Methodist 
Episcopal  congregation  of  that  place,  is  one  of  the 
channels  through  which  his  large  generosity  has 
reached  his  townsmen.  Another  is  the  far-famed 
Taylor  Library,  founded  by  him  in  the  same  place  ; 
one  of  the  most  successful  libraries  of  its  size  in  the 
state,  containing  over  ten  thousand  volumes  and 
having    a  circulating   membership   of   over   twelve 


MKX   OF   PROGRESS. 


377 


hundred,  ^[r.  Taylor  has  been  twice  married : 
first  to  Mary  Anna,  daughter  of  Christopher  Meyer 
of  New  Brunswick,  New  Jersey,  by  whom  he  has 
four  children,  and  later  upon  the  death  of  his  first 
wife,  to  Elizabeth  Prudence  Conrey  of  New  York 
city,  by  whom  he  has  had  four  children.  Mr.  Tay- 
lor's residence,  Lauralton  Hall  at  Milford,  is  one  of 
the  most  elegant  country  homes  in  the  state. 


TILEY,  CuRirs  Bates,  Dentist,  New  Haven, 
was  born  in  East  H.iddam,  Connecticut,  March  18, 
1864,  son  of  .Stillman  Jared    and   Ophelia   (Hates) 


CURTIS    B.  TILEY. 

Tiley.  Both  his  father  and  mother  were  of  English 
descent,  their  ancestors  being  among  the  first  Colo- 
nial settlers.  One  of  his  great-grandfathers  served 
under  Washington  in  the  Revolutionary  War. 
Charles  Tiley,  his  paternal  great-grandfather,  was 
born  in  Essex,  Connecticut,  in  1750,  and  moved 
West.  His  son  Charles  'J'iley  was  a  master  ship- 
builder, born  in  Essex  in  1787  and  died  in  1841. 
His  son  Stillman  Jared  Tiley,  and  father  of  Curtis 
Bates  Tiley,  born  in  1830,  is  one  of  the  prominent 
citizens  of  Essex  at  the  present  time.  Curtis  B. 
Tiley  was  educated  in  the  common  school  and  at 
Hill's  Academy  of  Essex,  after  which  he  studied 
three   years  with  a  private  tutor,  with  a  view  to  a 


professional  career.  He  (hen  entered  the  Philadel- 
phia Dental  College  where  he  was  graduated  in 
18S6.  After  graduation  he  located  at  Torrington, 
Connecticut.  After  four  years  of  successful  practice 
he  decideil  to  enter  a  wider  field  and  moved  lb 
New  Haven,  A|)ril  1,  1890.  Here  he  has  become 
a  specialist  in  his  profession,  and  enjoys  a  select 
patronage  from  this  and  other  cities.  In  politics 
he  is  a  Republican  and  a  member  of  the  Republican 
league.  He  was  married  August  20,  1885,  to  Isa- 
bella Eliza  C.oslee.     They  have  no  children. 


1  Rl MBL  1,1,,  Jamcs  Hammond,  Savant,  .Author 
and  Librarian,  of  Hartford,  was  born  in  Stoninglon, 
Connecticut,  on  December  20,   1821.     His  father 
was    Gurdon   Trinnbull,   Es(i.,   who    early  removed 
to    Hartford    and  who   died    there    in    1875.     The 
family  is  one  of  the  oldest  and  best  in  the  country 
and  tlie  name  carries  with  it  notable  associations  as 
well  as  those  bearing  more  particularly  on  scholarly 
achievements.     Especially  in  New  England  has  the 
stock  flourished  and  its  members  have  been  identi- 
fied with  the  events  that  have  helped  to  make  the 
country  great  in  the  fields   of  liberty  and  letters. 
Dr.  Trumbull  entered  Yale  in  1838  and  though  he 
did  not  graduate,  his  name  was  in  1850  entered  in 
the  class  of  1842,  a   testimonial  to  the  regard  in 
which  he  is  held.     Among  his  classmates  were  the 
late  Professor  Hadley,  one  of  Yale's  most  eminent 
sons,  and    Chief  Justice   Peters  of  Maine,  one  of 
the  most  brilliant  of  her  graduates.     Dr.  Trumbull 
settled  in  Hartford  in   1847  and  was  Assistant  Sec- 
retary of  the  state  from  1847  to  1852  and  from  1858 
to  1 86 1,  and  Secretary  of  the   state   from    1861   to 
1865  ^"'i  State  Librarian  in   1854.     Between  1850 
and  1859  he  brought  out  the  three  first  volumes  of 
the    Connecticut  Colony  records,  a  work  of  great 
value,   since  taken    up   and  carried   along   by    Dr. 
Hoadley.     It  is    a  matter   of   great  regret  that  he 
never  wrote  a  history  of  Connecticut,  a  task  he  was 
unicjuely  qualified  to  undertake.     In   1863  he  was 
elected  Librarian  of  the  Watkinson   Library  of  Ref- 
erences ;  and  one  of  the  greatest  works  of   his  life 
has  been  the  selection  of  the  books  that  now  make 
that   a   famous   and   exceedingly   valuable    library, 
worth  many  times  its  cost  and  no  less  a  monument 
to  Dr.  Trumbull,  who  knew  what  and  where  to  pur- 
chase, than  to  David  Watkinson  who  furnished  the 
wherewithal.     "  The   Watkinson    is   known   among 
the  world's  libraries,"  says  the  Hartford  Courant  in 
an   article  which  appeared  on  August  5,  1S97,  and 


278 


MEN    OF    PROGRESS. 


i  t  goes  on  to  state  that  "  he  was  friend  and  adviser 
of  George  Krinley,  whose  Rrinley  Library  was  one 
of  the  world's  great  book  collections,  and  he  was  Mr. 
Brinley's  e.tecutor,  disposing  of  the  books.  The 
catalogue  which  he  prepared  was  in  itself  a  marvel 
of  bibliographical  information."  The  degree  of 
I.L.  n.  was  conferred  upon  him  by  Yale  in  187 1. 
Sixteen  years  later  Harvard  followed  Yale's  example 
and  Columbia  conferred  upon  him  an  L.  H.  D.  He 
was  not  a  man  content  to  suffer  restrictions  in  the 
field  of  investigation.  His  information  was  appar- 
ently boundless  as  well  as  authentic  and  he  had  an 
indefatigable  patience  that  served  him  well  in  his 


J.   HAMMOND  TRUMBULL. 

exhaustive  researches.  Naturally  he  was  recog- 
nized as  an  authority  and  consulted  as  such.  A 
multitude  of  letters  reached  him  yearly  on  a  mul- 
titude of  subjects  from  strangers  who,  all  other 
sources  of  information  failing,  turned  to  him  as 
to  a  living  encyclopedia.  He  never  failed  those 
who  were  earnest  in  their  desires  for  enlightenment 
and  help.  '1  he  branch  of  work  which  perhaps  of 
all  his  indefatigable  and  varied  labors  in  scholar- 
ship did  most  to  carry  his  fame  abroad,  was  that 
in  the  languages  of  the  North  American  Indians. 
Yale  University  elected  him  lecturer  on  this  subject 
and  it  was  commonly  said  that  he  was  the  only  liv- 
ing man  who  could  read  the  version  of  the  Bible 


translated  for  the  Indians  by  John  Eliot,  the  famous 
missionary  to  those  tribes.  For  this  Bible  he  pre- 
pared a  dictionary  and  vocabulary,  besides  writing  a 
number  of  works  upon  the  Indian  language.  In  the 
valuable  library  which  he  left  is  a  copy  of  the  Eliot 
Bible,  the  value  of  which  is  at  least  six  hundred 
dollars.  When  Dr.  Trumbull's  books  are  sold,  hav- 
ing been  carefully  catalogued  for  that  purpose,  the 
sale  is  likely  to  attract  book-men  from  afar  and  near, 
for  in  many  respects  the  collection  is  a  rare  and 
precious  one.  The  Trumbull  library  is  reputed  to 
be  the  best  Algonkin  library  in  the  country  and 
probably  in  the  world.  To  enumerate  this  great 
man's  connections  with  learned  societies  all  over  the 
world,  and  the  deserved  scholastic  honors  that  came 
to  him  with  the  years,  is  out  of  the  scope  of  this 
sketch.  In  the  American  Antiquarian  Society  he 
was  a  conspicuous  officer,  a  founder  of  the  American 
Philological  Association  and  for  a  year  its  President 
(1874-75).  Other  prominent  societies  with  which 
he  was  connected  are  the  National  Academy  of 
Science,  the  American  Oriental  Society  and  the 
American  Ethnological  Society.  For  half  a  century, 
J.  Hammond  Trumbull  was  a  familiar  and  striking 
figure  in  Hartford.  He  was  essentially  a  savant, 
preferring  the  quiet  retirement  of  his  home  and  his 
books  to  aught  else,  especially  since  of  late  years 
feeble  health  kept  him  from  going  to  his  desk  at 
the  Watkinson,  although  he  nominally  retained  his 
post  as  Librarian  there  until  the  last.  He  was 
unquestionably  one  of  the  great  men  of  the  city 
and  state,  and  his  name  will  add  to  the  lustre  of  the 
Commonwealth  as  it  is  studied  in  the  light  of  his- 
tory. He  was  Hartford's  scholar,  par  excellence. 
His  personality  was  quaint  yet  vigorous,  his  speech 
piquant ;  here  was  a  man  who,  although  of  prodi- 
gious philological  and  other  attainments,  was  as 
far  removed  as  possible  from  a  Dr.  Dryasdust.  On 
the  contrary,  J.  Hammond  Trumbull  kept  in  touch 
with  current  events  and  current  literature  ;  he  always 
enjoyed  a  street  talk  or  a  house  talk  on  the  latest 
novel  as  much  as  on  some  recondite  point  concern- 
ing which  he  was  appealed  to.  His  memory  was 
wonderful,  almost  appalling  in  its  extent  and  accu- 
racy. He  would  nail  a  false  statement  or  pillory  an 
antagonist  who  was  ill-equipped  with  a  sly,  humor- 
ous relish  of  the  situation  that  was  delicious.  This 
and  other  winning  traits  made  him  companionable 
and  will  make  him  doubly  missed.  After  being  con- 
fined to  the  house  for  some  time  he  died  on  .•\ugust 
5,  1897.  Dr.  Trumbull  married  in  1855  Sarah  A. 
Robinson  of  the  well-known  Hartford  family  of  that 


MKN    OV    I'ROC.KKSS. 


»7g 


name.  'I'hey  have  had  one  daii_i,'hler,  Miss  Annie 
K.  'I'runibull,  who  with  the  jien  name  of  Annie 
Kliot  has  won  literary  success  by  her  fictional  ami 
dramatic  work.  Among  Dr.  Tnimbull's  main  inih- 
lications  may  he  mentionod  :  "  A  letter  from  the 
Rev.  Thomas  Hooker,"  edited  with  notes  (1859); 
"Defense  of  Stonington "  (1S64):  "  Roger  Wil- 
liams' Indian  Key,"  edited  with  notes  (1866); 
"  Lechford's  I'lain  Dealing,"  edited  with  notes 
(1867);  "The  Origin  of  McKingal"  (1868); 
'•  Composition  of  Indian  ("icographical  Names  " 
(1870);  "Best  Method  of  studying  the  Indian 
Languages"  (^1871);  "Some  Helps  for  the  In- 
dians," edited  (1875)  ;  "  Historical  Notes  on  the 
Constitutions  of  Connecticiit  "  (1873)  ;  " 'Ihe  True 
lilue  Laws  of  Connecticut  and  New  Haven,  etc." 
(1877);  "Indian  Names  of  Places  in  Connecti- 
cut" (1881)  ;  and  "Colonial  Records  of  Connecti- 
cut" and  "The  Memorial  History  of  Hartford 
County,  Connecticut"  (1886);  the  last  two  of 
which  he  edited. 


WALDO,  George  Curtis,  Editor  of  the  Bridge- 
port Standard,  was  born  in  Lynn,  Mas.sachusetts, 
March  20,  1837,  son  of  the  Reverend  J.  C.  Waldo, 
of  New  London,  Connecticut,  and  Elmina  (Ballou) 
Waldo.  Deacon  Cornelius  Waldo,  who  emigrated 
from  England  in  1654  and  settled  in  Massachusetts, 
was  the  first  of  the  name  to  come  to  this  country, 
and  from  him  all  the  American  branches  of  the 
family  have  sprung.  Back  of  Cornelius  Waldo  the 
ancestry  traces  to  Thomas  Waldo,  brother  of  Peter 
Waldo,  founder  of  the  Waldenses  in  11 70.  On  his 
mother's  side,  Mr  Waldo  is  from  the  old  Huguenot 
family,  Ballou,  his  mother  being  Elmina,  daughter 
of  the  late  Reverend  Hosea  Ballou  of  Boston,  and 
cousin  of  Eliza  Ballou,  mother  of  James  A.  Garfield. 
Mr.  Waldo  was  graduated  at  Tufts  College,  Massa- 
chusetls,  in  i860,  studied  law  in  the  office  of 
Hon.  A.  C.  Lippitt  in  New  London,  Connecticut, 
and  from  that  office  enlisted  with  Ex-Governor 
T.  M.  Waller,  in  the  first  Company  that  went  from 
New  London  with  the  three  months'  troops,  in  1861. 
At  the  expiration  of  his  time  he  returned  home,  and 
by  reason  of  impaired  health,  gave  up  the  study  of 
law  to  enter  active  business.  In  1867  he  became 
City  Editor  and  local  reporter  of  the  Bridgeport 
Standard,  liridgeport,  Connecticut,  and  after  two 
years  Associate  Editor.  On  the  death  of  the  Editor, 
John  D.  Candee,  in  1888,  he  was  advanced  to  the 
position    of  Editor-in-chief,  which  ])osition  he  still 


holds.  Eor  nearly  twenty  years  lie  has  been  a  mem- 
ber of  the  Vestry  of  Christ  ICpiscopal  Church,  and 
for  five  years  was  its  junior  warden.  With  the  late 
Reverend  Dr.  H.  N.  Powers  he  was  one  of  the 
founders  of  the  Bridgejiort  St;ientific  Society,  serving 
as  Secretary  for  five  years.  He  is  Vice-President  of 
the  I'^airfield  County  Historical  .Society,  was  first 
President  of  the  old  I'^clectic  Club,  was  \'ice-l'resi- 
dent  of  the  Seaside  Club  for  three  years,  and 
President  for  two  years,  and  is  a  member  of  the 
(Irand  Army  of  the  Republic,  of  the  Army  and 
Navy  Club  of  Connecticut,  of  Phi  Beta  Kappa, 
Delta  Chapter  of  Massachusetts,  and  of  a  number  of 


GEO.   CURTIS  WALDO. 

fraternal  organizations.  He  served  fi\e  years  on  the 
Board  of  Education,  two  years  as  Chairman  of  the 
Committee  on  schools,  and  w%as  one  of  the  Commit- 
tee for  the  town  and  the  School  Board  which  built 
the  High  school  building  on  Congress  street.  He 
has  been  for  nine  years  one  of  the  directors  of  the 
Bridgeport  Public  Library  and  for  six  years  a 
Director  of  the  Young  Men's  Christian  Association. 
He  has  been  a  member  of  the  Shell  Fish  Commis- 
sion of  the  state  for  eight  years,  and  for  four  years 
its  Chairman.  A  Republican  in  politics,  he  has 
been  an  officer  of  the  Republican  Club  of  Bridge- 
port for  several  years.  In  1887  he  was  appointed 
Commissary-  General  on  Governor  Lounsbury's  Staff, 


2  So 


MEN    OF    PROGRESS. 


but  business  reasons  forced  him  to  decline.  In  1874 
he  married  in  New  Orleans,  Annie,  daughter  of 
Major  Freiierick  Frye,  formerly  of  Bridgeport,  and 
their  chiUlren  are  Selden  Connor,  Rosalie  Hillnian 
(now  Mrs.  Roland  Hawley  Mallory),  Maturin  Hallou 
and  Ceorge  Curtis  Waldo,  Jr.  Mrs.  Waldo  is  great- 
great-granddaughter  of  Colonel  James  Frye  of  An- 
dovor,  Massachusetts,  who  commanded  a  regiment 
of  Colonial  troops  at  Bunker  Hill. 


WOODRUFF,  George  Catlin,  Editor  and  Pro- 
prietor of   the   Litchfield    Fm|uirer,  TJtchfield,  was 


GEO.   C.    WOODRUFF, 

born  in  that  town,  June  23,  1861,  eldest  son  of 
George  M.  and  Elizabeth  (Parsons)  Woodruff.  He 
fitted  for  college  at  Phillips  Academy,  Andover, 
Massachusetts,  and  in  the  fall  of  1881  entered  Yale 
College,  where  he  remained  for  two  years,  and 
graduated  from  Amherst  in  1885.  Three  years 
later  he  received  from  Amherst  College  the  degree 
of  Master  of  Arts.  In  September  1885  he  entered 
Union  Theological  Seminary,  New  York  city,  from 
which  institution  he  graduated  in  1888.  In  |une  of 
that  year  he  became  Superintendent  for  Colorado 
of  the  Congregational  Sunday  School  and  Publica- 
tion Society,  with  headquarters  at  Colorado  Springs. 
In  January  1890  he  took  charge  of  the  Congregational 


Church  at  Green  Mountain  Falls,  Colorado,  where 
he  remained  until  he  came  East  in  the  late  spring 
of  1891.  In  December  following  Mr.  Woodruff 
assumed  charge  of  the  i-'aith  Chapel  (South  Wash- 
ington) Mission  of  the  New  York  Avenue  Piesby- 
terian  Church  of  Washington,  District  of  Columbia, 
where  he  continued  until  he  resigned  from  the 
Presbytery  and  the  Ministry  in  June  1894.  In 
October  1894  he  purchased  the  Litchfield  Enquirer, 
a  weekly  paper  established  in  1S25,  the  oldest  paper 
in  Litchfield  county  and  one  of  the  oldest  in  Con- 
necticut. He  has  proved  an  able  and  efficient 
journalist,  making  his  paper  widely  known  and 
respected.  In  politics  Mr.  Woodruff  is  a  Democrat, 
though  his  paper  is  independent.  He  was  an 
active  Gold  Democrat  in  the  campaign  of  1896,  and 
was  a  member  of  the  Connecticut  Delegation  to  the 
Indianapolis  Convention.  Mr.  Woodruff  is  a  Royal 
Arch  Mason,  a  member  of  the  Psi  Upsilon  college 
fraternity,  and  of  the  Psi  Upsilon  Club  of  New  York 
city,  and  has  been  President  of  the  Connecticut 
State  Editorial  Association.  He  was  married  in 
November  1889  to  Miss  Lucy  Este  Crawford,  of 
Paltimore,  Maryland. 


WADSWORTH,  Adrian  Ruwe,  an  expert  Civil 
Engineer,  and  a  prominent  agriculturist  of  Farni- 
ington,  was  born  in  that  town,  November  26,  1855, 
son  of  Winthrop  M.  and  Lucy  (Ward)  Wadsworth. 
His  American  ancestor  was  William  \\'adsworth, 
who  was  a  resident  of  Farmington  at  an  early  date 
in  the  Colonial  period,  and  the  line  of  descent  is 
traced  directly  from  him  through  :  John,  William 
ist,  William  2d,  Ashael,  and  Thomas  Hart,  to  Win- 
throp M.  Wadsworth,  all  of  whom  were  natives  of 
Farmington.  Adrian  R.  Wadsworth  pursued  his 
rudimentary  studies  at  the  Middle  District  School, 
next  attended  the  Edward  L.  Hart  Private  School, 
was  a  pupil  at  the  Hartford  High  School  for  one 
year,  and  was  graduated  from  the  Sheffield  Scientific 
School,  Yale  University,  with  the  class  of  18S0.  In 
April  1881  he  was  appointed  City  Engineer  of 
Shamokin,  Pennsylvania,  but  resigned  that  position 
in  the  following  September  to  accept  an  engage- 
ment with  the  Clarke  Bridge  Company  of  Balti- 
more, and  subsequently  operated  in  Virginia  and 
West  Virginia,  constructing  trestles  and  bridges  on 
the  New  River  Division  of  the  East  Tennessee, 
Virginia  &  Georgia  Railroad,  to  the  Pocahontas 
coal  mines.  Aside  from  his  professional  work  Mr. 
Wadsworth  is  quite  extensively  interested  in  general 


MEN    OF    PROGRESS. 


281 


farming  in  his  native  town,  and  is  a  close  student  of 
scientific  agriculture.  He  has  been  Secretary  and 
Treasurer  of  the  Farmington  Creamery  Company 
since  1S91,  succeeding  Mr.  Edward  Morton;  was 
Secretary  of  the  Village  Improvement  Society  in 
1 89 1,  was  elected  President  of  the  State  Dairy- 
men's Association  in  January  1897,  and  acted  as 
President  of  the  Farmers  Association's  general  as- 
sembly during  the  same  year,  also  serving  as  Chair- 
man of  the  Committee  on  Forfeited  Rights  and  as 
a  member  of  the  Committee  on  Contingent  Ex- 
penses. He  was  also  Secretary  and  Treasurer  of 
the  Connerticnt  Association  of  Civil  l''ngineiTs  and 


A.  R.   WADSWORTH. 

Surveyors  for  the  years  1894-95,  and  is  a  member 
of  the  Board  of  Governors  of  the  Country  Club  of 
F"armington.  In  1888-89  lie  served  as  First  Select- 
man, has  been  Chairman  of  the  Town  Committee 
since  1S93,  and  was  appointed  Commissioner  by 
the  Superior  Court  in  1892  to  adjust  the  New 
Britain  water  damages  from  the  West  Side  Canal, 
and  also  acts  as  a  Justice  of  the  Peace.  Mr.  Wads- 
worth  is  one  of  the  most  active  and  influential  sup- 
porters of  the  Republican  party  in  Farmington, 
having  been  chosen  a  Delegate  to  six  Gubernatorial 
and  two  Presidential  Conventions,  and  has  identi- 
fied himself  with  the  improvement  of  public  build- 
ings, the    macadamizing   of    roads,    and    all    other 


movements  of  general  interest  to  the  community. 
He  is  a  member  of  the  Masonic  Order  and  the 
Knights  of  Pythias.  On  April  16,  1890,  he  married 
Miss  Charlotte  I).  Steele  of  Hartford.  They  have 
two  children:  Helen,  born  Ajiril  lo,  1891,  and 
.Adrian  R.  Wadswurth,  Jr  ,  born  February  25,  1895. 


ANDREWS,  Chari.es  Sperrv,  Merchant  ami  Kx- 
Mayor,  Danbury,  was  born  in  Elmira,  .New  \'ork, 
March  20,  1856,  son  of  Charles  E.  anil  Susan  A. 
( Tallmadge)  Andrews.  He  is  a  representative  of 
one  of  the  oldest  Connecticut  families  which,  dur- 
ing tlie  Colonial  period,  allied  itself  by  marriage 
with  other  families  of  prominence,  and  the  present 
generation  is  the  posterity  of  men  more  or  less  dis- 
tinguished in  the  early  history  of  this  state.  Mr. 
.Vndrews  is  a  lineal  descendant  of  John  Andrews 
who  emigrated  from  Esse.x,  England,  ])revious  to 
1658,  in  which  year  he  was  made  a  Freeman  at 
Hartford,  and  in  1672  he  was  one  of  the  eighty-four 
proprietors  of  the  town  of  Tunxis,  now  Farmington. 
Abraham  Andrews,  son  of  John,  was  also  a  land 
owner  in  Farmington.  He  was  one  of  the  peti- 
tioners for  the  establishment  of  Mattatuck  Planta- 
tion, now  Waterbury,  whither  he  removed  in  1678, 
and  his  dwelling  stood  upon  the  corner  of  the  pres- 
ent Main  and  Bank  streets.  He  married  Sarah 
Porter,  and  his  fifth  child,  Robert  Andrews,  who 
was  born  in  1693,  spent  the  greater  part  of  his  life 
in  Danbury  and  was  a  Sergeant  in  the  Colonial 
Militia.  In  1720  he  married  Anna  Olmstead  of 
Danbury.  John  Andrews,  the  next  in  line,  who  was 
the  fourth  child  of  Robert,  and  resided  in  Bethel, 
Connecticut,  married  Mary,  daughter  of  Benjamin 
Sperry  of  Danbury.  Eden  Andrews,  third  child  of 
John  and  Mary  Andrews,  and  great-grandfather  of 
the  subject  of  this  sketch,  was  born  in  1751.  He 
represented  Bethel  in  the  General  Assembly  for  the 
years  1818- 20-21,  and  he  died  in  1839.  In  1784 
he  married  Deborah,  daughter  of  Thomas  and 
Mercy  (Knapp)  Benedict.  Cyrus  Sperry  Andrews, 
the  grandfather,  wlio  went  to  the  .Assembly  from 
Bethel  in  1849,  married  Betsy  Brown  in  1818. 
Charles  E.  .Andrews,  the  father,  was  born  in  Bethel, 
in  1824.  When  a  young  man  he  located  in  Dan- 
bury but  in  1849  went  to  lialtimore,  where  he  car- 
ried on  business  for  a  time  and,  upon  his  return,  in 
1 85 7,  he  became  associated  with  George  W.  Ives  in 
the  hardware  and  stove  business.  That  partnership 
continued  until  1862  when  he  engaged  in  business 
alone,  occupying  a  small  building  which  stood  upon 


2S2 


MEN   OF   PROGRESS. 


the  site  of  his  son's  present  store.  In  1874  his 
increasing  trade  made  necessary  the  building  of  an 
addition,  and  he  continued  in  business  until  liis 
death,  which  occurred  in  1878.  In  184S  he  married 
Susan  A.  Tallmadge  ;  they  had  three  children,  of 
whom  Charles  S.  is  the  youngest.  'I'lirough  his  great- 
grandmother,  Deborah  Benedict,  Mr.  .Andrews  is  a 
descendant  of  Thomas  Benedict,  who  wrived  in 
America  from  Nottingham,  England,  in  1638,  was  a 
member  of  the  First  English  legislative  body  con- 
vened in  New  York,  was  identified  with  the  settle- 
ment of  Huntington  and  Jamaica,  Long  Island, 
Elizabeth,  New  Jersey,  and  Norwalk  and  Danbury, 


CHAS.   S.  ANDREWS. 

Connecticut.  He  was  prominent  in  both  civic  and 
military  affairs,  a  member  of  the  Assembly  from 
1670  to  1675,  and  one  of  the  organizers  of  the 
First  Presbyterian  Church  in  America.  Mr.  An- 
drews' great-great-grandfather  on  his  mother's  side, 
Samuel  Stewart,  of  Wilton,  Connecticut,  served  in 
Captain  Dickinson's  company  during  the  Revolu- 
tionary War.  His  great-great-grandmother,  Mary 
Sperry,  was  a  daughter  of  Benjamin  Sperry,  who 
was  taken  prisoner  when  eighty  years  old  by  the 
British  and  compelled  to  travel  on  foot  to  New 
Vork.  He  is  also  a  descendant  on  the  maternal 
side  of   Sergeant   Hiram   llinnian,  who  arrived  in 


1650  and  settled  in  Stratford,  of  Francis  Styles, 
who  settled  in  the  same  town  in  1639,  °^  Peter 
Malory,  who  signed  the  New  Haven  Plantation 
Covenant  in  1644,  of  Reverend  Zachariah  Walker, 
Presbyterian  minister  at  Jamaica,  Long  Island, 
from  1663  to  1668,  and  founded  the  town  of 
Woodbury,  Connecticut,  in  1678.  Reverend  Zacha- 
riah Walker  was  a  son  of  Robert  Walker  who  came 
from  Manchester,  England,  and  was  one  of  the 
founders  of  the  Old  South  Church,  Boston.  Other 
persons  of  note  with  whom  the  ancestors  were  con- 
nected by  marriage  were  :  Thomas  Hurlbut,  who 
served  in  the  garrison  at  Saybrook  in  1636;  Eliz- 
abeth Hawley,  a  sister  of  Joseph  Hawley,  who  came 
from  Derbyshire  in  1629  or  1630;  Thomas  Miner, 
who  arrived  in  New  England  in  1630  and  with  Win- 
throp's  company  settled  Pequot  in  1646;  Richard 
Booth,  who  located  in  Stratford  in  1640;  and  of 
Robert  Rose,  who  came  from  Ipswich,  England,  in 
1634.  Charles  Sperry  Andrews  succeeded  his  father 
in  business  when  twenty-two  years  old,  and  by  his 
energetic  management  he,  in  less  than  a  decade, 
made  it  one  of  the  leading  mercantile  enterprises  in 
this  section  of  the  state.  In  order  to  keep  pace 
with  the  constantly  increasing  trade  he  erected  in 
1889  his  present  four-story  building,  which  is  one 
of  the  most  substantial  business  blocks  in  the  city, 
and  he  continued  to  conduct  the  business  alone 
until  1896,  when  the  Danbury  Hardware  Company 
was  organized  with  Mr.  Andrews  as  its  President. 
In  that  year  he  opened  his  present  department 
store,  which  occupies  two  floors  and  a  basement  of 
his  building,  and  is  heavily  stocked  with  goods 
of  a  superior  quality  representing  seven  different 
branches  of  trade.  He  is  still  the  official  head  of 
the  hardware  company,  is  interested  in  other  enter- 
prises both  of  a  public  and  private  nature,  and  for  a 
number  of  years  has  been  a  director  of  the  Danbury 
National  Bank.  As  Mayor  of  the  city  in  1893-95 
his  executive  ability  enabled  him  to  administer  the 
affairs  of  the  municipality  in  a  business-like  as 
well  as  an  economical  manner,  which  received  the 
hearty  commendation  of  all  liberal-minded  citi- 
zens irrespective  of  party,  and  many  of  his  recom- 
mendations were  carried  out  by  his  successor  in 
office.  He  served  upon  the  staff  of  Governor 
Morris  with  the  rank  of  Colonel,  but  is  not  an 
aspirant  for  public  notoriety,  preferring  to  devote 
his  time  to  his  extensive  business  interests.  On 
February  28,  1883,  Colonel  Andrews  married  Fanny 
Cowan.  They  have  one  son:  Charles  Sperry  An- 
drews, Jr. 


MEN    OF    PROGRKSS. 


^^3 


BECKW'I  111,  CJiAKi.Ks  KiNNr.R,  solo  proprietor 
of  the  business  corniuctcil  under  the  style  of  the 
Beckwith  Card  Company,  Stafford  Si)rings,  was  born 
in  Rainbow,  Connecticut,  June  8,  185S,  son  of 
Charles  Walter  and  Sarah  Sophia  (Koote)  Beckwith. 
On  the  paternal  side  he  is  a  rejiresentative  of  a 
family  whose  origin  is  traced  directly  to  a  daughter 
of  \\'illiam  the  Con(iueror,  and  his  mother's  great- 
aunt  was  closely  related  to  Henry  Ward  Beecher 
and  Mrs.  Harriet  Beecher  Stowe.  Nathaniel  Foote 
on  the  maternal  side  came  from  l^ngland  in  16^53, 
and  was  one  of  the  first  settlers  of  Connecticut  in 
1635.     His  wife   (name  Wilcox)   was  a  direct  de- 


C     F.    BECKWlTH^ 

scendant  of  Cotton  Mather.  Nathaniel  l'"oote  was 
granted  a  large  tract  of  land  near  Colchester,  Con- 
necticut, by  Charles  II,  King  of  F.ngland,  for  hiding 
and  caring  for  him  in  the  hollow  of  an  oak  tree 
when  his  life  was  in  danger  at  one  time.  In  1869 
Charles  Walter  Beckwith  moved  from  Windsor  Locks 
to  Stafford  Springs,  and  established  himself  in  the 
card  manufacturing  business.  Charles  Fenncr  Beck- 
with acquired  a  good  common  school  education  and 
at  the  age  of  nineteen  he  began  his  business  career 
with  E.  A.  Buck  &  Company,  hardware  dealers  in 
Stafford  Springs,  and  two  years  later  he  accepted  a 
position  with  Rawitser  &  Brother,  woolen  manu- 
facturers, as  paymaster  and  buyer  for  their  several 


large  mills.  After  seven  years  of  faithful  service  he 
purchased  the  card  manufactory  established  by  his 
father,  having  as  a  partner  Mr.  G.  B.  M.  Knowlton 
of  Ashford,  and  the  present  firm  name  of  the  Beck- 
with Card  Com])any  originated  at  that  time.  He 
was  later  associated  with  Judge  J.  F.  Chamberlain, 
and  still  later  with  .\ddison  Arnold,  but  since  .August 
1S96  Mr.  Ilcckwith  has  been  sole  proprietor  of  the 
enterprise.  The  factory  is  equipped  wiili  forty- 
seven  machines  for  making  all  kinds  of  card  cloth- 
ing and  hand  cards,  there  being  several  extra  new 
quick  machines  capable  of  running  four  hundred 
teeth  per  minute,  and  both  steam  and  water  power 
are  at  command.  Patent  card  cloth  foundation  is 
imported  direct  from  England,  the  leather  depart- 
ment being  in  charge  of  the  founder  of  the  business, 
Mr.  C.  W.  Heckwith,  a  practical  tanner.  In  addition 
to  all  kinds  of  card  clothing  the  factory  turns  out  a 
full  line  of  cotton,  wool,  horse,  cattle,  Jim  Crow 
(negro  combs)  and  liand-stripping  cards,  in  iron, 
steel,  brass,  plated  and  coppered  wire,  which  are 
sold  direct,  except  for  exjiort,  as  the  proprietor  is 
not  allied  to  any  combination  or  trust,  and  the 
concern  which  is  the  only  one  of  its  kind  in  the 
state  enjoys  the  distinction  of  sujiplying  the  largest 
dealers  and  consumers  in  the  country.  Its  goods 
are  also  exported  to  Canada,  Mexico,  South  America, 
Australia  and  Africa.  Mr.  Beckwith  is  a  member 
of  the  Masonic  Order,  the  Ancient  Order  of  L'nited 
Workmen  and  the  Business  Men's  Club.  He  is 
deeply  interested  in  the  improvement  of  the  town 
and  the  moral  and  religious  welfare  of  the  com- 
munity, and  is  a  member  of  the  Congregational 
Society.  In  politics  he  is  a  Republican  but  has 
never  sought  for  or  held  i)ublic  office.  In  1886  he 
married  Miss  Edith  Snow,  youngest  daughter  of 
Mrs.  Wesley  J.  Dimock.  They  have  two  children  : 
Malcolm  S.,  aged  nine  years;  and  Louise  Foote 
Beckwith,  aged  foiir  years. 


BROWN,  Delos  D.anikls,  Hotel  Proprietor,  of 
East  Hampton,  was  born  in  Orleans,  Barnstable 
county,  Massachusetts,  in  1838.  His  parents  were 
Reverend  Thomas  G.  and  Caroline  Maria  (Daniels) 
Brown.  His  education  was  ac<iuired  at  the  Chase 
Institute  in  Middletown  and  at  Wesleyan  .Academy, 
Wilbraham,  Massachusetts.  During  early  life  he  was 
engaged  in  business  connected  with  manufacture 
and  merchandise  and  in  the  promotion  of  these 
interests  traveled  extensively  through  the  southern 
an<l  western  portions  of  the  country.     He  was  at 


2S4 


MEN    OF   PROGRESS. 


one  time  house  reporter  of  the  Legislature  for  the 
New  Haven  Morning  News.  At  the  outbreak  of 
the  war  Mr.  Brown  enlisted  as  a  private  in  the 
Federal  cause ;  raised  a  company  for  the  Twenty- 
first  Regiment,  Connecticut  Volunteers,  and  went 
out  as  First  Lieutenant.  He  was  promoted  to  the 
rank  of  Captain  and  commended  in  special  orders 
for  gallant  conduct  at  the  Batde  of  Urewry's  Bluff. 
When  the  confederate  general,  Fitzhugh  Lee,  was 
cai>tured  at  White  House  Landing,  Virginia,  Cap- 
Uiin  Brown  was  detailed  with  his  company  to 
conduct  him  to  Fortress  Monroe  and  deliver  him 
up  as  a  prisoner  of  war.     His  regiment  belonged  to 


1 

Ji 

:J^ 

.^i\ 

kW^^I^^^H 

S^. 

^Il 

^^^^H^ 

D.    D.   I3ROWN. 

Bumside's  famous  Ninth  Army  Corps  and  was  com- 
manded by  Colonel  Arthur  H.  Dutton  of  the  regular 
army  and  later  by  Colonel  Thomas  F.  Burpee  of 
Rockville,  Connecticut,  both  of  whom  were  killed  in 
the  service  The  father  of  Captain  Brown  enlisted 
in  the  War  of  1812  but  saw  no  active  service.  His 
grandfather  served  in  the  War  of  the  Revolution  and 
all  the  male  members  of  his  family  upon  the  pater- 
nal side  were  in  the  army  or  navy  during  the  war 
of  the  rebellion.  His  older  brother  was  paymaster 
and  his  younger  brother  paymaster's  assistant  in  the 
navy,  and  his  brother-in-law.  Lieutenant  F.  W.  H. 
Buell,  was  with  him  in  the  Twenty-first  Regiment 
and  died  in  the  cause.    Captain  Brown's  father,  when 


sixty-three  years  of  age,  but  still  anxious  to  take 
part  in  the  conflict,  was  appointed  Chaplain  of  the 
Twenty-first  Regiment,  and  by  gallant  conduct  un- 
der fire  at  the  Battle  of  Drewry's  Bluff,  where  he 
was  wounded  in  the  arm,  became  known  as  the 
Fighting  Chaplain.  Captain  Brown  was  a  member 
of  the  House  of  Representatives  in  1882,  was  County 
Commissioner  of  Middlesex  County  for  five  years 
and  Chairman  of  the  Town  Committee  of  Chatham. 
He  is  a  member  of  the  Army  and  Navy  Club  of 
Connecticut,  of  the  Mansfield  Post,  No  53,  Grand 
Army  of  the  Republic,  and  of  the  Order  of  American 
Mechanics,  in  addition  to  being  a  prominent  mem- 
ber of  the  Masonic  Fraternity  and  Road  Commis- 
sioner of  Chatham  for  the  last  six  years.  At  the 
present  time  Captain  Brown  is  the  proprietor  of  the 
beautiful  and  commodious  hotel  known  as  the  Lake 
View  House.  Its  situation,  upon  the  banks  of  the 
charming  Lake  Pocotopaug  at  East  Hampton  is 
ideal  and  no  one  who  has  ever  spent  a  season  at 
this  delightful  spot  can  forget  its  rare  beauty  nor 
the  generous  hospitality  of  the  captain  himself. 
Captain  Brown  is  a  man  of  strong  individuality  and 
unusual  power.  ■  His  conversation  is  always  interest- 
ing and  his  reminiscences  many.  He  is  held  in 
the  highest  esteem  by  the  community  in  which  he 
lives  and  by  the  numerous  strangers  who  have  found 
delightful  entertainment  under  his  roof.  He  was 
married  September  2,  1862,  to  Anna  E.  Veazey, 
daughter  of  Warren  Veazey,  of  East  Hampton, 
Connecticut. 


BROWNE,  John  Dean,  President  of  the  Con- 
necticut Fire  Insurance  Company,  son  of  Gurdon 
Perkins  and  Esther  (Dean)  Browne,  was  born  at 
Plainfield,  Windham  county,  in  1836.  The  Plain- 
field  homestead  has  been  for  four  generations  in  the 
family,  an  elder  brother  of  Mr.  Browne  now  resid- 
ing in  it.  His  ancestry  is  of  that  sturdy  sort  that 
did  the  stern  work  cut  out  for  it  in  Puritan  days 
and  the  red  days  of  the  Revolution.  His  grand- 
father, along  with  two  brothers,  served  in  the  army 
of  1776,  the  former  being  a  fife-major.  Mr. 
Browne's  father  was  a  much  respected  farmer  and 
for  thirty  years  a  school  teacher  widely  known  for 
his  conscientiousness  and  ability.  He  was  an  old- 
style  Democrat,  always  interested  in  good  govern- 
ment, local  and  national.  Both  parents  lived  to  a 
ripe  old  age.  Their  son  was  reared  on  a  farm  and 
like  so  many  country  lads  who  have  made  a  mark 
in  life  did  the  homely  duties  incidental  to  farming 
and  attended  the  district  school,  of  which  later  he 


MEN    OF    PROGRESS. 


J85 


became  a  teacher.  Hut  he  aspired  to  other  and 
broader  work,  and  getting  a  taste  for  the  West  by  a 
trip  in  1855  to  Minnesota,  which  then  seemed  like 
a  far  journey,  he  returned  there  a  couple  of  years 
afterwards  and  took  up  his  residence  in  Minne- 
apolis, connecting  himself  with  the  Minneapolis 
Mill  Company.  He  thus  took  part  in  developing 
the  great  water  iiower  which  has  since  brougiit 
power  and  wealth  to  the  western  city.  .Xnother 
two  years  found  him  in  Little  Falls,  to  the  north  of 
St.  Paul,  then  but  an  insignificant  village.  He 
became  Secretary  and  agent  of  the  Little  Falls 
Manufacturing  Coni])anv,  which  was  doing  the  same 


J.    D.    BROWNE. 

thing  —  developing  the  water  power  of  the  Missis- 
sippi for  purposes  of  industry.  Mr.  Prowne  had  a 
hand  in  organizing  the  Republican  party  in  the 
state  and  during  President  Lincoln's  administration 
was  closely  in  touch  with  the  powers  at  ^Vashington, 
being  alternate  delegate  to  the  National  Convention 
which  nominated  the  martyr-chief.  During  his 
eight  years  of  western  residence  he  was  widely 
known  as  an  enthusiastic,  energetic  and  able  Repub- 
lican. In  i860  he  was  elected  to  take  the  first 
electoral  vote  of  Minnesota  to  the  National  Capi- 
tol, and  spent  some  montlis  in  Washington  ;  he  had 
an  appointment  to  the  Interior  Department  under 
Joseph  Wilson,  Commissioner  of  the  General  Land 


Ofl^ce.  Mr.  Hrowne  returned  East  in  1865  to  enter 
upon  the  Insurance  work  in  which  he  has  been  so 
conspicuously  successful.  He  made  a  connection 
with  the  Hartford  Fire  Insurance  Company  in  1867 
as  general  agent  an<l  adjuster  ;  was  made  Secretary 
in  1870,  and  President  of  the  Connecticut  Fire 
Insurance  Company  ten  years  later,  in  1880.  This 
company  under  his  leadership,  has  steadily  marched 
forward  to  its  present  position  as  one  of  the  great 
conservative,  solid,  powerful  institutions  of  Hart- 
foril.  In  the  year  ending  18S0  the  premium  income 
was  §507,871  00;  the  assets  ?i, 636,382. 00.  In 
the  year  ending  January  i,  1898,  premium  income, 
.Si, 668,232. 00;  assets,  .^3.559.357-oo  ;  figures  that 
speak  for  themselves.  During  this  period  the  semi- 
annual dividend,  regularly  paid, amounted  to$i,5oo,- 
000.00.  'I'he  handsome  building  of  the  company 
at  the  corner  of  Prospect  and  Grove  streets,  was 
largely  the  result  of  President  Browne's  planning 
and  taste.  Like  many  who  have  been  staunch 
Rejjulilicans  for  many  years, Mr.  Browne  has  of  late 
been  inclined  to  inde])endence,  advocating  Cleve- 
land and  believing  in  his  administration.  He  is 
interested  in  many  other  Hartford  mercantile  and 
charitable  organizations  ;  is  director  in  the  Phienix 
Mutual  Life  Insurance  Company,  the  National  Ex- 
change Bank,  Hartford  Board  of  Trade,  Board  of 
Ignited  Charities  and  Retreat  for  the  Insane.  He 
is  a  member  of  the  Connecticut  Historical  Society 
and  of  the  Sons  of  the  Revolulii)n,  Mr.  Browne  is 
one  of  the  characteristic  self-made  successful  men 
of  Hartford  in  that  city's  famous  industry  of  insur- 
ance. Socially  he  is  a  quiet,  courteous  gentleman. 
Mr.  Browne  was  married  in  1S61,  to  Miss  Frances 
Cleveland,  daughter  of  Luther  Cleveland  and  Lydia 
Woodward  Cleveland  of  Plainfield.  She  died  in 
1893,  leaving  two  daughters  :  .Mice  Cleveland  and 
Virginia  Frances  Browne,  the  elder  being  the  wife 
of  Francis  R.  Cooley,  son  of  Hon.  F.  B.  Cooley  of 
Hartford. 

B.\CON,  Lkonard  Wooi-Siiv,  Clergyman,  Nor- 
wich, was  born  in  New  Haven,  Connecticut,  Janu- 
ary I,  1830,  son  of  Leonard  and  Lucy  (Johnson) 
Bacon.  His  grandfather,  David  Bacon,  was  a  mis- 
sionary among  the  Ojibbewa  Indians  in  Michigan 
and  was  the  founder  of  Talmadge,  Ohio.  His 
father,  Leonard  Bacon,  was  one  of  the  most  cele- 
brated divines  and  writers  of  his  day,  being  espe- 
cially distinguished  in  the  struggle  against  slavery. 
Leonard  Woolsey  Bacon  was  prepared  for  college 
at  New  Haven  and  graduated  at  Yale   College  in 


?86 


MEN   OF    PROGRESS. 


1S50.  After  a  year  of  travel  in  Europe  and  the 
Hast,  he  pursueil  the  three-years  course  in  Theol- 
'gy  at  Andover  and  New  Haven,  and  was  also 
graduated  in  medicine  at  Yale  in  1855.  He  served 
as  Pastor  of  Congregational  churches  in  Litchfield, 


L.  W.   BACON. 

Connecticut,  1S57;  Stamford,  Connecticut,  1862; 
F.rooklyn,  New  York,  1865  ;  and  Baltimore,  Mary- 
land, 1870.  He  then  spent  five  years  with  his 
family  in  Germany  and  Switzerland,  serving,  most 
of  this  time,  as  Pastor  to  companies  of  American  and 
English  sojourners.  Returning  in  1877,  he  became 
Pastor  in  Norwich,  Connecticut,  in  1878,  and  in 
Philadelphia  in  1883.  In  the  intervals  of  his  work 
as  Minister  of  the  Gospel,  he  has  written  much  for 
the  press.  Besides  a  large  number  of  newspaper 
and  magazine  articles  and  pamphlets,  he  is  the 
author  of  the  following  books  :  "  The  Vatican  Coun- 
cil" (1872)  ;  "Church  Papers"  (1876)  ;  "  Life  of 
Emily  Bliss  Gould  "  (1877)  ;  "  Sunday  Observance 
and  Sunday  Law,"  including  "  Six  Sermons  on  the 
Sabbath  Question"  by  George  Blagden  Bacon 
(1882)  ;"  The  Simplicity  that  is  in  Christ  "  (1886)  ; 
'•Irenics  and  Polemics"  (1895);  "A  History  of 
American  Christianity  "  (1897).  Besides  these,  he 
has  been  compiler  and  editor  of  several  books  of 
Psalmody.  He  was  married  on  October  7,  1857,  to 
Susan  Bacon  of    New  Haven,  who   died  in    18S7, 


leaving  ten  children :  Nathaniel  Terry,  Benjamin 
Wisner,  Selden,  Theodore  Davenport,  Leonard 
Woolsey,  Jr.,  Margaret  Wardell,  Susan  Almira, 
Mabel  Ginevra,  Katharine  Ellen  and  F^lizabeth 
Rogers  Bacon.  He  was  again  married  on  June  26, 
1890,  to  Letitia  W.  Jordan  of  Philadelphia.  Of 
this  marriage  have  been  born :  Thomas  Jordan, 
Alice  Parks  and  David  Leonard  Bacon.  The  two 
elder  of  these  died  suddenly  about  Christmas  1897. 


BRUGGERHOF,  Frederick  William,  President 
of  J.  M.  Thorburn  &  Company,  New  York,  was 
born  in  ]5armen,  Prussia,  October  15,  1830,  son  of 
Abraham  Peter  and  Maria  (Budde)  Bruggerhof. 
His  ancestors  were  from  Holland.  He  came  to  this 
country  in  1837  and  located  at  St.  Louis,  Missouri. 
Obtaining  his  early  education  in  the  common 
schools,  he  entered  the  employ  of  J.  M.  Thorburn 
&  Company,  seedsmen,  New  York,  as  clerk.     He 


F.    W.    BRUGGERHOF. 

displayed  such  a  wonderful  aptness  for  the  business 
and  his  services  were  so  highly  appreciated  that  in 
1855,  ^f'^i"  only  six  years  of  service,  he  became  a 
partner.  He  continued  as  an  active  member  of  the 
firm  till  1894  when  the  firm  was  incorporated  and 
he  was  chosen  to  his  present  position,  that  of  Presi- 
dent.    The  concern,  which  is  located  at  15   John 


MEN    OF   PROGRESS. 


287 


street,  was  established  by  drant  Tliorbiirn  in  iSoj, 
is  the  oldest  of  the  sort  in  America,  with  one  ex- 
ception. Diirinj;  Mr.  liruggerhof's  time,  the  busi- 
ness has  grown  until  now  it  is  not  only  nation.tl  but 
international,  its  goods  being  sent  to  every  quarter 
of  the  globe,  and  tlie  firm  name  being  a  household 
word  throughout  the  land.  Mr.  Rruggerhof's  home 
is  in  Noroton,  Connecticut,  in  which  State  he  has 
been  prominent  in  public  affairs  since  1874.  He 
has  been  elected  on  the  Democratic  ticket  to  both 
the  House  of  Representatives  and  to  the  Senate, 
and  was  Elector-at-large  in  the  electoral  college  of 
1884.  He  is  a  popular  member  of  the  Manhattan 
and  Hardware  clubs  of  New  York,  of  the  Stamford 
Yacht  Club  of  Stamford,  Connecticut,  and  of  the 
Wee  Burn  Golf  Club  of  Noroton.  He  married 
Cordelia  E.  Andreas,  of  New  York,  July  1,  1856. 
They  have  four  daughters  and  one  son :  Edward 
Everett,  married  Miss  Lucy  IS.  Otis,  of  Yonkers, 
New  York  ;  Julie  Agnes,  married  Walter  N.  Capen  ; 
C.  Ida,  married  Edwartl  C.  Hoyt,  of  Stamford, 
Connecticut;  Lily  L,  married  Arch.  H.  Smith,  of 
Stamford,  Connecticut;  and  Carrie  C,  married 
Franklin  M.  Jones,  of  Stamford,  Connecticut  (since 
deceased). 

BREWSTER,  Benjamin,  one  of  the  promoters  of 
the  Standard  Oil  Company,  was  born  in  Norwich, 
Connecticut,  June  30,  1828.  He  was  a  lineal  de- 
scendant of  Elder  William  Brewster,  the  Mayflower 
Pilgrim,  and  his  parents  and  ancestors  were  indus- 
trious New  England  people  of  the  highest  type  of 
that  sturdy  race.  The  public  schools  of  his  native 
town  afforded  him  a  good  business  education  and 
he  began  life  as  a  clerk  in  New  York  city.  The  gold 
fever  of  1849  attracted  him  to  the  Pacific  coast,  and 
establishing  himself  in  business  at  San  Francisco 
soon  after  his  arrival,  he  was,  for  the  succeeding 
twenty-five  years,  closely  identified  with  the  mer- 
cantile interests  and  other  business  enterprises  of 
California,  where  he  amassed  a  fortune  which  was 
subsequently  largely  increased  by  judicious  invest- 
ments. In  1874  Mr.  Brewster  came  East  and  set- 
tling permanently  in  New  York  city,  he  began  the 
series  of  successful  business  operations  which  placed 
him  in  the  front  rank  among  the  financial  magnates 
of  the  country.  He  was  closely  associated  with  John 
I).  Rockefeller  in  organizing  the  Standard  Oil  Com- 
pany, was  ])rominently  connected  with  the  building 
of  the  Manhattan  Elevated  Railroad  in  New  York 
city,  took  an  important  part  in  reorganizing  the 
Chicago,  St.  Paul,  Minneapolis  &  Omaha  Railroad 


Company  ;  was  Vice-President  of  the  Chicago,  Rock 
Island  &  Pacific  Railroad  Company;  a  Director  of 
the  C'hicago  it  Eastern  Illinois  Railroad,  antl  the 
Delaware  &  Hudson  Canal  Company.  He  was  also 
a  Director  of  the  International  Navigation  Coni- 
jiany,  owners  of  the  only  line  of  trans-.VtIantic  pas- 
senger steamships  Hying  the  American  flag,  and 
many  of  the  great  financial  movements  in  the  ])ast 
thirty  years  were  more  or  less  the  result  of  his  genius. 
For  many  years  it  had  been  his  custom  to  pass  the 
summer  season  in  Cazenovia,  New  York,  and  about 
five  years  jirevious  to  his  death  he  erected  at  the 
south   end   of  the    Lake,  on   what   is  now   I.cdyard 


BENJAMIN    13REWSTER. 

Street,  a  handsome  residence,  called  "  Scrooby,"  the 
name  of  the  old  English  manor  house  which  his 
illustrious  ancestor  relin(pnshed  in  order  to  share 
the  fortune  of  his  fellow-worshippers  in  the  New 
World.  On  .August  23,  1897,  Mr.  Brewster  was 
stricken  with  apoplexy  from  which  he  rallied  and 
for  a  time  strong  hope  were  entertained  of  his  re- 
covery, but  a  few  days  later  the  symptoms  changed 
for  the  worse  and  despite  the  efforts  of  his  physi- 
cians he  grew  weaker  and  his  death  occurred  in 
Cazenovia,  September  4,  1897.  The  funeral  took 
place  on  the  following  Tuesday  and  was  conducted 
by  Reverend  J.T.  Rose,  of  Cazenovia,  and  Reverend 
Dr.  Grccr,  of   New  York.     The  pallbearers  were  : 


288 


MEN    OF    PROGRESS. 


lohn  D.  Rockefeller,  R.  R.  Cable,  Hon.  C.  S.  Fair- 
child,  K.X- Governor  Roswell  P.  Flower,  Clement  A. 
Griscom,  Walter  Jennings,  C.  A.  Peabody,  H.  H. 
Rogers,  H.  W.  Curtis,  William  M.  Burr  and  H.  H. 
Porter.  A  writer  who  enjoyed  a  long  personal  ac- 
quaintance with  the  deceased  speaks  of  him  as  a 
'•  Prince  among  men,"  and  bears  witness  of  his  pro- 
found faith  in  God's  overruling  Providence,  and  also 
of  his  numerous  benefactions.  Mr.  Brewster  was 
married  in  San  Francisco  in  1863  to  Miss  I';imina 
Dows,  daughter  of  the  late  James  Dows,  formerly  of 
Cazenovia.  They  had  seven  children,  three  of  whom 
died  in  infancy,  and  the  survivors  are :  George 
S.,  Robert  S.  and  Mrs.  Oliver  G.  Jennings  of  New 
York;  and  Frederick  F.  Brewster  of  New  Haven, 
Connecticut.      

BLICKENSDERFER,  George  Canfield,  Type- 
writer Inventor  and  Manufacturer,  Stamford,  was 
born  in  Erie,  Pennsylvania,  October  13,  1850,  son 
of  Nathan  and  Catherine  Mary  (Canfield)  Blickens- 
derfer.  His  paternal  ancestors  on  his  father's  side 
were  Moravians  of  German  extraction  who  came  to 
America  about  1750.  His  mother  was  a  lineal  de- 
scendant of  Thomas  Canfield  who  came  to  Con- 
necticut about  1736  and  whose  sons  fought  in  the 
Revolutionary  War.  Young  Blickensderfer  passed 
his  boyhood  on  his  father's  farm  near  Erie,  and  was 
educated  at  the  Home  .-Academy.  His  first  busi- 
ness training  was  obtained  in  the  drygoods  business 
in  Erie,  where  he  remained  six  years.  The  con- 
finement told  upon  his  health  and  in  consequence 
he  left  Erie  and  became  the  travelling  salesman  for 
a  large  New  York  firm,  his  trips  taking  him  through 
the  middle  and  western  states.  Through  his  visits 
to  the  large  department  and  drygoods  stores  his 
attention  was  directed  to  the  somewhat  crude  sys- 
tems of  cash  and  package  carriers  then  in  use.  He 
then  began  a  series  of  experiments  and  succeeded 
so  well  that  in  1884  he  resigned  his  position  in 
which  he  had  been  unusually  successful,  in  order  to 
devote  his  entire  time  to  his  invention.  Patents 
were  obtained  and  a  company  organized  known  as 
the  United  Store  Service  Company,  with  Mr.  Blick- 
ensderfer as  general  manager.  He  was  able  to  in- 
stall his  system  in  many  of  the  largest  stores  in  the 
country  and  the  enterprise  proved  a  decided  suc- 
cess. In  his  travels  over  the  country  Mr.  Blickens- 
derfer had  felt  the  need  of  a  portable  typewriter. 
After  vainly  seeking  among  the  manufacturers  for  a 
machine  suitable  for  his  purpose  it  is  related  that 
he  returned  to  his  room  with  the  conviction  that 


the  ideal  typewriter  was  yet  to  be  made.  He  had 
carefully  noted  the  various  requirements  of  a  type- 
writer of  the  first  grade,  and  already  in  his  fertile 
brain  an  idea  of  an  entirely  new  principle  was 
rapidly  assuming  tangible  form.  With  pencil  and 
paper  he  spent  the  evening  and  far  into  the  night 
draughting  out  the  central  idea  of  what  has  since 
developed  into  the  Blickensderfer  Typewriter.  As 
the  gray  dawn  came  stealing  in  at  his  window  he 
threw  down  his  pencil  with  the  satisfaction  which 
comes  from  an  accomplished  task,  having  solved 
the  question  which  had  puzzled  the  best  inventors 
of  the  age,  the  perfect  control  of  a  revolving  type 


G    C-   BLICKENSDERFER. 

wheel.  With  this  essential  point  determined,  he 
settled  upon  the  form  of  the  machine  and  the  requi- 
sites of  construction.  In  order  to  give  his  undivided 
attention  to  the  typewriter  business  he  offered  for 
sale  his  interest  in  the  store  service  system.  The 
negotiations  finally  resulted  in  a  consolidation  of 
companies  which  purchased  all  his  interest.  The 
sale  made  Mr.  Blickensderfer  a  rich  man,  and  he 
was  thus  enabled  to  carry  out  his  plans  for  the  de- 
velopment of  the  typewriter.  An  incident  which 
occurred  during  the  consolidation  illustrates  the 
strength  of  character  and  unswerving  sense  of 
justice  which  has  given  to  Mr.  Blickensderfer 
the    entire    confidence   of    his   business  associates. 


mi:n'  ()!•■  i'rockKss. 


289 


Two  of  the  eni]iloyees  of  the  Service  Company 
had  been  workini,'  under  contract  which  had  been 
assumed  by  the  new  company  but  which  tlio 
latter  had  failed  to  fulfill.  With  characteristic 
generosity  Mr.  Blickensderfer  voluntarily  assumed 
the  expense  of  suing  the  comi)any,  the  suit  finally 
resulting  in  an  immense  loss  to  them,  and  the 
vindication  of  his  claims.  With  abundant  capital, 
Mr.  Blickensderfer  now  purchased  a  beautiful  resi- 
dence at  Stamford  and  there  built  an  experimental 
shop  and  laboratory.  In  18S9  a  company  was 
formed,  of  which  he  was  maile  President  and 
Manager.  The  company  continued  to  improve  and 
experiment  on  the  machines  for  four  years,  during 
which  time  $250,000  was  spent  in  building  and 
equipping  the  plant  for  the  manufacture  of  the 
different  models.  At  the  ^Vorld's  Fair  in  1895  the 
Judges  gave  this  typewriter  in  their  award,  the  strong- 
est endorsement  of  any  exhibit,  characterizing  it  as 
"an  extraordinary  advancement  in  the  act,  scope, 
speed,  operation  and  manufacture  of  typewriting 
machines."  A  few  samples  were  made  in  1894  but 
it  was  not  until  the  spring  of  1S95  that  the  Blickens- 
derfer No.  5  was  regularly  placed  upon  the  market. 
In  the  fall  of  1896  a  new  factory  was  built  and 
equipped,  and  now  constitutes  the  largest  exclusively 
typewriter  factory  in  the  world.  Other  additions 
are  contemplated  to  fill  the  unprecedented  demand 
for  the  machines.  The  company  has  done  no  adver- 
tising, yet  twenty  thousand  machines  have  been 
manufactured  and  sold  during  the  last  two  years. 
Mr.  Blickensderfer  has  personally  directed  the  policy 
of  the  company  and  acted  as  superintendent  of  the 
work.  He  alone  is  responsible  for  this  magnificent 
success.  He  is  a  most  significant  example  of  that 
rare  combination  of  inventive  genius  with  executive 
ability.  The  enterprise  has  been  developed  during 
a  period  of  great  financial  distress  in  the  country  at 
large,  yet  the  personnel  of  the  company  has  remained 
unchanged  and  its  offices  are  identical  with  those 
of  the  corporation  as  organized  in  1889.  The  Blick- 
ensderfer No.  7,  now  on  the  market,  combines  a 
phenomenal  low  price  with  the  highest  grade  of 
workmanship  and  all  the  requisites  of  the  best  type- 
writer. It  has  light  weight  and  small  size  and  has 
the  special  features  of  visible  writing,  direct  inking, 
speed  and  ease  of  operation,  together  with  automatic 
spacing,  adjustable  alarm  bell,  and  automatic  short 
stop.  The  small  number  of  parts  required  in  the 
machine  (200)  has  allowed  the  use  of  the  highest 
grade  of  materials,  something  which  has  always  been 
insisted  upon  by  Mr.  lilickensderfer.     It  is  not  too 


much  to  claim  that  this  invention  has  revolutionized 
the  writing  machine  industry.  Mr.  HIickensderfer's 
whole  time  and  energies  are  devoted  to  his  business. 
He  has  however  found  leisure  to  become  a  member 
of  the  Stamford  Vacht  Club  and  the  Suburban  Club 
of  Stamford.  He  also  belongs  to  the  New  York 
Chamber  of  Commerce  and  the  Hardware  Club  of 
New  York. 

BROOKKR,  CHARI.E.S  Frederick,  Manufacturer, 
Torrington  and  .Ansonia,  was  born  in  'I'orrington, 
March  4,  1847,  son  of  Martin  and  Maria  (Seymour) 


C.   F.   BROOKER. 

Brooker.  He  received  his  education  in  the  com- 
mon schools  of  old  Litchfield  county,  and  at  an 
early  age  became  identified  with  manufacturing 
interests,  in  which  he  has  ever  since  been  engaged. 
For  thirty-four  years  he  has  been  prominently  asso- 
ciated with  the  Coe  Brass  Manufacturing  Company, 
for  twenty-five  years  its  Secretary  and  five  years  its 
President.  In  its  interest  he  has  spent  much  time 
abroad,  having  made  more  than  a  dozen  European 
trips.  Mr.  Brooker  is  a  Director  in  various  banks, 
manufacturing  corporations  and  railroad  companies, 
and  altogether  is  one  of  the  most  active  business 
men  in  Western  Connecticut.  In  1890  he  was 
appointed  by  Governor  Bulkley  one  of  the  alternate 


290 


MEN    OF   PROGRESS. 


commissioners  to  the  World's  Fair  at  Chicago,  a 
position  for  which  he  was  especially  fitted  by  train- 
ing, travel  and  experience.  In  politics  he  is  a 
prominent  Republican,  and  has  served  long  as  a 
member  of  the  State  Central  Committee  from  his 
section.  In  1875  *>«  represented  Torrington  in  the 
town  branch  of  the  Connecticut  Legislature  and  in 
the  Senate  in  1893.  Mr.  Brooker  is  a  member  of 
the  Union  League,  Transportation  and  Fulton 
clubs  of  New  York  ;  also  of  the  Chamber  of  Com- 
merce of  New  York  ;  American  Geographical  Society 
and  the  New  England  Society  of  New  York.  The 
Coe  Brass  Manufacturing  Company  has  large  mills 
at  Torrington  and  .Xnsonia,  Connecticut.  Mr. 
Brooker  is  married  and  resides  at  Ansonia. 


BURR,  William  Hubert,  Professor  of  Civil  Engi- 
neering, Columbia  University,  New  York  city,  was 
born  at  Watertown,  Connecticut,  July  14,  1851,  son 
of  George  William  and  Marion  Foot  (Scovill)  Burr. 
Mr.  Burr  traces  his  ancestry  back  to  old  English 
stock.  The  first  member  of  the  family  in  direct 
line  was  Jehue  Burr,  who  came  to  this  country  in 
1640,  and  settled  at  what  is  now  Springfield, 
Massachusetts.  Shortly  afterwards  he  removed  to 
Hartford,  Connecticut,  and  thence  to  Fairfield, 
Connecticut,  where  he  settled  in  1644.  Since  that 
time  Fairfield  has  been  the  seat  of  the  family,  the 
father  of  the  subject  of  this  sketch  having  been 
born  in  that  part  of  Fairfield  known  as  Stratfield 
Parish.  William  Hubert  Burr  is  of  the  ninth  genera- 
tion of  the  family  name.  His  ancestors  in  Fairfield 
were  prominent  in  Colonial  affairs  and  played 
important  parts  in  the  development  of  the  colony 
in  which  Fairfield  was  located.  Nathaniel  Burr  of 
the  second  generation  in  the  direct  line  of  descent 
to  William  H.  Burr  was  one  of  the  large  and  wealthy 
land  owners  of  his  time,  while  Colonel  John  Burr, 
Colonel  Andrew  Burr,  and  Major  John  Burr  of  the 
second,  third  and  fourth  generations  respectively 
were  active  men  in  public  affairs  of  their  time. 
Colonel  Andrew  Burr  was  a  member  of  the  ex])edi- 
tion  against  Loui.sburg,  and  bore  his  part  in  the 
siege  of  that  place.  Among  the  prominent  names 
of  the  same  Fairfield  Burr  stock  were  Reverend 
Aaron  Burr,  first  President  of  the  College  of  New 
Jersey,  Colonel  Aaron  Burr,  Vice-President  of  the 
United  States,  General  Gershom  Burr  and  General 
Thaddeus  Burr.  The  patriotism  of  the  Burrs  at  the 
time  of  the  Revolution  entailed  severe  losses  upon 
members  of  the  family  when  the  British  made  the 


incursion  into  Fairfield  under  General  Tryon  in 
1777,  burning  houses  and  destroying  property  be- 
longing to  them.  William  Hubert  Burr  received 
his  early  education  partly  in  the  .Academy  at  Water- 
town,  Connecticut,  supplemented  by  private  instruc- 
tion. -Vfter  having  received  this  preparation  he 
entered  the  Rensselaer  Polytechnic  Institute  at 
Troy,  New  York,  the  oldest  school  of  civil  engineer- 
ing in  this  country,  and  graduated  in  the  class  of 
1872  with  the  degree  of  Civil  Engineer.  This  con- 
stituted his  training  for  active  life,  and  he  has  since 
practiced  the  profession  of  civil  engineering  chiefly 


W.   H     BURR. 

in  the  fields  of  bridge  work  and  large  public  works. 
From  1872  to  1875  he  was  engaged  in  subordinate 
positions  in  the  building  of  wrought  iron  bridges  in 
New  York  city,  and  on  the  city  water  works  of 
Newark,  New  Jersey.  In  the  autumn  of  1875  he 
returned  to  the  Rensselaer  Polytechnic  Institute 
as  a  member  of  the  faculty,  and  was  appointed 
Professor  of  Rational  and  Technical  Mechanics  in 
1876.  He  held  this  position  for  eight  years,  at  the 
same  time  engaging  to  a  considerable  extent  in 
civil  engineering  practice.  During  this  period  he 
published  three  books :  "  The  Stresses  in  Bridge 
and  Roof  Trusses,"  "  The  Elasticity  and  Resistance 
of  the  Materials  of  Engineering,"  and  "The  Theory 
of  the  Masonry  Arch,"  besides  a  considerable  num- 


MKN    (>F    PROGRESS. 


291 


ber  of  contributions  to  engineering  periodicals  and 
other  similai  publications.  All  of  the  preccdinj;; 
books  have  passed  through  a  number  of  editions, 
and  are  regarded  as  standard  engineering  works. 
In  1884  he  left  the  field  of  instruction  to  devote 
his  whole  time  to  active  practice,  first  as  assistant 
to  the  chief  engineer,  and  subsequently  as  the 
General  Manager  of  the  Phrenix  Bridge  Company 
of  Phcenixville  and  Philadelphia,  Pennsylvania. 
While  in  connection  with  this  business  a  number  of 
the  largest  bridges  then  built,  among  which  were 
the  Chesapeake  and  Ohio  Bridge  across  the  Ohio 
River  at  Cincinnati ;  the  Red  Rock  Canteliver, 
across  the  Colorado  River  near  "  The  Needles," 
California ;  and  the  Pecos  Viaduct  in  Texas,  were 
designed  and  executed  under  his  direction  and 
supervision.  In  1891  he  removed  to  New  York 
city  and  became  the  Vice-President  of  Sooysmith 
&  Company,  prominent  contracting  engineers 
in  pneumatic  and  other  deep  foundation  work 
From  1892  to  1893  he  was  also  Professor  of  Engi- 
neering at  Harvard  University,  but  in  the  latter 
year  was  called  back  to  New  York  city  to  take  the 
Chair  of  Civil  Engineering  in  Columbia  University, 
which  position  he  still  holds.  In  addition  to  his 
professorship  work  he  has  served  in  a  professional 
capacity  in  connection  with  a  number  of  large 
interests.  In  1894  he  was  a  member  of  the  sub- 
committee of  the  Committee  of  Seventy  on  the 
improvement  of  the  water  front  of  New  York  city 
and,  at  about  the  same  time,  a  member  of  a  com- 
mittee of  experts  who  were  charged  by  the  Rapid 
Transit  Commission  of  New  York  city  with  the  duty 
of  considering  the  broad  question  of  Rapid  Transit 
as  it  then  presented  itself  to  the  city  of  New  York, 
and  in  particular  to  consider  and  report  upon  the 
plans  and  estimates  as  then  proposed  for  the  project 
of  rapid  transit.  In  the  summer  of  1894  he  was 
appointed  by  President  Cleveland  a  member  of  a 
Board  of  Engineers  to  investigate  and  report  on  the 
feasibility  of  crossing  the  North  River  at  New  York 
city  with  a  suspension  bridge  of  a  single  span  of  three 
thousand  two  hundred  feet.  From  1893  to  1895 
he  was  Consulting  Engineer  to  the  Department 
of  Public  Works  of  New  York  city  for  the  design 
and  construction  of  the  Harlem  Ship  Canal  Bridge. 
From  November  1895  to  January  1898  he  was  a 
member  of  the  Board  of  Consulting  Engineers  to 
the  Department  of  Docks  of  the  same  city.  In 
February  1896  he  was  appointed  C^onsulting  ICn- 
gineer  to  the  Department  of  Public  Parks  of  New 
York    city   in    charge    of    the    construction   of   the 


Harlem  River  Driveway,  a  work  costing  about  three 
million  dollars,  and  was  also  made  Consulting  En- 
gineer by  the  same  Department  for  a  numlier  of 
bridges  and  other  works.  In  the  autumn  of  1896 
he  was  appointed  on  a  Board  by  President  Cleve- 
land under  the  provisions  of  the  River  and  Harbor 
Statute  of  the  Fifty-fourth  Congress  to  determine 
the  location  of  a  dee])  water  harbor  for  commerce 
and  of  refuge  on  the  coast  of  Southern  California. 
He  is  a  member  of  the  American  Society  of  Civil 
F'.ngineers,  of  the  Institution  of  Civil  Engineers  of 
Great  Britain,  and  of  a  number  of  other  scientific 
and  professional  organizations.  In  1892  his  paper 
on  "The  River  Spans  of  the  Cincinnati  and  Coving- 
ton Bridge "  received  the  Rowland  ])rize  of  the 
American  Society  of  Civil  F.ngineers.  In  1896  he 
contributed  a  paper  on  the  "  Harlem  Ship  Canal 
Bridge  "  to  the  Institution  of  Civil  Engineers,  and 
has  made  many  other  contributions  to  the  priodical 
literature  of  his  profession.  From  1893  to  1896 
he  was  also  a  Director  of  the  .-Xmerican  Society  of 
C"ivil  Engineers.  He  is  a  member  of  the  University 
Club,  and  of  the  Century  .Association  of  New  York 
city.  The  close  occupation  of  Mr.  Burr  with  his 
professional  duties  has  left  little  time  for  active  par- 
ticipation in  political  affairs  other  than  such  lively 
interest  as  every  good  citizen  should  take  in  the 
best  politics  of  his  country's  life.  He  is  not  a 
strong  partisan,  but  his  political  tone  is  that  of  an 
independent  Democrat.  He  was  married  in  1876. 
to  Caroline  Kent  Seelye,  who  died  in  1894.  He 
has  three  children  :  Marion  Elizabeth,  William  Fair- 
field and  George  Lindsley  Burr,  the  latter  being  the 
youngest. 

BURR,  John  Mii.o,  Postmaster  of  Burrville,  Con- 
necticut, from  i86[  till  1897,  was  born  in  that  town 
March  8,  1833,  in  the  house  which  has  always  been 
his  residence  and  was  erected  by  his  father  in  1827  ; 
and  died  November  26,  1897.  He  was  the  son  of 
Milo  and  Mary  (Skinner)  Burr.  Milo  Burr  was 
also  born  in  Burrville  to  which  town  his  honored 
ancestors  had  given  the  name.  He  became  a  large 
owner  of  timber  lands  and  with  three  old-fashioned 
water  saw-mills  furnished  lumber  for  the  surrounding 
towns.  The  son,  John  Milo  Burr,  aided  his  father 
in  the  marketing  and  delivery  of  the  lumber,  and  a 
frequent  experience  of  his  boyhood  was  the  starting 
for  Farmington  with  a  loaded  team  at  midnight. 
The  tending  of  brick  kilns  was  also  a  part  of  his 
early  duties.  With  this  sturdy  exercise  to  develop 
his   growing  muscular    frame,  the  young   man   was 


2g2 


MEN    OF   PROGRESS. 


sent  to  school  in  the  brick  schoolhouse  on  Torring- 
(ord  street  in  the  section  known  as  Greenwoods. 
.Aftenvard  for  two  seasons  he  walked  to  Winsted 
and  returned  each  day  to  attend  the  High  School  of 
Henry  E.  Rockwell.     It  was  his  father's  theory  that 


JOHN    M.    BURR. 

this  eight-mile  daily  constitutional  exercise  was  good 
for  development  of  the  mind  as  well  as  the  body ; 
and  it  was  this  same  rugged  heroic  training  of  boy- 
hood that  has  produced  many  of  New  England's 
strongest  and  most  distinguished  characters.  Up 
to  the  time  of  his  father's  death  in  187 1  the  father 
and  son  were  associated  in  the  lumber  and  brick 
business.  John  Milo  Burr  was  Postmaster  of  Burr- 
ville  for  thirty-six  years,  and  for  a  quarter  of  a  cen- 
tury served  as  a  Justice  of  the  Peace.  In  1871  he 
represented  Torrington  in  the  Legislature  and  he 
also  served  as  Selectman,  Assessor  and  Member  of 
the  Board  of  Relief.  He  had  long  been  prominent 
in  public  affairs  in  the  boroughs  of  Winsted  and 
Torrington  in  both  of  which  jjlaces  he  was  a  large 
real  estate  owner.  No  place  in  Litchfield  county  is 
better  known  than  Mr.  Burr's  modern  appearing 
residence  with  its  well  kept  barns  and  out-buildings, 
surrounded  by  fertile  acres  in  this  beautiful  valley 
of  the  Winchester  mountains.  Mr.  Burr  was  in 
thorough  sympathy  with  the  progressive  spirit  of  the 
time.     He  was  generous  as  well  as  public  spirited 


and  on  the  building  of  the  Torrington  &  Win- 
chester Electric  Railway  in  the  summer  of  1897  not 
only  gave  them  a  mile  right  of  way  through  his 
lands  but  also  donated  land  for  the  company's  power 
and  car  houses.  Mr.  Burr  was  well  known  through- 
out the  state  as  a  member  of  the  Masonic  Fraternity. 
He  was  a  regular  attendant  of  the  Triennial  Con- 
claves of  the  Knights  Templar,  and  a  member  of 
Seneca  Lodge  No.  55,  of  Torrington,  and  Lafayette 
Consistory  of  Bridgeport,  and  Ancient  Arabic  Order, 
Nobles  of  the  Mystic  Shrine  of  Bridgeport.  He 
was  married  in  1855  to  Lavinia  A.  Hurlbut,  of 
Winchester.  Their  only  child,  John  H.  Burr,  was 
born  .September  17,  i860,  and  continues  the  business 
of  his  father. 


CAMP,  Samuel  Talcott,  President  of  the  Far- 
mers' and  Mechanics'  Savings  Bank  of  Middletown, 
was  born  in  Middletown,  July  i,  1831,  son  of 
Ichabod  and  Sarah   (Johnson)   Camp.     He  is  de- 


II  S.  T.   CAMP. 

scended  from  Nicholas  Camp,  who  with  his  wife 
came  over  from  London,  England,  in  1632.  He 
attended  the  public  schools  of  Middletown,  and 
received  his  early  training  for  active  life  as  a  clerk 
in  the  grocery  business.  In  his  twentieth  year,  in 
January  1852,  he  went  to  California,  where  he  re- 
mained for  about  three  and  a  half  years,  returning 


Mi:\    OK    I'KOCRKSS. 


?93 


East  to  MicUlletown  in  May  1856,  travelled  through- 
out the  I'nited  States,  and  in  1S5S,  went  into  the 
grocery  business  in  company  witli  Heiijaniin  F'". 
Chaffee.  This  partnership  existed  for  over  ten 
years,  at  the  end  of  which  time  he  bought  out  the 
interest  of  Mr.  Chaffee,  and  lias  since  coniimied 
in  business  for  himself.  Mr.  Camp  is  President  of 
the  Farmers'  and  Mechanics'  Savings  Bank  of  Mid- 
tiletown,  and  for  tlie  past  seventeen  years  has  been 
a  Director  in  the  Middlesex  County  Hank,  of  which 
he  is  Vice-President  at  the  iiresent  time.  He  has 
also  been  a  trustee  of  Wesleyan  I'niversity  for  about 
twenty  years.  In  politics  he  has  been  usually  iden- 
tified with  the  Republican  party.  He  was  married 
November  12,  1862,  to  Martha  E.  .Smith,  of  Port- 
land, Maine.     'I'hev  ha\e  no  children  li\  ins. 


CARTER,  Colin  Smith,  Dentist,  New  York  city, 
was  born  in  Middletown,  Connecticut,  .April  13,  1S57. 
His  ancestry  is  mainly  English  and  Welcli,  a  single 
line  extending  into  France.  His  earliest  American 
ancestor  was  Elder  \\"i!liam  Brewster,  of  the  May- 
flower, from  whom  he  is  ninth  in  lineal  descent. 
He  is  also  descended  from  'lliomas  Gardner,  over- 
seer of  the  first  colony  of  emigrants  that  landed  at 
Cape  Ann  (now  Gloucester),  Massachusetts,  in  1624. 
Others  of  his  ancestors  were  of  the  distinguished 
companies  that  came  to  the  Colony  with  Governor 
^\'inthrop  in  1630,  and  to  New  Haven  with  Governor 
Eaton  in  1637.  Of  his  English  ancestors  he  is 
ninth  in  descent  from  Thomas  Morton  who  was 
graduated  from  Cambridge,  England,  who  became 
Bishop  of  Chester  in  1615,  Lichfield  16 18,  and 
Durham  1632,  and  whose  daughter  Ann  married, 
first,  David  Yale,  and  afterwards  Governor  Eaton  of 
the  New  Haven  Colony.  A  daughter  of  David  and 
Ann  (Morton)  Vale  married  Governor  Edward  Hop- 
kins of  the  Connecticut  Colony.  Their  son  Thomas 
married  Mary,  daughter  of  Captain  Nathaniel  Turner, 
the  parents  of  Elihu  Vale  after  whom  the  Vale  Uni- 
versity was  named,  and  were  also  the  great-grand- 
parents of  Ann  Yale,  who  on  May  8,  1733,  married 
William  Carter,  the  great-great-great-grandfather  of 
Doctor  Carter.  Doctor  Carter  is  also  seventh  in 
descent  from  Thomas  Roberts,  the  last  colonial 
Governor  of  New  Hampshire,  and  eighth  in  descent 
from  Governor  Thomas  Prince  of  the  Plymouth 
Colony.  One  of  his  ancestors  owned  Breed's  Hill, 
on  which  was  fought  the  Battle  of  Bunker  Hill; 
others  were  the  courageous  protectors  of  the  Regi- 
mental Codes,  while  more  than  a  score  served  in 


the  Peijuot  and  King  Philip's  wars,  and  in  the 
general  courts  of  the  colonies  of  Plymouth,  .Massa- 
chusetts, New  Haven,  Connecticut  and  New  Hamp- 
shire. Three  of  them  were  among  the  thirteen 
members  of  the  Convention  which  met  in  1639  to 
frame  for  the  Colony  of  ('onnecticul  a  written  con- 
stitution, the  first  ever  adopted  by  any  people  and 
the  leading  features  of  which  have  since  been 
incorporated  both  in  the  Federal  and  most  of  the 
State  Constitutions.  He  is  a  great-grandson  of 
Sergeant  William  Taylor  who  enlisted  in  the  "  Lex- 
ington .Marm  "  from  Simsbury,  Connecticut,  when 
only  seventeen    years  of  age,  was  at   Bunker  Hill, 


COLIN    S.  CARTER. 

Monmouth  and  Stony  Point,  served  until  the  close 
of  the  war,  and  was  awarded  a  pension.  He  is  also 
fourth  and  fifth  in  descent  respectively  from  Private 
Joseph  Gaylord  and  Captain  Nathaniel  Bunnell, 
likewise  Connecticut  soldiers  of  the  Revolution. 
His  grandfather  Carter  held  the  offices  of  Assessor, 
Collector  and  Postmaster,  and  his  father,  Walter  S. 
Carter,  is  a  well  known  New  York  lawyer,  noted  as 
an  art  collector  and  for  his  interest  in  hereditary 
patriotic  societies.  His  paternal  grandfather  was 
the  late  John  Cotton  Smith,  of  New  Hartford,  Con- 
necticut, a  leading  manufacturer.  Doctor  Carter  was 
educated  at  the  public  schools,  at  the  Wilbraham 
Academy,  and  at  the  Brooklyn  Polytechnic  Institute. 


294 


MEN   OF   PROGRESS. 


He  entered  the  Dental  Department  of  the  University 
of  Pennsylvania  in  iSSi.and  was  graduated  with  the 
degree  of  Doctor  of  Dental  Surgery  two  years  later. 
Upon  graduation  he  was  appointed  Assistant  Demon- 
strator of  Operative  Dentistry,  which  position  he 
filled  until  the  following  year,  when  he  commenced 
practice  in  New  York  in  which  he  has  achieved 
distinguished  success.  In  1892  Doctor  Carter 
married  Miss  Rose  Esterbrook,  daughter  of  the 
late  Richard  and  .Antoinette  (Rose)  Esterbrook  of 
Bridgehampton,  Long  Island.  The  latter  was  the 
daughter  of  Judge  Rose  who  was  of  a  good  old  Long 
Island  family,  a  graduate  of  Vale,  and  who  is  the 
author  of  a  valuable  and  learned  commentary  on 
constitutional  law.  Dr.  Carter  is  a  member  of  the 
Union  League,  Republican  and  American  Yacht 
clubs,  the  New  England  Society,  Sons  of  the  Revolu- 
tion, Sons  of  the  .American  Revolution,  Society  of 
Mayflower  Descendants,  Founders  and  Patriots 
of  .America,  America's  Founders  and  Defenders, 
and  other  patriotic,  political  and  social  organiza- 
tions. In  religion  he  is  a  Methodist,  being  a 
member  of  St.  Paul's  Church,  New  York  city. 


CARTER,  W.ALTF.R  Steuben,  Attorney-at-l.avv, 
New  York  city,  was  born  in  Barkhamsted,  Litch- 
field county,  Connecticut,  February  24,  1833,  son 
of  Evits  and  Emma  (Taylor)  Carter.  His  ancestry 
is  mainly  English  and  Welch,  a  single  line  extend- 
ing into  France.  His  earliest  American  ancestor 
was  Elder  William  Brewster  of  the  Mayflower  from 
whom  he  is  eighth  in  lineal  descent.  He  is  also 
descended  from  Thomas  Gardner,  overseer  of  the 
first  colony  of  emigrants  that  landed  at  Cape  Ann, 
Massachusetts  Colony,  in  1624.  Others  of  his 
ancestors  were  of  the  distinguished  companies  that 
came  to  that  colony  with  Governor  Winthrop  in 
1630  and  to  New  Haven  with  Governor  Eaton  in 
1637.  Of  his  English  ancestors  he  is  eighth  in 
descent  from  Thomas  Morton,  a  graduate  of  Cam 
bridge,  who  was  successively  Bishop  of  Chester 
1615,  Lichfield  1618,  and  Durham  1632,  and 
whose  daughter  Ann  married  David  Yale,  and  for 
her  second  husband  Governor  Eaton,  of  the  New 
Haven  colony.  A  daughter  of  David  and  Ann 
(Morton)  Yale,  married  Governor  Edward  Hopkins 
of  the  Connecticut  Colony,  and  a  son,  Thomas, 
married  Mary,  daughter  of  Captain  Nathaniel 
Turner.  They  were  the  parents  of  Elihu  Yale  after 
whom  Yale  University  was  named,  and  the  great- 
grandparents  of  Ann  Yale,  who   in    1733    married 


William  Carter,  the  great-great-grandfather  of  the 
subject  of  this  sketch.  Mr.  Carter  is  also  sixth  in 
descent  from  Thomas  Roberts,  the  last  Colonial 
Governor  of  New  Hampshire,  and  seventh  in  de- 
scent from  Governor  Thomas  Prince,  of  the  Ply- 
mouth Colony.  One  of  his  ancestors  owned  Breed's 
Hill,  on  which  the  battle  of  Bunker  Hill  was  fought. 
Others  were  courageous  protectors  of  the  Regicides, 
while  more  than  a  score  served  in  the  Pequot  and 
King  Philip's  Wars,  and  in  the  General  Courts  of 
the  New  England  Colonies.  Three  of  them  were 
among  the  thirteen  members  of  the  convention 
which  met  in  1639  to  frame  a  written  constitution 


> 

1 
■    iO'. 

^  ■ 

w^f 

'"^^^ 

*  ^^k 

^/g^^ 

.^^:2^||PPL^ 

J^m' 

'  ^5^^|* 

^^^^^^^^^^ 

-^: 

f 

WALTER   S.    CARTER. 

for  the  Colony  of  Connecticut,  the  first  ever 
adopted  by  any  people,  and  the  leading  features  of 
which  have  since  been  incorporated  in  the  Federal 
and  in  most  of  our  state  constitutions.  He  is  a 
grandson  of  Sergeant  William  Taylor,  who  enlisted 
in  the  Lexington  Alarm,  from  Simsbury,  Connecti- 
cut, when  only  seventeen  years  of  age,  was  at  Bun- 
ker Hill,  Monmouth  and  Stony  Point,  served 
through  the  war  and  was  awarded  a  pension.  He 
is  also  third  and  fourth  in  descent  respectively 
from  Private  Joseph  Gaylord  and  Captain  Nathan- 
iel Bunnell,  likewise  Connecticut  soldiers  of  the 
Revolution.  Mr.  Carter's  education  was  obtained 
in  the  common  schools  with  the    exception   of   a 


MEN    OF    PROORKSS. 


295 


single  term  in  a    private    school   at    Winsted.     In 
1850  he  commenced  the  study  of  law  with  Judge 
Elisha  Johnson,  of  Plymouth,  continuing  the  follow- 
ing year  with  Judge  Jared  H.   Foster  at  New  Hart- 
ford, and  completed  his  studies   (having  meantime 
taught  school  during  the  winters)  with  Judge  Waldo 
P.  Vinal  of  Middletown,  in  1855.     He  was  immedi- 
ately admitted  to  the  bar,  and  began  a  successful 
practice  in  Middletown.     He  removed  to  Milwau- 
kee, Wisconsin,  in  1858,  where  for  a  short  time  he 
was  legal  assistant  in  the  office  of  Finches,  l.ynde  & 
Miller,  and  later  in  that  of  Ex-Chief  Justice  Hubbell. 
In  1S60  he  entered  into  partnership  with  William  G. 
Whipple,  now  of  Little  Rock,  Arkansas.     In   1S63 
the    firm   of   Carter,  Pitkin   &    Davis  was   formed 
(Ex-Governor    Pitkin    of    Colorado    and    De\\'itt 
Davis),  which  continued  until  Mr.  Carter  removed 
to  Chicago  in  1869.     He  there  entered  into  part- 
nership with  Frederick  W.  Becker  and  Samuel  E. 
Dale,  under   the    firm    name  of   Carter,  Becker  & 
Dale.     This  connection  was  severed  after  the  great 
fire  of  1871  when  Mr.  Carter  removed  to  New  York, 
as  legal  representative  of  the  Chicago  creditors  of 
the  suspended  fire  insurance  companies  of  that  and 
other  eastern  cities.     Judge  Leslie  W.  Russell,  now 
of    the   Supreme    Court,    became    his   partner,  but 
returned  to  St.  Lawrence  County  in  1S73,  and  since 
then  Mr.  Carter  has  had  as  partners,  Sherburne  B. 
Eaton,  Eugene  H.  Lewis,  Ex-Governor  Daniel  H. 
Chamberlain,  William  B.  Hornblower,  James  Byrne, 
Lloyd  W.  Bowers,  Paul  D.  Cravath,  John  W.  Hous- 
ton, George  M.  Pinney,  Jr.,  and  Frederic  R.  Kellogg. 
His  present  firm.  Carter,  Hughes  &  Dwight,  has  for 
members,  Charles  E.  Hughes,  Edward  F.  Dwight, 
.■\rthur  C.  Rounds,  Marshall  B.  Clarke  and  George 
W.  Schurman.     In  politics  Mr.  Carter  is  a   Repub- 
lican.   He  has  never  sought  office,  and  when  he  was 
nominated   for  the    Legislature   in   .Middletown   he 
declined.    The  only  official  position  he  has  ever  held 
was  that  of  LInited  States  Commissioner  and  .Mastcr- 
in-Chancery  of  the  United  States  Court  in  Wisconsin, 
which  he  held  but  a  short  time.     He,  howe\er,  has 
frequently  served  on   committees  and   as  delegate 
to  political  conventions  and  in  1869  was  manager  of 
the  Senatorial  campaign  in   Wisconsin   which  sent 
Matthew  H.  Carpenter  to  the  United  States  Senate. 
Mr.  Carter  shows  his  interest  actively  in  educational 
matters,  was  on  the  Board  of  Fxlucation  in  .Middle- 
town,  while  in  Milwaukee  was  a  trustee  of  Lawrence 
University,  and  at  present  is  one  of  the  trustees  of 
Syracuse  University.     Being  an  extensive  traveller 
in  foreign  lands  Mr.  Carter  has  had  the  opportunity 


to  indulge  his  taste  for  art  treasures,  and  he  is  the 
possessor  of  one  of  the  finest  franu-d  collections  of 
etchings  and  engravings  in  the  world.     In  Milwaukee 
in  1892  he  delivered  a  lecture  on  the   Ma.sterpieccs 
of    Re|)roduclive    Etching   and    ICngraving,   which 
])robably  gives  the  most  minute  and  careful  descrip- 
tion of  the  processes  of  etching,  line,  mezzotint  and 
stipple  engraving  yet  |)ublished.     Mr.  Carter  belongs 
to  the  Methodist  Episcopal  Church  and  is  the  Vice- 
President  of  the   Board    of   Trustees   of   the    New 
York  Avenue  Church  of  Brooklyn,  to  which  church 
he  lately  presented  one  of  the  largest  and  finest 
organs  ever  constructed.     He  also  holds  the  ])osition 
of  trustee  in  the  church  of  which  his  granilfather 
was  one  of  the  founders  in  his  native  town.     He 
has  served  as  Sunday  School  sujierintendent,  class 
leader  and  steward,  and  in  charitable  work  has  lent 
generous  aid.     He  is  one  of  the  few  surviving  mem- 
bers of  the  Christian  Commission,  having  held  the 
position  of  Chairman  to  the  Wisconsin  branch  of  that 
great  charitable  organization,  of  whose  work  at  the 
battle  of  Nashville  he  published  in  the  Northwestern 
Christian  Advocate  an  account  which  was  afterwards 
republished  in  the  official  history  of  the  Commission. 
In  clubs  and  societies  Mr.  Carter  has  a  wide  mem- 
bershi]).     He  belongs  to  the  Republican  and  LInion 
League  clubs  in  Brooklyn  where  he  resides,  and  has 
been  upon  the  art  committee  and  one  of  the  gov- 
ernors of  the  latter  club.     He  was  one  of  the  in- 
corporators and  is  a  life  member  of  the  Brooklyn 
Institute  of  Arts  and    Sciences,    and    since    1892, 
when  he  succeeded   Dudley  Buck,  has  been  Presi- 
dent of  its  department  of  music.     He  is  a  trustee 
of  the  Llomceopathic  Hospital  Association,  a  mem- 
ber of  the  New  ICngland  Society,  and  the  I-ong  Isl- 
and Historical  Society.     In  New  York  he  belongs  to 
the  Lawyers',  Grolier,  and   Clef  clubs,  is  a  member 
of  the  Manuscript  Society,   and   was  the  first   lay- 
Honorary    Associate   of    the    American    Guild    of 
Organists.     He  is  also  a  member  of  the  .American 
Historical  .Association,  the  .American  Geographical 
Society,  the  American  Museum  of  Natural  History, 
the  Metropolitan  Museum   of   Art,   the  New  York 
Genealogical    and    Biographical   Society,  the    New 
York  Historical  Society,  the  New  York  Zoological 
Society,  the  Sons  of  the  Revoluiion,  the  Sons  of  the 
American    Revolution,    the    Society  of    Mayflower 
Descendants,     the    Order    of    the     Founders   and 
Patriots  of  .America,  and  .America's  Founders  and 
Defenders,  of  which  last  he  was  the  founder.     He 
is  a  member  of  the  New  York  State  Bar  Association, 
the    American    Bar   .Association    (being   upon    the 


296 


MEN    OF    PROGRESS. 


committee  on  Uniform  State  Laws  of  the  latter) 
and  an  Iionorarv  nieniher  of  tiie  legal  fraternity  of 
I'hi  Delta  Phi.  Mr.  Carter  has  been  three  times 
married.  By  his  first  wife,  .■Antoinette  Smith  of  New 
Hartford,  Connecticut,  who  died  in  1865,  he  had 
four  children:  Dr.  Colin  S.  Carter,  a  well-known 
dental  surgeon  of  New  York ;  Emma,  who  married 
Reverend  E.  H.  Dickinson,  pastor  of  the  North 
Presbyterian  Church  of  Buffalo ;  Antoinette,  wife  of 
^rr.  Hughes  of  the  firm  of  Carter,  Hughes  &  Dwight ; 
and  one  son  who  died  in  1887,  George  S.  Carter, 
educated  at  Columbia  College  and  the  Harvard  Law 
School.  His  second  wife,  Mary  Boyd  Jones,  of 
Frederick,  Maryland,  died  in  1S69  without  issue. 
In  1870  he  married  Harriet  Cook  of  Chicago,  by 
whom  he  has  two  children  :  one  of  whom,  Walter 
F.,  was  graduated  from  Vale  in  1895,  and  was  the 
famous  pitcher  of  the  baseball  nine  ;  his  younger 
son,  Leslie  T.  Carter,  will  not  enter  college,  and  is 
studying  law  in  his  father's  office. 


Mr.  Cooley's  talents  were  of  particular  value  for 
the  common  weal ;  though  he  was  not  publicly 
])rominent  he  played  a  very  important  part  in  the 
establishment  and  management  of  many  of  the 
great  railroad  and  banking  institutions  centering 
in  ('hicago.  In  1865,  having  gained  a  handsome 
competence,  he  removed  to  Hartford  where  his 
abilities  as  a  financier,  as  a  man  of  keen  business 
acumen,  have  ever  since  been  recognized.  He 
was  elected  President  of  the  National  Exchange 
Bank  which  position  he  filled  with  great  credit  till 
he  resigned  in  1886.  He  is  now  Vice-President  of 
that  bank  and  President  of  Landers,  Frary  &  Clark 


COOLEY,  Francis  Buell,  Senator,  1883,  1884 
and  1885,  and  President  of  Landers,  Frary  &  Clark, 
of  New  Britain,  was  born  in  Granville,  Massachu- 
setts, June  21,  1822,  son  of  Noah  and  Sophronia 
(Parsons)  Cooley.  Among  his  ancestors  were  Cap- 
tain George  Cooley,  Colonel  Timothy  Robinson  and 
Colonel  David  Parsons,  prominent  men  in  early 
New  England  history.  Mr.  Cooley  was  graduated 
from  Granville  Academy,  Westfield  Academy  and  at 
Albany  .Academy.  He  began  business  life  as  a  clerk 
and  manager  of  the  country  store  in  his  native  town 
where  he  remained  till  1848.  At  the  age  of  twenty- 
five  he  went  to  Chicago  and  established  the  whole- 
sale drygoods  house  of  Cooley,  Farwell  &  Com- 
pany, now  the  J.  V.  Farwell  Company,  which,  it 
might  be  said,  was  the  beginning  of  the  enormous 
drygoods  trade  of  Chicago  today.  From  this  firm 
came  the  firm  of  Field  &  Leiter,  now  Marshall  Field 
&  Company  and  others  which  have  done  much 
toward  making  the  city  a  great  commercial  center. 
The  success  of  the  original  concern  was  due  in  a 
large  measure  not  only  to  the  enterprise,  energy  and 
hard  work  of  the  former  country  store  manager  but 
to  his  careful  foresight  and  his  power  to  appreciate 
and  turn  to  use  the  mercantile  opportunities  in  the 
fast-growing  lake-side  city.  But  not  to  mercantile 
affairs  alone  did  he  confine  his  attentions.  It  was 
a  time  when  the  future  of  the  Western  metropolis 
was  being  shaped,  when  the  foundations  were  being 
laid  for  the  present  greatness.    And  here  was  where 


FRANCIS    B.    COOLEY. 

one  of  the  largest  manufacturing  concerns  in  New 
Britain.  He  has  been  Trustee  of  the  old  Hartford, 
Providence  &  Fishkill  Railroad  now  the  New  York 
&  New  England  Railroad,  and  of  the  Phcenix 
Insurance  Company,  and  is  now  a  Director  of  the 
Phcenix  Mutual  Life  Insurance  Company,  of  the 
-L^tna  Insurance  Company,  of  the  Hartford  Steam 
Boiler  Inspection  and  Insurance  Company,  of  the 
Hartford  County  Mutual  Fire  Insurance  Company 
and  of  the  Broad  Brook  Company.  In  politics  Mr. 
Cooley  is  a  Republican.  His  appreciative  fellow- 
townsmen  laying  claim  on  some  of  his  abilities,  he 
was  elected  Senator  from  the  First  or  Hartford 
District    in    1883-84    and    1884-85.      He   married 


mi;n  ok  proc.rkss. 


297 


Clarissa  A.  Smith,  November  5,  1S62.  They  have 
four  children :  Francis  Rexfortl,  Sarali  rorier, 
Charles  Parsons  and  Clara  May  Cooley. 


CAPEWELL,  George  Joseph,  founder  and  \'i(e- 
President  of  the  Capewell  Horse  Nail  Company, 
Hartford,  was  born  in  Hirmingham,  England,  June 
26,  1843,  son  of  Mark  Anthony  and  Jane  Eliza- 
beth (Titcombe)  Capewell.  His  ancestors  were 
all  English.  He  came  to  this  country  in  1845 
and  located  in  Woodbury,  Connecticut.  Thence 
he  removed  to  Waterbury,  and  thence  to  Cheshire, 
Connecticut,  in  1S62.  His  early  education  was 
obtained  in  the  district  school  and  academy 
in  Woodbury.  .After  leaving  the  academy  he 
served  an  apprenticeship  as  a  machinist  and  since 
1862  has  been  constantly  in  the  manufacturing 
business.  Over  twenty  years  ago,  in  1876,  he  began 
e.xperiments  in  the  manufacture  of  horse  nails  by 
machinery.  To  produce  by  an  automatic  machine 
a  nail  of  the  very  best  form,  finish  and  consistency  ; 
of  great  tensile  strength  combined  with  a  high 
degree  of  ductility  yet  sufficiently  stiff  to  drive  into 
the  hardest  hoof  was  the  mark  he  set.  His  first 
experimental  machine,  though  crude  and  slow, 
encouraged  him  to  further  efforts.  It  was  not  how- 
ever until  the  autumn  of  1880,  after  four  years  of 
unremitting  labor,  but  with  great  faith  in  the  final 
outcome,  that,  nothing  daunted  by  the  consignment 
to  the  scrap  heap  of  several  machines,  he  was  able 
to  complete  in  his  factory  at  Cheshire,  Connecticut, 
and  e.\hibit  in  the  works  of  J.  L.  Howard  &  Com- 
pany, Hartford,  to  capitalists  and  business  men,  a 
machine  to  automatically  turn  out  about  fifty  finished 
nails  a  minute.  The  Capewell  Horse  Nail  Company 
was  organized  January  17,  1881,  and  shortly  there- 
after began  manufacturing  in  the  building  where  the 
machine  was  first  exhibited.  The  company  removed 
n  the  winter  of  1883-84  to  larger  premises  in  the 
National  Screw  Company's  building,  133  Sheldon 
street,  Hartford,  where  it  remained  until  it  was 
necessary  to  erect  its  present  extensive  ])lant  at 
Governor  and  Charter  Oak  streets.  On  June  26, 
1893,  the  fiftieth  anniversary  of  Mr.  Capewell's 
birth,  with  ceremonies  appropriate  to  the  occasion, 
the  engine  was  started  by  George  J.  Capewell,  Jr. 
Since  then,  although  many  of  its  competitors  have 
been  shut  down  for  long  periods,  the  Capewell  Horse 
Nail  Company  has  scarcely  been  able  to  keep  up 
with  its  orders.  Today,  tlieir  nails  have  more  than 
a  national  reputation  as  "  the  best  in  the  world,"  and 


the  Capewell  Horse  Nail  Company,  limited,  with  a 
caiiital  of  one  hundred  and  ten  thousand  pounds, 
has  a  large  and  nourishing  plant  at  Millwall  Docks, 
London,  England.  The  Hartford  Com()any  has 
increased  its  capital  from  two  hundred  thousand 
dollars  to  four  hundred  thousand,  and  Mr.  Capewell 
has  so  improved  his  machine  that  instead  of  a 
former  capacity  of  fifty  a  minute,  it  now  produces 
considerably  over  one  hundred  nails  a  minute,  and 
the  company  at  present  has  an  output  of  horse  nails 
greater  than  that  of  all  the  other  companies  in  the 
United  States  combined.  Mr.  Cajje^vell's  inventive 
ability  has  not  been  confined    to  horse  shoe  nail 


G.  J.  CAPEWELL. 

machinery,  for  which  he  has  been  granted  between 
thirty  and  forty  patents  in  this  country  and  Europe, 
but  he  has  taken  out  over  one  hundred  patents  in 
other  lines,  some  of  which  have  been  the  foundation 
of  other  large  and  prosperous  industries  whose 
products  are  known  the  world  over.  .Among  his 
more  prominent  inventions  are  the  Capewell  Giant 
Nail  Puller  and  the  Capewell  Self-fastening  Cone 
Button.  At  present  he  is  devoting  considerable 
time  and  thought  to  the  problem  of  ra])id  transit  by 
means  of  improved  elevated  and  surface  roads.  He 
is  also  interested  in  other  large  enterprises,  is  Vice- 
President  and  Superintendent  of  the  Capewell 
Horse  Nail  Coni]iany,  Hartford,  and  President  of 


jgS 


MEN   OF   PROGRESS. 


the  American  Specialty  Manufacturing  Company, 
Hartford,  a  young  but  growing  concern  engaged  in 
the  manufacture  of  specialties,  many  of  them  of  Mr. 
Capewell's  invention.  He  is  a  Free  Mason  and  a 
member  of  the  Hardware  Club  of  New  York  city 
and  of  the  Republican  Club  of  Hartford.  On  March 
20,  1864,  he  married  Garafelia  Hull.  They  have 
three  children  :  Ida  G.,  Mary  A.  and  George  J. 
Capewell,  Jr. 


COOKE,  LoRRiN  Ai-wsON,  Governor,  was  l)orn  in 
the  heart  of  the  beautiful  Berkshire  Hills,  in  the 
lovely  village  of  New  Marlboro,  Massachusetts,  son 
of  Levi  and  Amelia  (Todd)  Cooke.  Through  his 
father,  he  can  trace  his  descent  from  one  who  came 
to  New  England  from  the  old  England  with  the 
first  party  in  the  Mayflower.  Hezekiah  Cooke,  the 
earliest  known  of  the  name  to  settle  in  this  country, 
made  his  home  in  New  Marlboro  at  a  date  which  it 
is  impossible  to  verify.  He  had  a  son,  Solomon, 
who  was  a  faithful  soldier  in  the  Revolutionary  War. 
Thus  the  subject  of  this  sketch,  Lorrin  Alanson, 
tracing  his  descent  directly  through  his  father, 
Levi,  and  his  grandfather,  Lewis,  to  the  latter's 
father,  Solomon,  can  claim  right  of  membership  in 
such  patriotic  societies  as  the  Sons  of  the  Ameri- 
can Revolution,  to  which  he  has  been  admitted, 
whose  aim  it  is  to  foster  in  the  descendant  of 
sturdy  forefathers,  not  alone  a  spirit  of  reverence 
and  filial  regard,  but  one  of  loyalty  and  patriotism 
as  well.  .After  a  thorough  course  of  training  in  the 
common  schools  of  his  native  State,  Mr.  Cooke  re- 
moved to  Norfolk,  Connecticut,  where  he  entered 
the  Academy  and  where  he  subsequently  taught 
school  for  a  period  previous  to  settling  upon  a  farm. 
He  himself  says  little  of  his  life  during  this  season, 
but  it  must  have  been  marked  by  steady  progress 
and  increasing  capacity  to  meet  responsibility, 
thereby  winning  the  confidence  and  respect  of  his 
fellow-townsmen,  for,  in  1856,  he  was  chosen  Rep- 
resentative from  Colebrook,  being  identified  with 
the  Republican  party.  In  1869  he  became  mana- 
ger of  the  Eagle  Scythe  Company  of  Riverton, 
filling  that  position  with  marked  ability  and  retain- 
ing it  until  the  company  discontinued  business  in 
1889.  He  was  repeatedly  approached  with  public 
requests  to  accept  town  offices,  and  many  of  these 
he  did  accept,  discharging  their  duties  with  honor 
to  himself  and  satisfaction  to  his  constituents.  In 
the  meantime,  he  had  been  chosen  Senator  from 
the  Eighteenth  District,  was  re-elected  to  the  Sen- 


ate, and  for  three  years  occupied  the  position  of 
Chairman  of  the  Committee  on  Education.  Dur- 
ing the  session  of  the  Senate  of  1884  he  was  once 
more  distinguished  by  a  public  recognition  of  his 
abilities  and  personal  qualifications,  being  made 
Chairman  of  the  Committee  on  Engrossed  Bills,  a 
position  involving  no  small  amount  of  labor  and  a 
thorough  mental  equipment  of  a  high  order.  In 
18S4  he  was  nominated  for  Lieutenant-Governor, 
and  was  elected  by  a  handsome  majority.  So  ably 
did  he  discharge  the  duties  of  the  office,  particu- 
larly those  of  President  of  the  Senate,  that  his 
renomination  at  some  future  date  was  practically  a 


LORRIN    A.   COOKE. 

foregone  conclusion,  and  in  1S95  he  was  again 
elected  Lieutenant-Governor  for  two  years.  Thus 
he  served  two  terms,  and  became  the  logical,  as 
well  as  the  universally  popular  candidate  for  Gov- 
ernor to  succeed  Governor  O.  Vincent  Cofifin,  in 
1896.  His  election  followed,  with  the  handsomest 
majority  in  the  history  of  the  Republican  party  of 
the  state  nearly  forty-four  thousand.  He  has 
brought  to  his  administration  those  faculties  of 
business  shrewdness,  careful  study  and  sound  judg- 
ment which  had  already  assured  him  one  of  the 
highest  places  in  the  world  of  finance  ;  and  fearless 
in  what  he  believed  to  be  for  the  welfare  of  the 
State,  conservative    without  being    narrow,  upright 


iMKN    OF    I'ROGRKSS. 


299 


and  liigh-minded  to  the  last  degree,  he  has  kept  the 
iiii])ortant  pledges  of  his  jiarty  at  the  time  of  his 
nomination  and  lias  won,  not  only  the  applause,  but 
the  lasting  esteem  of  the  citizens  of  the  State,  re- 
gardless of  party  lines.  When  he  took  the  chair  of 
the  Chief  Executive  there  was  imperative  need  of  a 
man  of  his  nature  and  training.  The  State  boasting 
of  its  wealth,  secure  in  its  traditions  of  \'ankee 
thrift,  and  relying  upon  the  stability  of  its  indus- 
tries, was  becoming  a  spendthrift.  The  rage  for 
improvements,  if  not  the  opportunity  tor  personal 
plunder,  was  on  the  increase.  A  new  atnios])here 
of  honesty  in  exjienditure,  and  of  i/i/:i//ro  quo  soon 
made  itself  a]iparent  in  public  affairs.  The  (Gov- 
ernor's message  jiointed  out  defects,  jirickcd  silly 
bubbles,  and  was  not  sparing  in  criticism  of  de))art- 
ments  and  commissions.  Strong  men  rallied  under 
his  leadership,  so  that  by  tlie  close  of  the  I.egisla- 
lative  session,  it  was  ])ossible  to  announce  that  the 
prospect  in  all  departments  was  once  more  gratify- 
ing and  hojie  had  been  realized.  Governor  Cooke 
has  not  conspicuously  connected  himself  with  clubs, 
secret  societies  or  any  social  or  politico-social 
organizations  though  he  is  enrolled  among  the  Sons 
of  the  American  Revolution.  His  position  in  the 
community  is  an  en\  iable  one,  commanding  as  it 
dees  the  universal  respect  and  sincere  appreciation 
of  his  fellow  citizens.  He  married  in  185.8,  Matilda 
K.  Webster,  of  Sandisfield,  Massachusetts,  who  died 
in  1868,  without  issue.  Two  years  later  he  married 
Josephine  E.  Ward  of  Riverton.  Two  sons  were 
born  to  them,  both  of  whom  are  deceased.  They 
have  one  daughter,  Edna  Cooke,  now  completing  her 
education  at  I.asell  Seminary,  .Auburndale,  Massa- 
chusetts. 

CARTER,  Oliver  Stanley,  Merchant,  New- 
York  city,  was  born  in  New  Hartford,  Connecticut, 
July  25,  1825,  son  of  Hermas  and  Hannah  (Booth) 
Carter.  Oliver  Carter  received  his  early  education 
in  the  common  schools  of  his  native  place  and  until 
he  was  ten  years  of  age  attended  these  both  winter 
and  summer.  For  five  years  thereafter  he  was  per- 
mitted to  attend  the  winter  terms  but  when  he  was 
fifteen  he  was  obliged  to  abandon  his  books 
altogether  and  turn  his  attention  to  making  his  way 
in  the  world.  He  obtained  a  situation  in  a  store 
in  Hartford  which,  however,  he  left  before  long  for 
what  he  considered  a  more  promising  opportunity 
in  New  York.  'I'his  latter  position  yielded  him  an 
income  of  one  hundred  and  fifty  dollars  a  year,  out 
of  which  princely  sum  he  was  expected  to  pay  his 


board.  Like  ihc  jihicky  young  fellow  he  was  he 
discharged  his  duties  faithfully,  familiarized  himself 
with  all  the  details  of  the  business  —  that  of  whole- 
sale grocery  —  and  succeeded  in  making  himself 
indispensable  to  the  concern.  In  1854  he  was 
admitted  as  a  partner  under  the  firm  name  of  Whit- 
lock.  Kellogg  &  Carter.  Mr.  Whithx  k  dying  in  1 S58 
the  firm  was  changed  to  Kellogg,  Carter  \-  Hawlcy, 
but  it  reuiained  so  for  less  than  two  years,  owing  to 
the  death  of  Mr.  Kellogg,  which  occurred  in  1859. 
On  January  1,  i860,  the  firm  underwent  another 
change  to  Carter  &  Hawley,  and  on  ,\pril  i,  1884, 
Mr.  Carter    retired    from   the    business   altogether, 


OLIVER    S.  CARTER. 

leaving  Mr.  Hawley  and  his  son-in-law,  George  H. 
Macy,  to  continue  under  the  firm  name  of  Car- 
ter &  Hawley.  Two  years  later  he  resumed  his 
association  with  the  firm,  and  it  is  still  maintained 
under  the  name  of  Carter,  Macy  &  Company.  In 
1856  Mr.  Carter  was  elected  Director  in  the  North 
American  Fire  Insurance  Company,  and  in  1862 
Director  in  the  Home  Insurance  Company,  later 
holding  the  same  office  in  the  World  Life  Insurance 
Comi)any  of  New  York,  and  in  1868  in  the  World  Life 
Insurance  Company  of  Chicago.  In  1874  he  was 
elected  Director  in  the  National  Hank  of  the  Re- 
public, in  1888  taking  Mr.  Henry  Cannon's  place  as 
Vice-President  of  the  same  on  the  latter's  retirement 


.">oo 


MEN    OF   PROGRESS. 


to  take  the  Presidency  of  the  Chase  National  Bank 
..(  New  York  city.  On  the  first  of  March  1892 
Mr.  Carter  was  elected  President  of  the  National 
IJank  of  the  Republic  to  take  the  place  of  John  Jay 
Knox  who  died  in  February  of  that  year,  and  con- 
tinues to  hold  this  office  and  others,  while  maintain- 
ing his  association  with  the  firm  of  Carter,  Macy  & 
Company,  imjwrters  and  jobbers  of  teas.  He  is  a 
member  of  the  Union  League  and  Down  Town 
clubs,  and  resided  in  Brooklyn,  New  York,  from 
1854  until  1862,  when  he  removed  to  Orange,  New 
Jersey,  where  he  still  resides.  iMr.  Carter  was  mar- 
ried in  1854  to  Miss  Elizabeth  Hyde  Coley, 
daughter  of  John  H.  Coley,  of  New  Haven,  by 
whom  he  had  six  children,  five  daughters  and  a  son, 
which  latter  died  in  infancy.  Mrs.  Carter  dying  in 
18S0,  Mr,  Carter  contracted  a  second  marriage  in 
18S7  with  Miss  Isis  Yiterbide  Potter,  of  Trenton, 
New  Jersey. 

DEMING,  Hlnrv  Champion,  Lawyer,  Literary 
man  and  Statesman,  and  one  of  Connecticut's  truly 
illustrious  sons,  was  born  in  Colchester  of  that  state 
on  May  23,  1815.  He  was  the  son  of  David  and 
Abigail  (Champion)  Deming.  His  family  both  on 
the  Champion  and  Deming  sides  comes  of  the  best 
Puritan  stock  with  a  notable  record  in  the  annals  of 
New  England.  On  the  Champion  side  he  is  con- 
nected with  the  well-known  Shipman  and  Robinson 
families  of  Hartford.  He  rose  to  have  a  reputation 
which  was  confined  neither  to  the  state  nor  to  his 
section  of  the  land.  His  preparation  for  life  was 
begun  at  the  school  of  the  noted  pedagogue  John 
Hall,  at  Ellington.  There  he  fitted  for  Yale  and 
on  entering  that  college  took  a  leading  position  in 
his  class,  that  of  1836.  At  this  time  he  felt  called 
to  the  legal  profession,  and  went  to  the  Harvard 
Law  School  for  a  three-years  course,  getting  his 
degree  in  1839.  ^'^  going  to  New  York  city  to 
practice,  his  literary  tastes  led  him  rather  towards 
letters  than  law.  He  began  to  publish  with  Park 
Benjamin,  the  well-known  newspaper  man.  The 
New  World,  a  high  class  weekly,  and  he  also  busied 
himself  with  and  brought  out  a  translation  of  Sue's 
famous  novel,  "  The  Mysteries  of  Paris."  But  in 
1847  he  went  to  Hartford,  feeling  the  attraction  of 
his  native  state,  and  opened  a  law  office  Although 
he  did  not  give  his  whole  heart  to  the  work,  his 
great  abilities,  especially  his  power  as  an  orator, 
won  him  success.  Soon,  however,  he  entered  poli- 
tics. In  1849-50  he  was  a  member  of  the  House 
of  Representatives;  the  next  year  came  his   elec- 


tion to  the  Senate.  From  1854  to  1858  he  was  Hart- 
ford's honored  Mayor  —  one  of  the  most  acceptable 
the  city  ever  had  — and  again  from  i860  to  1862. 
During  1859-60  he  was  once  more  in  the  House. 
Soon  after  the  breaking  out  of  our  Civil  War 
Mr.  Deming  was  appointed  Colonel  of  the  Twelfth 
Regiment,  Connecticut  Volunteers,  which  went  with 
Butler  to  New  Orleans.  When  that  city  surren- 
dered to  General  Buder,  Colonel  Deming  was  made 
a  provisional  Mayor  and  filled  the  post  greatly  to 
his  credit  until  he  resigned  in  January  1863,  and 
returned  to  his  home.  Almost  at  once  he  was 
elected  to  Congress,  representing  the  First  District 


HENRY    C.    DEMING. 

for  four  years.  Later  Colonel  Deming  returned  to 
his  early  love  by  writing  the  life  of  General  Grant 
which  was  very  widely  sold.  When  Grant  was 
inaugurated  in  ^869  he  did  not  forget  the  fact  and 
Colonel  Deming  received  the  appointment  of  Col- 
lector of  Internal  Revenues,  a  post  he  held  until 
his  death  by  apoplexy  at  Hartford  on  October  9, 
1872.  This  meagre  outline  of  the  life  of  the  Hon. 
Henry  C.  Deming  conveys  but  a  small  impression 
of  his  force  and  prominence  and  leaves  to  be 
guessed  by  those  who  do  not  know  him  the  striking 
personality  of  the  man  and  his  distinguished  gifts 
as  a  public  speaker.  During  his  residence  in  Hart- 
ford he  was  one  of  the  marked  figures  of  the  place. 


MKN    OF    I'KOGRESS. 


;oi 


Of  a  handsome,  commandini;  presence,  lie  added 
to  this  inheritance  of  nature  many  social  graces  and 
the  varied  culture  of  a  man  of  the   world.     As  an 
orator   his    fame    still  lingers  in  the   minds  of    the 
older  generation.     Such  efforts  as   his  adtlress  on 
Israel  Putnam ;  that  at  the  unveiling  of  the  monu- 
ment to  (General  Wooster  in   1854;  his  speech  at 
Cooper   Institute,  New  York,  in  1864,  in   favor  of 
Lincoln's  re-election  and  his  eulogy  on  the  same 
great  leader  in  Hartford  the  next  year  will  be  long 
remembered,      llis   personal  magnetism  as  an  im- 
passioned speaker  was  noteworthy,  while  this  was 
backed  by   a  virile  intellect  and  great  skill   in  the 
presentation  of  his  subject.     In  Congress  some  of 
his  speeches  had  an  electrifying  effect  as  the  special 
correspondents  at  Washington  testified.     When  he 
spoke   on    reconstruc:tion    there    in     1866,    it   was 
declared  to  be  the  finest  effort  heard  in  the  house 
for  twenty  years.      The  New  York   Times  on  one 
occasion  spoke  of  his  "  extraordinary  abilities  as  an 
orator."     His  style  and  inlluence  were  hailed  as  a 
renewal  of  the  old-time  eUxiuence.     The  Wasliing- 
ton  Republic  once  declared,  referring  to  a  sjicech 
in  Congress,  that  those   who  listened  to  it  thought 
for   "mastership   in    delivery,  model    of   style    and 
pure  English,  they  had  never  heard  its  superior.'" 
In  Hartford  and  throughout  New  England  Colonel 
Deming  was  in  great  demand  as  a  lecturer  when 
the   old    Lyceum   courses  were  in   vogue ;  and  he 
never  failed  to  make  a  strong  impression.     It  was 
he  who  in   the  days  when  the  Rev.  N.  J.  Burton 
was  a   young  preacher   newly   come    to    Hartford, 
pointed  out  his  ability  and  was  a  regular  attendant 
at  his  church  ;  the  friendship  between  the  two  was 
warm  and  close.     Henry  C.  Deming  married  first, 
Sarah   Clerc,   who    died  in   Hartford  on  June    26, 
1869;  and    second    in    June     1871,    Mrs.    Annie 
(Wilson)    Jillson,  widow  of   Sherman  L.  Jillson  of 
East  Hartford,  Connecticut,  who  survives  him.     He 
had    four   children    by    his    first    marriage :    Henry 
Champion  Deming,  Jr.,  Vice-President  of  the  Mer- 
cantile Trust  Company  of  New  York  city  ;  Charles 
Clerc  Deming,  a  lawyer  of  New  York  city;   Mary 
Shipman  Deming,  who  died  November  11,    1861; 
and  Laurent  Clerc  Deming,  who  is  Secretary  of  the 
Atchison,  Topeka   &  Santa  Fc     Railroad   in   New 
York  city. 


Nelson  Fitch  and  .Mcnda  fClark)  Daniels.  His 
father  was  the  son  of  Archibald  I.amonl  and  Livinn 
(Heebe)  Daniels.  .Archibald  Lamont  was  the  son 
of  Lemuel  and  .Martha  (Lamont)  Daniels  of  Hills- 
boro,  Columbia  county,  New  \'ork.  Lemuel  was 
the  son  of  .Asa  and  Elizabeth  (Fuller)  Daniels. 
Asa  was  the  son  of  Lemuel  and  Hannah  (Fuller) 
Daniels,  who  settled  in  the  eastern  part  of  Middle 
Haddam  parish,  from  Colchester,  Connecticut. 
Lemuel  was  the  son  of  Jonathan  who  was  the  son  of 
John  and  .Agnes  (Heebe)  Daniels,  and  John  was  the 
son  of  Jolm  and  Mary  (Chappell)  Daniels,  who 
lived    in    New    London    in    1663.      .Alenda    Clark, 


DANILliS,  Chaki.es  Nei..son,  Judge  of  Probate 
for  the  District  of  Windham,  was  born  in  Barre, 
Orleans  county,    New   York,  ,July  2,   1S49,  son  of 


CHAS.    N.    DANIELS. 

mother  of  the  subject  of  this  sketch,  was  the  daugh- 
ter of  Chester  and  Mary  (Williams)  Clark,  of  Colum- 
bia, Connecticut.  Chester  was  the  son  of  Gideon 
and  Jemima  (Newcontb)  Clark.  Cfideon  was  the 
son  of  Jonathan  Clark.  Jemima  Newcomb  was 
the  daughter  of  Peter  and  Hannah  (English)  New- 
comb.  Peter  was  the  son  of  Hezekiah  and  Jerusha 
(P.radford)  Newcomb.  Jerusha  Bradford  was  the 
daughter  of  Thomas  and  Annie  (Smith)  Bradford, 
of  Norwich,  Connecticut.  Thomas  was  the  son  of 
Major  William  and  .Alice  (Richards)  Bradford,  and 
Major  William  was  the  son  of  William  Bradford  who 
came  in  the  Mayflower  in  1620,  and  was  Governor 


3o: 


MEN    OK    PROGRESS. 


of  Plymouth  Colony.  Charles  Nelson  Daniels  when 
eight  years  old  lost  his  father  by  death.  Soon  after, 
his  mother  moved  back  to  Connecticut  with  her 
children.  His  early  education  was  acquired  first  in 
the  common  schools,  afterwards  in  attendance  for 
two  terms  at  a  select  school  known  as  the  WilH- 
mantic  Institute,  kept  by  D.  P.  Corbin,  and  a  year 
and  a  half  in  the  preparatory  department  of  Shurt- 
leff  College  at  Upper  Alton,  Illinois.  After  leaving 
school,  at  about  the  age  of  sixteen,  he  was  employed 
on  a  farm  for  the  most  of  the  time  until  attaining 
his  majority.  Soon  after  coming  of  age  he  entered 
the  service  of  the  Hartford,  Providence  &  Fishkill 
Railroad  as  a  switchman,  and  continued  in  its 
employ  in  various  capacities  until  after  its  absorp- 
tion by  the  Boston,  Hartford  &  Erie  Railroad.  In 
May  1879  he  abandoned  railroading  and  became 
book-keeper  for  I-incoln  &  Smitli,  lumber  dealers, 
Willimantic.  In  May  1882  he  engaged  with  George 
K.  Nason,  who  purchased  the  lumber  and  coal 
business  of  Hyde  Kingsley.  In  this  connection 
he  continued  until  March  1890,  when  he  was  ap- 
pointed Postmaster  at  Willimantic,  by  President 
Harrison,  and  served  until  after  President  Cleve- 
land's re-election,  being  relieved  of  the  office  by 
Joel  W.  Webb  in  May  1894.  He  then  entered  the 
employ  of  Lincoln  &  Boss,  lumber  dealers,  with 
whom  he  remained  until  January  i,  1897,  when  he 
assumed  the  duties  of  Judge  of  Probate  for  the  dis- 
trict of  Windham,  to  which  office  he  was  elected  the 
November  preceding.  Judge  Daniels  has  served  in 
numerous  public  capacities,  including  Clerk  and 
Treasurer  of  the  Borough  of  Willimantic,  1880-89; 
Treasurer  of  the  Water- Fund  in  1885  and  during 
the  construction  of  the  works ;  Burgess  of  the 
Borough  of  Willimantic,  November  1889  to  Novem- 
ber 1890;  Chief  Engineer  Willimantic  Fire  Depart- 
ment, September  1885  to  March  1890,  when  he 
resigned;  Postmaster  from  March  1890  to  June 
1894;  and  was  elected  to  his  present  office  as 
Judge  of  Probate  for  a  term  of  two  years,  1897-99. 
He  also  performed  military  service  for  five  years, 
1877-82,  as  Quartermaster-Sergeant  on  the  staff  of 
Colonel  William  H.  Tubbs,  commanding  the  Third 
Regiment  Connecticut  National  Guards.  He  is 
prominently  identified  with  the  Masonic  fraternity, 
being  a  Past  Master  of  Eastern  Star  Lodge,  member 
of  Trinity  Chapter,  Olive  Branch  Council,  St.  John's 
Commandery,  and  a  Charter  Member  of  Sphinx 
Temple,  Mystic  Shrine  of  Hartford.  He  is  also  a 
Charter  Member  of  Obwebetuck  Lodge  of  Odd 
Fellows,  Willimantic  Coinicil  Royal  Arcanum,  and 


Willimantic  Lodge  of  LTnited  Workmen.  In  politics 
ludge  Daniels  has  always  been  a  Republican,  and 
has  been  actively  identified  with  party  work  since 
1876.  He  served  as  Chairman  of  the  Republican 
Town  Committee  1884-90  and  1894-98,  and  was  a 
member  of  the  Republican  State  Central  Committee 
for  the  Seventeenth  District  1896-98.  He  was 
married  December  28,  1877,  to  Susie  E.  Howard 
Little.  They  have  two  children :  Nelson  Archie, 
born  .\pril  7,  1879,  and  Grace  Lillian  Daniels,  born 
September  21,  1881. 


DENNIS,  Rodney,  President  of  the  Connecticut 
Humane  Society,  and  one  of  the  founders  and 
Secretary  during  its  entire  existence  from  1864  to 
1896,  of  the  Traveler's  Insurance  Company,  was 
born  in  Topsfield,  Massachusetts,  January  14,  1826, 
son  of  Reverend  Rodney  Gove  and  Mary  (Parker) 
Dennis.  His  lineage,  traced  on  both  sides  to  the 
early  settlers  of  New  England,  is  notable  in  that  it 
demonstrates  in  each  generation  the  family  instinct 
of  genuine  righteousness,  together  with  "a  persis- 
tent union  of  combative  with  strongly  religious 
tendencies."  The  first  immigrant  ancestor,  Thomas, 
was  a  soldier  in  King  Philip's  War ;  his  grandson,  a 
graduate  of  Harvard,  was  army  Chaplain  and  Sur- 
geon for  a  dozen  years,  1737-49,  in  the  middle 
French  wars,  then  a  Pastor  and  Teacher  in  New 
Hampshire  and  Massachusetts ;  while  his  grandson, 
in  turn,  was  the  Reverend  Rodney  Gove  Dennis,  a 
graduate  of  Bowdoin  and  Andover,  and  a  clergyman 
in  Topsfield,  and  later  in  Somers,  Connecticut ;  a 
man  of  high  principle  and  sterling  character,  and 
the  father  of  the  subject  of  this  sketch.  Rodney 
Dennis  had  one  term  at  the  High  School,  but  being 
one  of  a  family  of  ten  children,  his  opportunities  for 
protracted  study  were  small,  and  he  had  early  to 
turn  his  hand,  figuratively,  to  the  plough,  that  he 
might  not  only  prove  self-supporting,  but  lend  his 
aid  to  the  younger  brothers  and  sisters.  To  two  of 
the  former  he  was  largely  the  means  of  giving  a 
liberal  education,  and  at  no  time  was  he  less  than 
heartily  generous  to  all.  He  came  to  Hartford  at 
the  age  of  sixteen,  and  having  served  an  apprentice- 
ship in  the  grocery  trade,  established  the  house  of 
Dennis  &  Ives,  at  the  age  of  twenty-one.  The  firm 
had  been  but  a  few  years  in  operation  when  his 
partner  fell  sick  and  retired  from  business,  while  he 
himself  was  disabled  for  months  by  a  serious  acci- 
dent.    The  association  was,  therefore,  discontinued. 


MEN   OF   PROGRESS. 


303 


Mr.  Dennis  assuming  its  entire  obligations.  From 
these  he  obtained  a  full  discharge  ;  but  subsequently 
paid  them  all,  long  alter  tiiey  were  outlawed.  From 
Hartford  he  went  to  Augusta,  Georgia,  where  he 
entered  the  employ  of  the  great  firm  of  Hand,  Wil- 
liams &  Wilcox.  He  remained  but  two  years  in 
this  connection,  and  llun  came  nortii  to  Albany, 
New-  York,  where  he  remained  two  years  longer, 
returning  to  Hartford,  in  1S55,  to  take  a  position  in 
the  Phoenix  ]5ank  in  that  city ;  a  position  which  he 
held  until  1S64.  Ipon  the  establishment  of  the 
Tra\  eler's  Insurance  Company,  he  was  elected  as 
its  first  Secretary.     "  .\t  first  he  attended  to  .ill  tlie 


i,^ij;.LV  Di:::.:;is. 

details  of  the  business  without  assistance  of  any 
kind,  toiling  till  late  into  the  night  and  keeping  up 
the  habit  with  little  relaxation  for  many  years,"  says 
one  who  knew  him.  " 'I'liere  was  a  constant  strug- 
gle between  physical  endurance  and  consecration  to 
work.  Other  employees  caught  his  spirit  and  fol- 
lowed his  example.  Thus  largely  was  success  won. 
A  man  of  public  spirit  and  great  heart,  Mr.  Dennis 
has  opened  his  purse  with  notable  freedom  to  aid  a 
great  variety  of  enterprises  that  held  out  a  ])romise 
of  promoting  the  welfare  of  the  city,  and  to  chari- 
ties, organized  and  private,  has  given  unstintingly 
of  money,  time  and  effort."     As  one  of  Hartford's 


most  respected  citizens,  it  was  natural  that  Mr. 
Dennis's  name  sliould  have  been  sought  to  lend 
distinction  to  the  new  and  struggling  venture,  the 
Travelers'  Insurance  Company.  As  its  Secretary, 
he  ])ut  his  whole  heart  into  that  enterjirise.  He 
devoted  his  time  and  mind  to  its  development, 
straining  every  faculty  to  insure  its  success.  We 
take  the  liberty  of  (pioting  from  a  biograjjhical 
sketch  the  following :  "  .And  here  the  reward  of 
early  discipline,  self-sacrifice  and  the  resources 
developed  by  business  training,  with  no  one  to  rely 
on  but  himself,  became  manifest.  He  was  the  last 
man  in  the  world  to  ha\c  any  small  pride  of  place, 
and  his  unashamed  labor  and  economy  of  manage- 
ment were  prime  factors  in  the  company's  perma- 
nence. .  .  .  Through  the  company's  first  months  of 
com|)arative  neglect  and  jniblic  incredulity,  its  short 
burst  of  unshared  prosperity,  its  succeeding  years  of 
fierce  competition  and  slow  mastery  and  sole  sur- 
vival, its  later  ones  of  una])proached  eminence,  and 
its  still  later  ones,  when,  though  it  remains  greatest 
and  grows  greater,  the  field  is  once  more  thick  with 
rivals,  he  remained  its  watchful  guardian  and  labo- 
rious servant,  his  first  care  and  thought  its  success 
and  its  good  reinite  ;  anxious  that  it  should  prosper 
as  the  just  reward  of  doing  e<iuity,  and  in  order  to 
retain  the  power  of  doing  cfjuity,  but  still  more 
anxious  that  it  sliould  do  eipiity.  To  him  there  is 
no  difference  between  the  moral  obligations  of  a 
man  and  a  corporation,  and  any  seeming  success  of 
either  is  an  apple  of  Sodom  if  not  earned  by  honest 
ser\ice  and  based  on  the  immutable  laws  of  God." 
Having  deserved  such  words  of  praise  as  these,  it  is 
not  to  be  wondered  at  that  Mr.  Dennis's  services 
should  have  been  solicited  wherever  devotion  and 
absolute  integrity  were  needed  in  the  management 
of  public  or  private  affairs.  The  list  of  his  director- 
ships, trusteeships  and  guardianships  is  almost  as 
extended  as  the  catalogue  of  the  ships  in  Homer. 
Some  few  may  be  given  here,  but  only  a  few.  He 
is  a  Director  of  the  Hartford  Trust  Comi>any,  the 
Overman  Wheel  Company,  the  Farmington  Power 
Company,  the  Hartford  Electric  Light  Company, 
the  Connecticut  Fire  Insurance  Company  and  the 
Hartfonl  Gas  Light  Company.  In  1842  he  founded 
in  connection  with  "  l-'ather  "  Hawley,  the  Morgan 
Street  Mission  School,  Connecticut's  first  organiza- 
tion established  for  the  purjiose  of  caring  for  and 
visiting  the  poorest  classes  in  the  cities,  and  the 
rescue,  protection  and  instruction  of  its  children. 
While  in  Augusta,  (leorgia,  he  founded  a  similar 
institution  there,  and  after  his  return  to  Hartford  he 


304 


MKN   OF    I'ROORKSS. 


was  for  twelve  years  Superintendent  and  teacher  of 
the  Morgan  Street  Mission  School.  He  was  one  of 
the  corporators  and  has  been  President  of  the  Con- 
necticut Humane  Society  since  its  organization  in 
iSSo,  President  of  the  Hartford  Charitable  Society, 
is  Vice-President  of  the  American  Humane  Society, 
the  American  Anti-Vivisection  Society,  and  of  the 
Hartford  Voung  Men's  Christian  Association  ;  Chair- 
man of  the  Board  of  Managers  of  the  famous  Hart- 
ford Retreat  for  the  Insane ;  a  Trustee  of  the 
Connecticut  Industrial  School  for  Girls  ;  a  Trustee 
of  the  Society  for  Savings,  Hartford,  and  a  member 
of  its  Ix)aning  Committee  ;  Chairman  of  the  Finance 
Committee  of  the  Connecticut  Bible  Society,  and 
also  of  the  American  Missionary  Association.  Trus- 
tee and  Chairman  of  the  Prudential  Committee  of 
the  Hartford  Theological  Seminary.  The  example 
of  such  a  life  is  not  only  worthy  of  imitation  by  his 
associates  but  is  also  an  incentive  to  increased  effort 
in  prosecuting  the  work  committed  to  their  care. 
Mr.  Dennis  is  a  man  of  such  large,  loyal  and  vigor- 
ous nature  that  it  is  impossible  not  to  gain  in  moral 
strength  and  vigor  in  his  proximity.  He  was  married 
in  1854  in  Hartford,  Connecticut,  to  Miss  Clarissa 
Strong.  They  had  five  children,  two  sons  and  three 
daughters.  One  son  died  in  infancy ;  the  other, 
Rodney  Strong  Dennis,  is  an  expert  accountant  in 
New  York,  in  the  firm  of  Teele  &  Dennis  ;  also  Com- 
missioner of  Accounts  under  Mayor  Strong;  one 
daughter  is  the  wife  of  Ralph  \V.  Cutler,  President 
of  the  Hartford  Trust  Company,  the  second,  the 
wife  of  Thomas  Little,  Esq.,  of  Philadelphia;  the 
youngest,  Bertha,  is  unmarried  and  resides  with  her 
father.     Mrs.  Dennis  is  deceased. 


DOUGLAS,  John  Mansfield,  President  of  the 
W.  &  B.  Douglas  corporation,  Middletown,  also  of 
the  Middletown  Street  Railway  Company,  was  born 
in  Norwich,  Connecticut,  February  6,  1839,  son  of 
Benjamin  and  Mary  A.  (Parker)  Douglas.  His 
father  was  born  in  Northford,  Connecticut,  and 
came  from  the  family  of  Douglas  whose  American 
progenitor  was  a  townsman  of  Boston,  Massachu- 
setts, in  1640,  having  come  over  about  that  year 
from  Scotland.  His  great-grandfather,  Colonel 
William  Douglass,  was  in  command  of  the  Con- 
necticut forces  at  the  Battle  of  Long  Island,  in  the 
Revolutionary  War.  He  received  his  early  educa- 
tion in  the  public  schools  of  Middletown,  and  gradu- 


ated from  Chase  Academy,  Middletown,  in  the  class 
of  1856.  From  that  time  he  has  been  in  active 
business  with  the  W.  &  B.  Douglas  Company  of 
that  place.  He  is  now  President  of  the  corpora- 
tion, which  is  one  of  the  oldest  and  most  extensive 
manufacturers  of  pump  and  hydraulic  machinery  in 
the  world.  Mr.  Douglas  is  also  President  of  the 
Middletown  Street  Railway  Company,  and  a  Trus- 
tee of  the  Middlesex  Banking  Company  and  the 
Farmers'  and  Mechanics'  Saving  Bank.  He  repre- 
sented Middletown  in  the  House  of  Representatives 
of  Connecticut  in  1864  and  1865,  and  served  as  a 
member  of  the  State  Senate  in  1871   and  again  in 


J  NO.   M.    DOUGLAS. 

1895.  While  in  the  Senate  in  187 1  he  was  Chair- 
man of  the  Railroad  Committee,  and  during  his 
service  in  the  House  in  1864  was  a  member  of  the 
Judiciary  Committee.  He  was  a  Delegate  to  the 
Republican  National  Convention  that  nominated 
R.  B.  Hayes  for  President,  also  to  the  Chicago 
Convention  that  nominated  Garfield,  and  to  the 
St.  Louis  Convention  that  nominated  McKinley  in 

1896.  Mr.  Douglas'  only  son,  John  M.  Douglas, 
Jr.,  was  educated  at  Yale,  graduated  from  the  Yale 
Law  School  in  the  class  of  1893,  and  was  admitted 
to  the  Connecticut  Bar  when  twenty-one  years  of 
age. 


MF-X    (W    rROr.RESS. 


30s 


ALT. EX,  Frfukric  Sturges,  Lawyer,  of  Xcw 
N'ork,  was  born  in  Norwalk,  Fairfield  county,  Con- 
necticut,  October  i,  1S67,  son  of  Alfred  15.  and 
Caroline  (Sturges)  Allen.  When  two  years  of  age 
he  was  crippled  by  paralysis  of  the  lower  extrem- 
ities;    but    with   this  exception    his    physical    and 


F.    STURGES    ALLEN. 

mental  health  was  robust.  He  began  his  schooling 
at  rather  a  late  age,  and  after  graduation  from  the 
Bridgeport  High  School  entered  Vale  University, 
from  which  he  graduated  in  1884,  taking  a  Berkeley 
])rize  in  his  Freshman  year,  and  the  second  Win- 
throp  in  his  Junior  year.  He  partly  earned  his  way 
through  college,  and  was  [lartly  aided  by  a  loan 
from  John  Brooks,  of  Bridgeport,  a  man  whom 
many  have  occasion  to  remember  for  his  good 
deeds.  On  leaving  college  he  went  West,  to  Min- 
nesota, expecting  to  teach.  Being  disappointed  in 
his  anticipations,  he  returned  Last,  to  Xew  Haven, 
in  October,  1884.  After  teaching  a  few  days  in 
Park  Institute,  Rye,  Xew  N'ork,  he  returned  to 
Xew  Haven  to  work  under  Dr.  Xoah  Porter,  and 
directly  under  Mr.  Loomis  J.  Campbell,  on  Web- 
ster's International  Dictionary,  then  in  process  of 
preparation.  In  this  work  he  began  as  a  copyist, 
but  when  the  dictionary  was  completed,  in  1890,  he 
was  revising  editor  next  to  Mr.  Walter  .Allen,  manag- 
ing editor,   Mr.  Campbell   having  ceased  his  active 


work,  owing  to  ill  health.  In  the  fall  of  1.S90  Mr. 
.Mien  entered  the  Vale  I  aw  School,  graduating  in 
1S92.  In  May,  1892,  he  went  to  Xew  \ork  to  take 
up  the  practice  of  law,  and  was  there  a<lniittcd  to 
the  bar  in  February,  1893,  and  entered  into  co- 
partnership with  John  Holdcn,  a  classmate.  From 
December,  1892,  to  the  spring  of  1894  he  con- 
tributed numerous  articles  on  legal  topics  to  John- 
son's Universal  Cyclopa:dia  ;  and  since  1892  he  has 
also  edited  Webster's  Academic  Dictionary,  already 
nearly  completed  by  .Mr.  Dorsey  Ciardner  (whom 
death  overtook  in  the  midst  of  his  labors),  and  has 
done  a  considerable  amount  of  other  revisory  work 
on  the  various  publications  of  the  Webster  Diction- 
ary publishers.  Mr.  .Mien  is  a  member  of  the  Bar 
Association  of  the  city  of  New  York,  the  Quill  and 
the  Yale  Clubs  of  New  York,  and  the  Phi  Beta 
Kappa  Society  of  Yale  University.  In  politics, 
although  a  Republican  by  early  training,  he  is  an 
Independent,  voting  for  the  men  and  measures  that 
to  him  seem  best,  without  regard  to  party  lines ;  but 
other  things  being  equal  believes  in  a  thorough 
party  administration.  He  is  a  believer  in  a  tariff 
for  revenue  only.  He  was  married  April  9,  1895, 
to  Annie  .M.  White,  daughter  of  L.  W.  White,  of 
Xorth  Adams,  Massachusetts ;  they  have  a  daughter, 
Marian  (j.  .Mien,  born  June  8,  1896. 


BUSHXF.LL,  Cornelius  Scranio.v,  Builder  of 
the  famous  "  Monitor  "  during  the  Civil  War,  was 
born  in  Madison,  Connecticut,  July  18,  1828.  His 
father,  Nathan  Bushnell,  and  his  mother,  Chloe 
Scranton,  were  each  descendants  in  direct  line  from 
Francis  Bushnell  and  John  Scranton,  who  emigrated 
from  I'jigland  to  New  Haven  Colony  in  1638,  in  the 
company  which  purchased  the  Guilford  Plantation 
from  the  Indians.  His  boyhood  was  spent  in  his 
native  town,  and  at  the  age  of  fifteen  he  began  mer- 
cantile life  in  the  coasting  trade,  in  less  than  a  year 
thereafter  becoming  captain  of  a  sixty-ton  schooner. 
In  1849  he  established  the  wholesale  grocery  busi- 
ness of  Bushnell  &  Company  in  Xew  Haven,  anil 
rapidly  built  up  a  large  and  successful  business, 
which  is  now  conducted  by  the  Hon.  James  D. 
Dewell,  I.icutenant-Ciovernor  of  Connecticut,  under 
the  firm  name  of  J.  I).  Dewell  &  Company.  In  1858 
-Mr.  liushnell  became  interested  in  the  Shore  Line 
Railroad,  then  in  a  comatose  condition.  Within  two 
years,  by  indomitable  energy  and  rare  business  man- 
agement, he  completed  the  railroad  to  Xew  London, 
established  the  ferry  system  there,  and  made  through 


306 


MEN    OF   PROGRESS. 


connections  by  the  Stonington  Line  to  Boston,  thus 
opening  a  new  route  between  New  York  and  Boston. 
Turning  his  attention  to  shipbuilding  at  the  opening 
of  the  war,  he  was  largely  instrumental  in  securing 
the  ]iassage  of  a  bill  through  Congress  authorizing 
the  Secretary  of  the  Navy  to  appoint  three  naval 
experts  to  examine  all  plans  for  iron  vessels  and 
adopt  whatever  might  be  approved.  Under  this 
bill  he  took  a  contract  for  the  construction  of  the 
warship  "  Galena,"  whose  plans  he  submitted  to 
Captain  John  Ericsson  for  the  Litter's  approval, 
owing  to  the  fear  expressed  by  some  experts  that 
she  could  not  carry  her  immense  weight  of  armor. 
In  approving  the  plans  of  the  "  Galena,"  John  Erics- 
son exhibited  to  Mr.  Bushnell  the  complete  plans 
of  the  original  "  Monitor."  Grasping  at  once  the 
greatness  of  Ericsson's  invention,  Mr.  Bushnell 
dropped  for  the  time  his  "Galena"  plans,  and 
in  the  face  of  the  fiercest  opposition  from  the 
highest  reputed    naval    authorities,    he    placed    the 


C.   S.   BUSHNELL. 

"  -Monitor "  in  HamiJton  Roads  within  one  hun- 
dred days  from  the  date  on  which  Mr.  Ericsson 
showed  him  the  ])lans.  The  victory  of  the  "  Moni- 
tor "  over  the  "  Merriraac  "  revolutionized  the  na- 
vies of  the  world,  established  the  supremacy  of  the 
United  States  Federal  Navy,  and  was  a  turning- 
point  in  the  history  of  the  Rebellion.     The  fact  is 


not  generally  known  that  the  "  Monitor  "  was  still 
the  personal  property  of  her  builders  when  she 
defeated  the  "  Merrimac,"  the  United  States  Gov- 
ernment not  having  accepted  her  until  after  her 
success  was  demonstrated.  Mr.  Bushnell  was  one 
of  the  "Minute  Men"  who  enlisted  in  defence  of 
the  National  Capitol  in  "  Clay  Battalion  Number 
One,"  receiving  his  honorary  discharge  May  4, 
1 86 1.  At  the  close  of  the  war  he  turned  his  atten- 
tion again  to  railroad  construction.  He  was  one 
of  the  incorporators  of  the  Union  Pacific  Railroad, 
being  the  largett  single  subscriber  to  its  stock  and 
securing  the  largest  subscription.  At  the  age  of 
twenty-one  Mr.  Bushnell  married  Emily  Fowler 
Clark,  of  New  Haven,  and  the  result  of  the  mar- 
riage was  nine  sons  and  one  daughter :  Sereno 
Scranton,  Samuel  Clark,  Charlotte  Beecher,  Cor- 
nelius Judson,  Nathan,  Henry  Northrup,  Ericsson 
Foote,  Winthrop  Grant,  Edward  William,  and  Levi 
Ives  Bushnell.  Mr.  Bushnell  died  in  New  York 
city,  May  6,  1896,  aged  sixty-eight  years.  Briefly 
summarized,  the  notable  achievements  of  Mr.  Bush- 
nell's  eventful  career  were  the  completion  of  the 
Shore  Line  Railroad,  the  building  of  the  "  Monitor," 
and  the  leading  part  in  the  financing  and  construc- 
tion of  the  Union  Pacific  Railroad. 


BUSHNELL,  Ericsson  Foote,  of  New  York, 
widely  known  as  an  Oratorio  and  Operatic  Singer, 
was  born  in  New  Haven,  Connecticut,  December 
10,  1 86 1,  son  of  the  Hon.  Cornelius  and  Emily  F. 
(Clark)  Bushnell.  His  father,  a  brief  sketch  of 
whose  career  is  elsewhere  given  in  this  volume,  was 
associated  with  Captain  John  Ericsson  in  the  con- 
struction of  the  famous  war-ship  "  Monitor,"  and 
was  one  of  the  most  prominently  active  men  that 
Connecticut  has  produced.  Ericsson  F.  Bushnell 
acquired  his  early  education  in  the  public  schools  of 
New  Haven,  where  he  received  his  first  musical 
training,  under  the  teaching  of  Professor  Benjamin 
Jepson,  then  supervisor  of  music  in  the  schools. 
His  first  professional  engagement  was  in  the  Center 
Church  Choir  of  New  Haven,  under  the  direction  of 
Harry  Rowe  Shelley.  He  next  accepted  a  position 
in  Trinity  Church,  New  Haven,  where  he  sang  for 
several  years  under  the  direction  of  Professor 
Thomas  G.  Shepard.  During  his  early  career  in 
New  Haven  he  sang  in  several  light  operas,  and 
shortly  before  removing  to  New  York  took  the  part 
of  Mephisto  in  Gounod's  "  Faust,"  under  the  direc- 
tion of  Professor  Shepard,  for  the  benefit  of  the  Yale 


MIA    (>l 


'R(X>RF.S.S. 


307 


navy.        Ihc    singing    of    ihis     ditVuiilt     bass     part 
by   so    young    a    man    altractod     much    attention, 
and   resulted     in    Mr.    liushneil    receiving    several 
flattering  offers  to  go  on  the  operatic  stage.     His 
first  engagement  in  New  York  was  inider  the  direc- 
tion of  William    R.    Chapman,    in    the   Church  o( 
the  Coven.mt,  where  he  sang  for  four  years.      For 
the  ])ast  ten  years  he  has  been  solo   basso  at  the 
West  Presbyterian  Church  (Dr.  Paxton's)    in   New 
^"ork,    under    the    direction    of    P.    A.    Schneckcr. 
Mr.    Bushnell's    repertoire    comprises   all    of    the 
standard    oratorios  and    cantatas,    numbering   over 
one   hundred  works,   also   numerous    arias,  Cerman 
lieder,  and   .American  and  English  songs,     .'\niong 
his  prominent   appearances  may  be   mentioned  his 
singing  at  the  dedication  of  Carnegie's  Music  Hall, 
under  the  direction  of  Walter    Damrosch  ;   at  the 
World's   Fair    in   Chicago,   under   the   direction  of 
Theodore  'I'homas  :  Tinel's  "  St.  I''rancis  "  with  the 
New  York  Oratorio  Society,  and  the  same  work  with 
the  Boston  Cecilia  Clul),  under  the  direction  of  1!. 
J.  Lang;  the  singing  of  Hach's  Passion  Music  with 
the  Handel  and  Haydn  Society  of  Boston,  mider  the 
direction  of  Carl  Zerrahn,  and  the  reniliiion  of  the 
same  work  with  the  Oratorio  Society  of  New  York, 
under  Mr.  Damrosch  :  the  first  production  of  Krug's 
"King  Rother,"  at  the  Buffalo  Festival,  under  John 
Lund  ;   the   first  performance  of  Professor  Parker's 
"  Hora  Novissima,"  under  the  direction  of  the  com- 
poser, given  by  the  Church  Choral  Society  of  New 
York  ;   the  M'orcester,  Taunton,  New  Bedford,  and 
?!inghamton    Festivals,  under   the   direction  of  ('arl 
Zerrahn  ;   the  Springfield  Festival,   under  the  direc- 
tion of  George  W.  Chadwick  ;   the  Albanv   Festival, 
under   the  direction  of  Arthur  iMees  ;   the  Handel 
Festival  in  New  York,  under  the  direction  of  Waller 
Damrosch  :   also   in   Montreal,    St.    Louis,    Chicago, 
Cleveland,  Cincinnati,  Philadelphia,  Baltimore,  Wash- 
ington, Providence  :  in  .Minnea|)olis,  at  the  dedica- 
tion of  the  great  convention  hall  holding  twemy-fi\e 
thousand  people,  and  in  other  large  cities.     He  also 
sang  at  the  initial  performance  of  Walter  Damrosch's 
"Scarlet  Letter,"  given  in  New  York  :  at  the  per- 
formance of   Beethoven's  Ninth  Symphony  by  the 
New  York  Symphony  Society  ;  at  the  first  concert 
given  by  the  People's  Choral  Union  of  New  \'ork, 
under  the  direction  of  Frank  Damrosch  :  and  at  the 
performance  of  the  "Messiah"  by  the  last-named 
society,  under  the    same  conductor.  May  3,   i.Sgy. 
Among  the  press  reports  of  the   latter  perlbrmance 
the  "  'I'ribune  "  said  ;   "  Mr.   Bushnell  has  reached 
an    artistic  stature    sufficient  to  carry  the    burdens 


that  were  imposed  upon  him  ;  "  the  "Times  "  pro- 
nounced him  "  ileserviiig  of  especial  mention  for 
the  noble  ((uality  of  his  tone  and  the  breadth  and 
dignity  of  his  style  ;  "  the  "  Courier  "  affirmed  that 
he  is  the  "  model  oratorio  bass  of  .Xnierica  ;  "    and 


ERICSSON  F.  BUSHNELL. 

the  "  World  "  referred  to  him  as  having  "  negatived 
the  necessity  of  importing  oratorio  bassi  which  some 
(dioral  directors  have  believed  existed."  Mr.  I?ush- 
nell  has  visited  Europe,  singing  in  London  and  the 
cathedral  towns  of  England,  having  the  advantage 
of  reading  his  oratorios  with  the  best  English 
authorities  on  their  traditional  rendering.  He  has 
filled  more  oratorio  engagements  in  the  last  seven 
years  than  any  other  .American  basso,  and  in  many 
large  cities  he  has  been  reiingaged  for  seven  suc- 
cessive years,  than  which  no  better  proof  could  be 
given  of  an  artist's  real  worth.  To  Professor  F.  E. 
P.ristol,  of  New  \ork,  Mr.  lUishnell  accords  the 
credit  of  training  his  voice,  as  he  studied  with  him 
for  many  years,  and  has  implicit  confitlence  in  his 
ability  as  a  teacher.  Mr.  Bushnell's  voice  is  de- 
scribed as  a  basso  cantantc  :  not  a  i)ure  baritone 
or  a  basso  profimdo,  but  ranging  between  the  two. 
I  le  is  over  six  feet  in  height,  of  fine  physique  and 
stage  presence,  possesses  the  true  artistic  tempera- 
ment, sings  with  great  ease  and  fen-or,  and  alto- 
gether is  conceded  to  be  foremost  among  .\meri- 


308 


MEN    OF   PROGRESS. 


can  bassos  in  concert  and  oratorio  singing  or  on 
the  operatic  stage  at  the  present  time.  Hoth  his 
f.ither  and  mother  were  musical,  the  latter  an  excel- 
lent pianist  and  singer.  His  uncle,  William  Bush- 
nell,  and  his  fatherwere  both  possessors  of  excellent 
voices.  Mr.  Bushnell  was  married  November  lo, 
1897,  to  Miss  Bertha  Tudor  Thompson,  of  New 
York  city,  a  most  accomplished  musician  and  lin- 
guist. 


CH.\SE,  George  Lewis,  President  of  the  Hartford 
Fire  Insurance  Company,  Hartford,  was  born  in 
Miiibury,  Worcester  county,  Massachusetts,  January 
J3,  182S,  son  of  Paul  Gushing  Chase,  a  descendant 
in  direct  line  (sixth  generation)  of  Aquila  Chase, 
who  came  from  Cornwall,  England,  and  settled  in 


GEO.    L.    CHASE. 

Hampton,  Massachusetts,  in  1640.  Mr.  Chase 
received  a  thorough  training  in  the  regular  English 
course  of  studies  at  Miiibury  Academy,  and  applied 
himself  so  well  that,  at  the  completion  of  his  term 
as  student  in  the  institution,  he  was  well  equipped 
to  take  his  place  in  the  business  world.  He  was  but 
nineteen  years  of  age  when  he  became  Local  Agent 
in  his  native  town  for  the  Farmers'  Mutual  Fire  In- 
surance Company  of  Georgetown,  Massachusetts. 
Subsequently  he  was  elected  a  member  of  its  Board 


of  Directors.  Within  a  short  time  his  agency  in- 
cluded four  companies  doing  business  on  the  mutual 
plan.  In  1848  Mr.  Chase  became  travelling  agent  for 
the  Peoples'  Insurance  Company  of  Worcester,  with 
which  he  remained  until  1853,  when  he  associated 
himself  with  the  Central  Ohio  Railroad  Company 
as  Assistant  Superintendent,  and  afterwards  became 
General  Superintendent,  the  latter  office  being 
assigned  to  him  in  recognition  of  his  marked  ability, 
energy,  and  tact.  He  reentered  the  insurance  field, 
however,  in  i860,  accepting  the  Western  Agency  of 
the  New  England  Fire  Insurance  Company.  He 
was  subsequently  given  the  appointment  of  Assistant 
Western  Agent,  and  so  well  did  he  discharge  the 
duties  of  his  position  that  when  the  Directors  were 
seeking  a  President  their  choice  fell  upon  Mr.  Chase, 
and  he  was  called  from  his  Western  post  to  fill  the 
more  important  office  in  the  East.  Although  a  New 
Englander  born,  he  had  acquired  a  liking  for  West- 
ern ways,  and  hence  it  was  with  some  hesitation  he 
accepted  the  place,  in  1867.  His  previous  connec- 
tion had  made  him  familiar  with  the  affairs  of  the 
company,  and  he  is  reported  to  have  brought  to  the 
new  position  a  close  acquaintance  with  the  men  and 
methods  of  a  great  and  growing  region,  so  that  much 
of  the  company's  growth  in  the  last  quarter  of  a 
century  is  due  to  this  knowledge,  and  to  his  consci- 
entious attention  to  details  which  often  escape  the 
notice  of  even  a  careful  manager.  In  1876  Mr. 
Chase  was  elected  President  of  the  National  Board 
of  LTnderwriters,  and  is  at  present  the  Board  Chair- 
man of  the  Committee  of  Legislation  and  Taxation, 
said  to  be  by  far  the  most  important  chairmanship 
in  the  organization.  He  is  a  member  of  the  Board 
of  Trustees  and  one  of  the  Vice-Presidents  of  the 
.Society  for  Savings,  a  Trustee  of  the  Connecticut 
Trust  and  Safe  Deposit  Company,  and  a  Director  in 
the  American  National  Bank.  He  is  also  a  promi- 
nent member  of  the  Hartford  Board  of  Trade.  In 
a  recent  biographical  sketch  of  Mr.  Chase  appears 
this  interesting  incident:  "In  June,  1892,  an  enter- 
tainment was  given  by  the  Hartford  Fire  Insurance 
Company  to  their  employees,  and  it  was  a  most  en- 
joyable occasion.  The  secretaries,  together  with  the 
general  and  special  agents,  during  the  course  of  the 
evening  presented  him  with  a  silver  loving-cup  as  a 
testimonial  commemorative  of  his  twenty-fifth  anni- 
versary as  President  of  the  company.  It  was  manu- 
factured from  a  unique  design,  and  on  one  side  was 
the  following  inscription:  '1867  —  to  George  L. 
Chase,  President  Hartford  Fire  Insurance  Company, 
on  the  Twenty-fifth  Anniversary  of  his  Co-workers 


MEN    OF    PROGRRSS. 


309 


and  Associates,  the  Secretaries,  General  and  Special 
Agents  of  the  Home  Office  Department,  June  15, 
1S93.'  "  Mr.  Chase  is  a  memberof  the  Asylum  Hill 
Chtin  h  of  Ilartfonl,  his  pastor  being  the  Reverend 
Joseph  Tuitchell,  witlcly  known  as  man  and  preacher. 
Mr.  Chase  has  so  warm  an  interest  in  tiie  Congrega- 
tional hoily,  and  is  such  an  earnest  worker  in  its 
behalf,  that  he  has  five  times  been  elected  Tresident 
of  the  Connecticut  Congregational  Club.  He  was 
married  on  January  S,  iSji,  to  Miss  Calista  M., 
daughter  of  Judson  Taft.  They  have  three  children, 
a  son  and  two  daughters.  'l"he  former,  Charles  E. 
Chase,  is  Assistant  Secretary  of  the  Company  of 
which  his  father  is  President ;  he  married  Miss  Helen 
S.  Bourse,  and  they  have  one  daughter.  President 
Chase's  younger  daughter  died  in  1866.  The  older 
daughter  was  married  to  Charles  H.  Longley  in 
1874  ;  she  died  in  1893. 


Judge  James  Phelps,  of  Kssex,  who  was  a  colleague 
of  Judge  Carpenter  in  the  Senate,  has  also  served  in 
the  N.itional  Congress.  The  incident  that  these 
four  interpreters  of  the  law  were  associate  lawmakers 
in   the  Senate  of  1858  is  one  of  great  value  in  esti- 


CARPKNT1;R,  Klisha,  Judge  of  the  .Superior 
and  Supreme  Courts  of  Hartford,  was  born  in  that 
part  of  the  old  town  of  .Xshford  now  known  by  the 
name  of  F.astford,  on  January  14,  1824.  Having 
received  a  common  and  academic  education,  he 
proceeded  to  supplement  these  by  a  thorough  course 
of  legal  study,  and  was  admitted  to  the  bar  in  the 
year  1S46.  His  ability  and  his  absolute  probity 
soon  won  for  him  not  alone  the  regard  and  respect 
of  his  associates,  but  his  rapid  advancement  in  his 
profession,  and  he  was  but  thirty-two  years  of  age 
when  he  was  distinguished  by  an  aj)pointmcnt  to  the 
State  Senate,  where  he  served  for  two  sessions,  num- 
bering among  his  colleagues  and  personal  friends 
such  men  as  Hon.  Dwight  Loomis,  of  Rockvilie, 
now  Judge  of  the  Supreme  Court,  the  late  dovernor 
James  E.  English,  of  West  Haven,  and  Kali)h  Taintor, 
of  Colchester.  In  1857  he  was  created  Judge  of 
Probate  and  State  Attorney,  and  the  year  following 
he  was  returned  from  tiie  old  Fourteenth  District. 
We  take  the  liberty  of  ipioting  a  paragraph  from  an 
article  contained  in  the  "  Biography  of  Connecticut  '' 
(1891)  :  "It  is  one  of  the  most  interesting  facts  in 
connection  with  the  history  of  the  Connecticut  Sen- 
ate that  the  roll  of  1858  has  furnished  four  members 
of  the  Superior  and  Supreme  Courts.  Three  of  the 
members,  F^x-Judge  Dwight  W.  Pardee,  of  Hartford, 
the  late  Judge  Sidney  B.  Beardsley,  of  Bridgeport, 
and  the  subject  of  this  sketch,  have  eminence  and 
honor  in  the  highest  court  in  this  State,  while  the 
fourth  has  served  for  years  as  one  of  the  ablest 
jurists  on  the  Supreme  Court  bench  in  Connecticut. 


ELISHA  CARPENTER. 

mating  the  genius  and  spirit  of  the  Connecticut 
judicial  system.  Tenure  of  office  in  the  higher 
court  judgeships  is  practically  within  the  constitu- 
tional limit."  On  July  4,  1861,  Judge  Carpenter 
was  a]5pointed  Judge  of  the  Superior  Court,  and  he 
represented  the  town  of  Killingly  in  the  House  of 
Representatives  during  the  same  year,  serving  as 
Chairman  of  the  Military  Committee.  It  may  be 
mentioned  in  this  connection  that  during  the  initial 
week  of  their  session  the  Legislature  passed  a  bill 
confirming  the  act  of  the  State's  Governor,  Bucking- 
ham, in  sending  State  troops  into  the  Government 
service  without  waiting  to  have  the  measure  ap- 
l)roved  by  law,  and  also  in  guaranteeing  their  future 
l)rovision,  again  without  legal  authority.  Such  an 
act  was,  it  is  obvious,  highly  necessary  in  those  days 
of  immediate  pressure,  when  if  a  thing  were  done 
"  'twere  well  it  were  done  quickly,"  but  had  the  leg- 
islatures been  merely  legal-minded  instead  of  loyal, 
the  bill  could  never  have  passed.  .After  his  appoint- 
ment to  the  Superior  Court  Bench,  Judge  Carjienter 
removed    to   Wethersfield,   where  he    remained    for 


;io 


MEN    OF    PROGRESS. 


several  years,  but  he  eventually  repaired  to  Hart- 
ford, which  city  he  made  his  permanent  home.     For 
over  thirty  years  Judge  Carpenter  was  a  prominent 
representative  of  his  profession,  and  his  position  in 
the  city  of  his  adoption  was  one  of  dignity  and  dis- 
tinction.    He  was  not  alone  recognized  throughout 
the  State  as  a  jurist  of  exceptional  attainment,  but 
was  regarded   by  the  public  as  one  who   identified 
himself  with  whatever  was  best  in  the  cause  of  civil 
or  national  government.     It  was  Judge   Carpenter 
who  was  called  upon  to  prepare  the  most  important 
opinion  of  the  Court  relative  to  labor  issues.      The 
noted  boycott  opinion,  which  defined  the  rights  of 
workingmen  so  clearly  that  there  has  been  no  con- 
test since,  was  the  work  of  his  hand.     'I'he  opinion 
touching  the  forfeiture  of  wages  in  the  event  of  a 
violation  of  contract  which  the  Supreme  Court  enun- 
ciated some  years  ago  was  also  prepared  by  him. 
This  opinion  presented  with  the  utmost  lucidity  the 
fundamental  principles  of  law  relative  to  the  right  of 
labor.     Again  it  was  Judge  Carpenter's  perception 
of  the  spirit  and  object  of  the  secret-ballot  law  that 
led  to  a  strict  construction  of  the  text  by  the  Su- 
preme Court  in   1890,  the  idea  of  secrecy  in   the 
statute  being  looked  upon  as  the  fundamental  one. 
.Anything  outside  of  the  most  rigid  conformity  to  one 
course    immediately  destroyed   the   secrecy  of  the 
vote.     "It  was  in  such  cases  and  issues,"  says  the 
"  Biography  of  Connecticut,"  "that  Judge  Carpen- 
ter has  rendered  the  public  such  inestimable  serv- 
ice."     During   the   war  Judge  Carpenter   was   an 
ardent   supporter  of  the   Union,   and  lent  himself 
generously  to  its  support.     Although  unable  person- 
ally to  go  to  the  front,  he   caused  his  place  to  be 
filled  by  an  able  substitute,  and  gave  his  strength  of 
heart  and  mind,  as  well  as  the  fulness  of  his  purse, 
to  the  country's  need.     The  influence  of  a  man  like 
Judge  Carpenter  on  his  community  is  not  to  be  esti- 
mated.    His  career  was  marked  by  wisdom  in  coun- 
sel, prudence  in  action,  and  soundness  in  judgment. 
He  was  an  honest  man  in  the  fullest  sense  of  the 
word,    and    his   integrity   of    character   none    ever 
dreamed  of  challenging.     For  thirty  years  he  dis- 
charged the  duties  incumbent  upon  him  with  con- 
scientious faithfulness.     In  politics  Judge  Carpenter 
was  a  Republican.     He  was  a  member  of  the  .\sylum 
Hill  Congregational  Church,  and  devoted  to  its  wel- 
fare  and  the  interests  with  which  it  was  identified. 
"  Although  afflicted  in  the   latter  years  of  his  life 
with  bodily  infirmities  beyond  the  lot  of  most  men," 
says  the  Hon.  John  R.  Buck,  one  of  his  associates, 
"  he  preserved  a  serene  mind  and  a  cheerful  temper. 


His  former  colleagues  on  the  bench,  his  brethren  of 
the  bar,  and  all  those  who  knew  him,  will  remember 
him  with  [pleasure."  Upon  his  death,  which  occurred 
on  .March  22,  1897,  the  Hartford  County  Bar  Asso- 
ciation met  and  unanimously  adopted  resolutions 
testifying  to  the  loss  it  had  sustained  in  the  decease 
of  its  honored  and  respected  member,  one  of  the 
country's  most  eminent  judges.  Judge  Carpenter 
was  twice  married  :  his  first  wife  being  Miss  Harriet 
G.  Brown,  of  Brooklyn,  Conn.,  who  died  on  July  3, 
1874,  leaving  him  three  daughters  and  one  son,  the 
latter  departing  this  life  on  Sept.  11,  1879,  and  his 
second  wife  being  Miss  Sophia  Tyler  Cowen,  niece 
of  the  late  General  Robert  O.  Tyler,  and  daughter  of 
the  late  Mrs.  Sidney  J.  Cowen,  whose  memory  is 
still  cherished  by  all  with  whom  she  came  in  con- 
tact. Two  children  were  the  fruit  of  this  union ; 
thev  anil  their  mother  sur\'ive  Judge  Carpenter. 


DUN  H.AM,  .^I'STix  Cornelius,  Manufacturer,  of 
Hartford,  son  of  .Austin  and  M.  S.  (Root)  Dunham, 
was  born  at  Coventry,  Connecticut,  June  10,  1833. 
The  Dunham  fiimily  has  long  been  a  prominent  and 
respected  one  in  the  Capitol  City,  Mr.  A.  C. 
Dunham's  father,  .\ustin,  having  been  an  oldtime 
merchant  of  wealth  and  high  standing.  The  son 
was  carefully  educated  and  went  to  Vale,  his  year  of 
graduation  being  1854.  Thereafter  he  taught 
school  for  a  year  at  Elmira,  New  York,  then  return- 
ing to  Hartford  to  engage  in  manufecture  and  trade, 
his  business  connections  being  many  and  important. 
He  was  for  several  years  a  member  of  his  father's 
firm  of  Austin  Dunham  &  Company  until  its  disso- 
lution, also  of  E.  N.  Kellog  &  Company,  and  is  now 
the  senior  partner  of  the  firm  of  .Austin  Dunham 
Sons,  a  large  and  successful  concern  engaged  in  the 
man\jfacture  of  worsted  yarns  and  all-wool  hosiery. 
Outside  of  this  business  Mr.  Dunham  has  many 
connections.  He  is  President  of  the  Rock  Manu- 
facturing Company,  the  Dunham  Hosiery  Company, 
the  Hartford  Electric  Light  Company,  once  Presi- 
dent and  Director  of  the  Willimantic  Linen  Com- 
pany, and  a  Director  of  the  -Etna  Fire  Lisurance 
Company,  the  Travellers'  Life  Insurance  Company, 
the  National  Exchange  Bank,  and  the  Cedar  Hill 
Cemetery  ;  and  is  also  a  Trustee  of  the  \Vatkinson 
Juvenile  Asylum  and  Farm  School,  the  Watkinson 
Library,  the  Hartford  Grammar  School,  and  still 
other  corporations.  It  will  be  seen  from  this 
enumeration  that  Mr.  Dunham  touches  the  mer- 
cantile and  philanthropic   life  of   his  community  at 


mi:n  o;-"  tri  ic,ki';ss. 


ill 


many  points.  It  may  be  added  that  in  social  rela- 
tions lie  is  equally  active  and  conspicuous.  llis 
tastes  are  scholarly,  and  in  spile  of  arduous  business 
cares  and  the  many  practical  demands  made  upon 
his  lime  and  attention  he  has  found  ojiportunity 
tor  a  (lo/Lii  or  more  European  tours,  for  travel, 
study,   ami  (  ultiiro,   and   has  read   widely  and   with 


A     C.    DUNHAM. 

keen  interest,  so  that  he  is  a  man  of  unusual  intel- 
lectual and  resthetic  development,  ami  is  a  valued 
member  of  the  cultured  and  scholarly  circles  of  a 
city  which  has  been  noted  time  out  of  mind  for 
such  gatherings.  Mr.  Dunham's  general  presence 
as  well  as  the  attainments  referred  to  seem  to  make 
him  z.  persona  grata  in  society.  He  is  one  of  the 
marked  examples  of  Hartford's  representative  busi- 
ness men  who  are  also  in  the  best  sense  men  of  the 
world  and  of  society.  He  and  his  sisters  are  lead- 
ing attendants  of  the  South  Congregational  Church, 
Dr.  Parker's.  'I'he  prominent  clergymen  of  Hartford 
and  this  denomination  have  for  many  years  fotnid 
the  Dunhams'  spacious  and  hospitable  home  a 
pleasant  centre  for  social  enjoyment.  Mr.  Dunham 
married,  on  September  i6,  itSsS,  Lucy  J.,  daughter 
of  James  Root,  E^sq.,  of  Hartford,  a  well-known  and 
most  respected  citizen.  She  died  in  September, 
1864.  They  had  two  children.  George,  the  elder, 
died   in   1873,  ''S*-''^'    thirteen;    the  younger,   Laura 


Italdwin,  on  March  22,  1S90,  became  the  wife  of 
Danford  Newton  Harney,  of  Farminnton,  Connecti- 
cut, a  popular  and  prominent  Vale  man,  whose 
beautiful  colonial  house  is  one  of  the  features  of 
that  charming  village. 


I)UNH.\R,  KuwAKii  liLii.iK,  l-.x  .Slate  Senator  and 
Manufacturer,  of  liristul,  was  born  in  Hristol,  Novem- 
ber I,  1842,  son  of  l!dw\rd  L.  an<l  Julia  (Warner) 
Dunbar.  He  is  descended  from  Robert  and  Rose 
Dunbar,  who  left  Scotland  in  1655  and  came  to 
llingham,  Massachusetts, where  they  settled,  becom- 
ing the  ancestors  of  many  men  who  have  since 
figured  conspicuously  in  the  history  of  our  country's 
early  struggles  for  independence.  After  passing 
through  the  common  schools  of  his  native  town, 
I'Ahvard  Butler  Dunbar  repaired  to  the  W'illiston 
Seminary,  Eastham])ton,  Massachusetts,  and  in  the 
spring  of  i860,  before  he  had  reached  the  age  of 
eighteen,  he  went  to  New  York  citytoassist  the  late 
William  F.  'rom])kiiis  in  the  management  of  the  hoop- 
skirt  factory  of  Dunbar  &:  Barnes,  who  employed 
from  fifty  to  seventy-five  hands  in  that  branch  of 
their  business.  Upon  Mr.  Tompkins'  retirement,  after 
two  years,  to  engage  in  other  enterprises,  the  young 
man  entered  into  charge  of  the  business,  and  the 
management  of  the  entire  establishment  devolved 
\\\>o\\  him.  He  conducted  it  successfully  until  it 
was  abandoned,  owing  to  the  change  in  the  prevail- 
ing mode  of  women's  dress,  and  after  being  in  New- 
York  for  five  years  he  returned  home,  where  he  has 
since  been  occupied  in  the  manufacture  of  clock- 
springs  and  other  small  springs,  under  the  firm 
name  of  Dunbar  Brothers.  This  business  was  estab- 
lished by  his  father  with  half  a  dozen  hands,  the 
most  primitive  processes  being  used  and  the  produc- 
tion being  correspondingly  limited.  By  the  introduc- 
tion of  improved  machinery  the  house  turned  out 
from  five  to  eight  thousand  clock-springs  a  day,  but 
the  revolution  in  clock-makers'  methods  has  affected 
this  branch  of  the  business,  and  the  firm  now  devotes 
itself  to  the  manufacture  of  small  springs  for  various 
purposes,  of  which  they  turn  out  millions  a  year. 
Mr.  Dunbar's  political  sympathies  are  strongly 
Democratic,  and  for  years  he  has  been  a  prominent 
worker  for  his  party's  interests  and  candidates. 
From  the  first  establishment  of  the  High  S*:hool  he 
has  been  chairman  of  its  committee,  and  takes  pride 
in  pointing  to  this  as  one  of  the  best  in  the  State. 
He  has  held  many  im|)ortant  i)ublic  trusts,  and  has 
invariably  discharged  them  to  the  satisfaction  of  his 


3I-' 


MFN    Ol'    PROGRESS. 


fellow-cilizcns.  Mr.  Dunbar  passed  four  legislative 
terms  at  the  Capital  of  the  State,  with  honor  to  him- 
self anil  to  the  constituents  who  stood  for  him. 
Having  been  a  workingman  himself,  he  possesses  a 
warm  symi)athy  for  the  working  classes,  and  while 
at  the  Capital  he  looked  well  to  their  interests.  He 
was  one  of  the  most  earnest  advocates  of  the  weekly 
payment  law,  and  on  this  and  the  child  labor  law  he 
nude  strong  speeches  in  the  Senate.  In  1 890  he  was 
mentioned  with  others  as  a  possible  candidate  for 
Congressional  honors,  but  he  peremptorily  declined 
to  allow  his  name  to  be  used  in  that  connection,  his 
business  interests  requiring  his  undivided  attention. 
Mr.  Dunbar  is  a  member  of  the  Congregational 
Church,  and  has  served  as  chairman  of  the  Society's 
committee.  He  served  for  four  years  as  President 
of  the  Bristol  Young  Men's  Christian  .'\ssociation, 


ments   introduced,  and  it  is   now  one  of  the  most 
dignified  and  charming  residences  in  the  State. 


EDWARD    B.    DUNBAR. 

doing  what  he  could  to  promote  the  welfare  of  the 
young  men  of  the  place.  He  was  married  on  De- 
cember 23,  1875,  to  Alice,  daughter  of  Watson  Gid- 
dings,  a  carriage-maker  of  Bristol.  The  couple  have 
had  three  children,  of  whom  one  daughter  and  one 
son  are  living.  Mr.  Dunbar  and  his  family  live  in 
the  house  built  more  than  half  a  century  ago  by 
Chauncey  Jerome,  the  famous  clock-maker.  Nine 
years  since  it  was  remodelled  and  modern  improve- 


FRISBIE,  Edward  Clarence,  Wholesale  Druggist, 
Hartford,  was  born  in  Hartford,  March  i,  1852, 
son  of  Isaac  Eggleston  and  Sarah  (McLeod)  Fris- 
bie.  The  Frisbie  family  is  of  English  descent,  and 
settled  in  Branford,  Connecticut,  in  1692.  The  sub- 
ject of  this  sketch  obtained  his  education  in  the  com- 
mon schools  of  Hartford.  At  the  age  of  seventeen  he 
began  as  an  apprentice  in  the  retail  drug  business  of 
E.  S.  Sykes  &  Company,  Hartford,  and  continued 
with  the  firm  four  years,  serving  his  full  time.  In 
1873  he  entered  the  employ  of  Alfred  Daggett,  of 
New  Haven,  as  chief  clerk,  but  after  a  few  months' 
service  he  returned  to  Hartford  and  accepted  a  posi- 
tion with  Talcott  &  Company.  Although  the  latter 
firm  offered  him  a  salary  several  hundred  dollars  less 
than  he  received  from  the  New  Haven  firm,  yet 
Mr.  Frisbie  accepted  it,  as  he  thought  he  saw  an 
opportunity  for  advancement,  and  in  this  he  showed 
his  good  business  judgment,  for  in  1881  he  was  ad- 
mitted to  the  firm,  which  was  then  changed  to  Tal- 
cott, Frisbie  &  Company.  The  following  quotation 
from  the  Norwalk  "Gazette  "  of  Oct.  27,  1890,  will 
serve  to  illustrate  the  public  estimate  of  the  value  of 
his  services  to  his  firm  and  to  the  trade  :  "  The 
greatest  triumph  of  any  citizen  of  Connecticut  in 
the  great  tariff  struggle  was  that  of  E.  C.  Frisbie,  of 
Hartford.  The  drug  firm  of  Talcott,  Frisbie  & 
Company  are  the  general  agents  of  the  Liebig  Ex- 
tract. It  is  the  first  article  of  the  kind  which  ever 
appeared  on  the  American  market,  but  since  the 
trade  has  become  large  and  profitable  numerous 
imitations  of  American  manufacture  have  been  put 
on  the  market.  Despite  this,  physicians  prescribe 
it  more  generally  than  the  American  product.  Ef- 
forts were  made  to  have  the  duty  raised  to  the 
point  of  exclusion,  but  Mr.  Frisbie  was  able  to 
defeat  this,  despite  the  most  desperate  efforts  of  an 
enormous  and  costly  lobby  against  which  he  was 
obliged  to  contend."  Mr.  Frisbie  also  took  a 
prominent  part  in  the  legislation  of  1893.  He  was 
allowed  ten  minutes  before  the  Ways  and  Means 
Committee,  and  used  just  six  of  the  ten  minutes 
allowed.  His  argument  was  clear,  concise,  and 
effective,  and  no  speaker  during  all  that  long  day 
of  weary  talk  held  more  closely  the  committee's 
attention.  To  Mr.  Frisbie  belonged  the  credit  of 
being  the  first  to  break  the  record  in  the  way  of 
reform  of  this  "over-talking"  vice.     He  was  also 


MK\    OV    PRnoRESS. 


J  1 .1 


complimented  as  being  the  most  successful  in  his     pany  ;  has  twice  been  Vice-President  of  the  National 


argument  on    free   alcohol,  and  one  of  the  ])romi- 
nent    members   of  this   committee    stated  :     "  He 


Wholesale  Druggists'  Association,  and  has  served  as 
chairman  of  several  of  its  important  committees. 
He  is  also  a  trustee  on  several  large  estates.  He  is 
a  member  of  the  Hartford  Club  and  of  the  Republi- 
can Club  of  that  city.  Me  was  married  August  15, 
1S75,  to  Annie  .\.  Wiley.  They  have  three  chil- 
dren: I'lorence  Sarah,  born  Dec.  _^,  1876;  I^dward 
Wiley,  born  Jan.  10,  i.SSi  ;  and  Alice  Mcl.eod 
Frisbie,  born   I'eb.    17,   1SS4. 


("lOoDKICll,  C'liAUi-rj;  C,  Manager  of  the  Hart- 
ford and  New  York  Trmsportation  Comiiany,  Hart- 
ford, was  born  July  30,  1S45,  in  Wethersfield, 
Connecticut,  son  of  Joshua  and  Mary  A.  (Wells) 
Goodrich.  He  was  educated  at  the  South  Crammar 
.School  in  Hartford,  and  at  the  Williston  .\cademy 
in  llisihampton,  Massachusetts.  Mr.  (Joodrich  is  an 
example  of  a  mm  who  early  chooses  some  branch 
of  business,  and  by  sticking  to  it  and  exhibiting 
diligence  and  ability  therein  rises  to  i>rominence  and 
success.  For  thirty  years  he  has  been  engaged  in 
marine  commerce,  and  for  the  twenty  years  since  its 


E.    C.    FRISBIE. 

struck  me  as  a  man  thoroughly  familiar  with  his 
subject,  and  his  honest  fiice  and  argument  carried 
conviction."  In  the  recent  tariff  debate  he  was 
paid  the  rather  unusual  compliment  of  being  re- 
quested by  some  members  of  the  Finance  Com- 
mittee to  go  to  Washington  for  consultation  in  ref- 
erence to  a  chemical  schedule,  as  they  were  im- 
pressed with  the  accurate  knowledge  displayed  by 
him  in  his  evidence  before  the  Free  .'\lcohol  Com- 
mittee in  New  York.  In  May,  1891,  he  personally 
purchased  Dr.  Solon  O.  Richardson's  Sherry  Wine 
Bitter  business.  This  remedy  made  for  the  inven- 
tor (Dr.  Richardson)  a  fortune  of  two  hundred  and 
fifty  thousand  dollars.  Mr.  Frisbie  is  a  Republican 
in  politics,  and  served  for  four  years  as  a  member 
of  the  Hartford  Common  Council,  and  for  two  years 
a  member  of  the  Board  of  Aldermen.  While  his 
name  has  several  times  been  mentioned  for  ofifice, 
it  can  be  said  of  him  that  the  office  has  always 
sought  the  man,  not  the  man  the  office.  He  is 
now  a  member  of  one  of  the  prominent  State 
boards,  receiving  his  api^oinlment  from  Governor 
Coffin ;  is  also  a  Director  in  the  Charter  Oak  Na- 
tional Bank  and  the  Perkins  Electric  Switch  Com- 


C    C    GOODRICH. 


organization  has  been  Manager  of  the  Hartford  and 
New  York  Transportation    Company,  which   under 


314 


MKX    OF    PROGRESS. 


his  oversight  has  developed  into  an  important  and 
siiccessftil  industry,  transporting  by  water  between 
New  York  and  all  jwints  on  the  Connecticut  river 
intermediate  between  New  York  and  Hartford.  Mr. 
Goodrich  has  given  his  whole  time,  strength,  and 
interest  to  this  business,  and  the  story  of  his  life 
is  the  story  of  the  company  he  has  helped  to 
create.  He  has  not  turned  his  attention  to  out- 
side matters.  His  politics  are  Republican,  but 
he  has  never  sought  office.  He  is  one  of  the 
representative  successful  business  men  of  the  city, 
and  is  satisfied  to  be  regarded  in  that  light. 
Mr.  Goodrich  was  married  to  Beulah  Murray,  of 
Guilford,  Connecticut.  They  have  one  child  ;  Ray- 
mond M.  Goodrich. 


HO\\'l".,  Harmon  Gedrck,  M.D.,  Physician  and 
Surgeon,  of  Hartford,  was  born  in  Jericho,  Vermont, 
September  3,  i8;o,  son  of  Lucien  B.  and  Clarissa 
J.  (Galusha)  Howe.  His  paternal  ancestors  were 
early  settlers  in  \"ermont,  and  he  is  descended  from 
the  Bliss  family,  who  went  to  that  State  from  Litch- 
field, Connecticut,  in   1 760.     Among  his  mother's 


H.    G.    HOWE. 


ancestors     were    Captain    Thomas    Chittenden,    of 
Chester,  Connecticut,  the  first  Governor  of  the  Green 


Mountain  State,  and  Governor  Martin  Chittenden. 
The  Galushas  were  also  people  of  note  among  the 
pioneers  of  Vermont.     Harmon  G.  Howe  acquired 
his  early  education  at  the  Essex  Classical  Institute, 
Essex,  Vermont.     His  professional  training,  which 
was  begun  at  the  Medical  Department  of  the  Univer- 
sity of  Vermont  in    1873,  was    completed    at    the 
College  of  Physicians  and  Surgeons,  New  York  city, 
in  1S75.     He  had  previously  spent  some  time    at 
the  Hartford  Hospital,  was  Assistant  Superintendent 
of  Sanford  Hall,  Flushing,  Long  Island,  for  over  a 
year,  under  Dr.  J.  B.  Barstow,  and  was  Assistant  at 
the  Retreat  for  Insane,  Hartford,  under  Dr.  H.  P. 
Stearns,  for  about  the  same  length  of  time.     In  May, 
1876,  he  settled  permanently  in  Hartford,  where  he 
has  since  been  in  continuous  practice,  which  is  now 
one  of  the  largest  in  the  city.     Dr.  Howe  has  been 
a  Visiting   Surgeon  of   the  Hartford  Hospital    for 
seventeen  years,  and  for  the  past  nine  years  has  been 
a  member  of  the  Executive  Committee  of  that  insti- 
tution.    He  was   Surgeon    of  the    First   Regiment 
Connecticut  National  Guards  for  nine  years,  having 
served  for  two  years  previously  as  Assistant  Surgeon 
on  the  staff"  of  Colonel  Lucius  Barbour.  He  is  a  mem- 
ber of  the  State,  County,  and  City  medical  societies, 
and  finds  time  amidst  the  exacting  requirements  of  a 
busy  professional  life  to  enjoy  memberships  in  the 
Republican  Club  and  the  Scientific  Club  of  Hartford, 
also  the  Country  Club  of  Farmington.     Although  he 
is  a  staunch  Republican  in  politics,  he  has  no  taste  or 
time  for  public  office  and  has  never  held  any,  his 
energies  being  fully  devoted  to  his  profession.     He  is 
a  great  reader  and    an  enthusiastic  student  of  art, 
and  at  his  home  on  High  street  has  a  valuable  and 
unique  art  collection,  while  his  library,  mainly  com- 
posed of  medical  works,  is  one  of  the  best  in  this 
city.     Dr.  Howe  is  also  a  devoted  angler.     He  is 
an  enthusiastic  member  of  the  St.  Bernard  Fishing 
Club  of  Canada,  of  which  there  are  four  other  mem- 
bers in  this  city,  and  part  of  each  year's  vacation  is 
spent  in  trout-fishing  at  the  club's  headquarters  in 
Quebec.     The    balance    of  his  vacation  is    usually 
spent  in  the  Adirondacks  on  a  hunting  expedition. 
Dr.  Howe  was  married  in  .April,  1876,  to  Harriet  M. 
Stevens,  daughter  of   L.  M.  Stevens,  of  Jericho,  Vt. 
Mrs.  Howe  is  well  known  in  connection  with  the 
work  carried  on  by  the  Fourth  Church,  in  which  she 
is  very  much  interested  and  where  she  is  an  influen- 
tial member.  Dr.  and  Mrs.  Howe  have  two  children, 
Fanny  Bliss  and  Horace  Stevens  Howe,  the  latter  a 
student  at    the  Hartford    High    School.      Another 
daughter,   Lucia,  died   in  infancy. 


MEN    OF    I'ROORF.SS. 


315 


HUNTF.R,  ImiN  I.AiiiRor,  Counsellor-at-Liw, 
W'illimantic,  was  born  in  Gardiner,  Kennebec 
county,  Maine,  March  13,  1834,  son  of  Jolin  I'al- 
tcn  and  Mary  Averill  (Stone)  Hunter.  He  is  a 
descendant  on  both  sides  of  RevoUitionary  patriots  : 
his  great-grandfather.  Colonel  James  Hunter,  was  a 


JOHN     L.    HUNTER, 

native  of  Topsham,  Maine,  having  served  in  the  strug- 
gle with  distinction.  The  great-great-grandfather, 
Adam  Hunter,  according  to  an  inscription  upon  a 
headstone  in  the  old  Topsham,  Maine,  cemetery, 
was  the  first  white  child  born  in  that  town.  Mr. 
Hunter's  father  was  also  a  native  of  Topsham,  Maine. 
Mr.  Hunter's  mother  was  a  daughter  of  Colonel 
John  and  Sarah  (Butler)  Stone,  of  Cardiner,  Maine, 
granddaughter  of  John  and  Jane  (Lord)  Stone, 
and  great-granddaughter  of  Tobias  and  Jane 
(Smith)  Lord,  the  former  of  whom  was  born  in 
1724  and  died  in  1819.  Tobias  Lord  and  his 
cousin,  Benjamin  Meeds  Lord,  jnirchased  land 
upon  the  Saco  river,  where  they  erected  a  garrison 
and  occupied  it.  In  1776  Tobias  Lord  com- 
manded a  comi)any  stationed  at  Falmouth,  now 
Pordand,  Maine.  Five  of  his  sons  served  in  the 
American  Army  at  different  times  during  the  Revo- 
lutionary War,  and  one  of  them,  Nathaniel,  accom- 
panied Arnold  on  the  expedition  to  Canada,  was 
wounded,  taken  prisoner,  and  died  in  captivity.    John 


Lathro])  Hunter  was  graduated  from  lk)wdoin  Col- 
lege in  the  class  of  1855.  He  studied  law  three 
years  with  the  late  Honorable  Charles  Danforlh,  after- 
ward an  .Associate  Justice  of  the  Maine  Supreme 
Court,  was  admitted  to  the  bar  of  .Maine  in  1859. 
He  practised  law  at  Cardiner,  .NKiinc,  a  few  years, 
and  since  1S71  has  practised  his  profession  in 
Willimantic,  Connecticut.  Since  then  he  has  been 
town  and  borough  attorney,  member  of  various 
school  boards  and  committees,  member  of  the 
Democratic  State  Central  Conunittee  for  twelve 
years,  and  delegate  to  national  Democratic  conven- 
tions. Mr.  Hunter  was  elected  to  the  General 
Assembly  in  1879  and  appointed  on  the  Judiciary 
Committee ;  was  largely  instrumental  in  changing 
the  legal  practice  of  the  State  from  the  old  common- 
law  ])ractice  to  that  of  the  i)resent  system,  simpli- 
fying procedure  in  civil  cases,  and  uniting  legal  and 
equitable  remedies  in  the  same  action.  He  was, 
by  the  judges  of  the  Supreme  and  Su|)erior  Courts^ 
in  February,  1894,  appointed  State's  Attorney  for 
Windiiam  county.  He  is  retained  as  counsel  by 
the  principal  corporations  in  his  own  city  and 
vicinity.  In  1897  he  was  appointed  Corjjoration 
Counsel  of  the  new  city  of  Willimantic,  which  was 
formerlv  the  borouirli  of  Willimantic. 


MORGAN,  John  Pikri'oni',  head  of  the  banking 
house  of  J.  P.  Morgan  &  Company,  New  V'ork,  and 
the  greatest  financier  in  the  United  States,  was  born 
in  Hartford,  Connecticut,  April  17,  1837.  The 
Morgan  fomily  trace  their  descent  back  to  Miles 
Morgan,  a  native  of  ^Vales,  who  removed  to  Massa- 
chusetts in  1636.  The  grandfcither  of  the  present 
financier  was  Joseph  Morgan,  a  farmer  and  early 
settler  of  Springfield,  Massachusetts.  His  mother 
was  Juliet,  daughter  of  Reverend  John  Pierpont,  of 
Boston,  a  woman  of  unusual  strength  of  character. 
His  fiuher  was  the  distinguished  banker,  Junius 
Spencer  .Morgan.  The  latter,  after  a  successfiil 
business  e.\i)erience  both  in  the  dry  goods  and 
banking  business,  in  Hartford,  Boston,  and  New 
\ork,  finally  became  the  jiartner  of  George  Peabody, 
the  famous  banker  and  philanthropist  of  London. 
In  1S64  he  succeeded  Mr.  Peabody  in  business  as 
I.  S.  Morgan  &  Company,  which  firm  has  become 
one  of  the  leading  banking  houses  of  Europe.  His 
son,  John  Pierpont  Morgan,  inherited  from  his 
parents  both  purity  of  character  and  exceptional 
abilities,  and  from  early  boyhood  showed  great 
promise.     .After  graduating  from  the  English  High 


;i6 


MEN    OF   PROGRESS. 


School  in  Boston,  he  took  a  complete  course  at  the 
University  of  C.oltingen.  Returning  to  America  at 
the  age  of  twenty,  he  entered  the  bunking  house  of 
Duncan  Sherman  &  Company  in  New  York  city,  in 
order  to  obtain  a  thorough  knowledge  of  the  bank- 
ing business.  In  1864  he  formed  a  partnership 
under  the  firm  name  of  Dabney,  Morgan  &  Com- 
pany. They  confined  their  attention  to  legitimate 
investment  securities,  and  soon  became  known  for 
conservatism  and  ability.  In  1 86 1  he  was  appointed 
.American  agent  and  attorney  of  George  Peabody  & 
Company,  of  London,  a  relation  which  he  retained 


J.    PIERPONT    MORGAN. 

with  J.  S.  Morgan  &  Company.  The  firm  and  its 
Ix)ndon  connection  rendered  substantial  assistance 
to  the  Government  in  the  Civil  War.  In  187  i  Mr. 
Morgan  associated  himself  with  Anthony  J.  Drexel,  of 
Philadelphia,  under  the  firm  name  of  Drexel,  Morgan 
&  Company.  Mr.  Drexel  died  in  1893,  and  on  Janu- 
ary I,  1895,  the  firm  style  was  changed  to  its  present 
form  of  J.  P.  Morgan  &  Company.  He  is  at  present 
also  senior  partner  in  the  firms  of  J.  S.  Morgan  & 
Company,  London ;  Morgan,  Harjes  &  Company, 
Paris  ;  and  Drexel  &  Company,  Philadelphia.  The 
New  York  firm,  located  in  their  building  on  the  corner 
of  Wall  and  Broad  streets,  opposite  the  Stock  Ex- 
change and  the  United  States  Treasury,  has  long  been 
regarded  as  one  of  the  powerful  influences  for  good 


on  the  street.  It  has  stood  resolutely  against  all 
forms  of  chicanery  and  stock-jobbing,  and  in  times 
of  panic  and  financial  distrust  has  proved  a  tower  of 
strength.  For  over  twenty-five  years  J.  Pierpont 
Morgan  has  been  the  actual  head  of  the  firm. 
The  name  of  Morgan  has  long  been  a  talisman  of 
success.  The  fact  of  his  connection  with  an  en- 
terprise has  invariably  caused  an  appreciation 
of  values.  Through  his  powerful  clientele  in  this 
country  and  in  Europe,  and  the  prestige  of  an  un- 
broken series  of  successful  operations,  he  has  been 
able  to  accomplish  what  probably  no  other  living 
.'\merican  could  have  done.  One  achievement  has 
followed  another  with  startling  rapidity.  It  is  pos- 
sible within  the  limits  of  this  article  to  mention 
only  the  more  important  undertakings  with  which 
he  has  been  identified.  In  1869  he  obtained  con- 
trol of  the  Albany  &  Susquehanna  Railroad,  which 
had  fallen  into  the  hands  of  Fisk  and  Gould.  In 
1876-7  and  '78  the  firm  was  prominently  identified 
with  the  floating  of  the  Ignited  States  Government 
Bonds.  In  1879  he  purchased  twenty-five  million 
dollars  of  the  stock  of  the  New  Y'ork  Central  at  one 
hundred  and  twenty,  and  disposed  of  the  same  at  a 
substantial  advance.  This  brilliant  coiip  cemented 
the  already  confidential  relations  existing  between 
the  Vanderbilt  interests  and  himself.  In  1885  he 
gained  control  of  the  rival  West  Shore  Railroad,  and 
subsequently  made  it  a  part  of  the  New  York  Cen- 
tral System.  For  his  services  in  this  connection  he 
was  presented  by  the  directors  of  the  road  with  a 
gold  and  silver  dinner  service  of  three  hundred 
pieces,  valued  at  fifty  thousand  dollars.  Again  in 
1895  he  obtained  control  of  the  New  York  City  and 
Northern,  which  was  also  made  a  part  of  the  New 
York  Central  System.  In  1888  he  reorganized  the 
Chesapeake  &  Ohio  Railroad,  and  soon  after 
placed  the  Big  Four  System  on  a  solid  basis.  In 
1 89 1  he  took  up  the  decrepit  Richmond  Terminal, 
which  through  consolidation  and  intelligent  develop- 
ment has  grown  into  the  splendid  structure  of  the 
Southern  Railway.  In  1S95  he  reorganized  the 
Erie  System,  and  in  the  same  year  accomplished  a 
similar  work  for  the  Reading  System.  His  serv- 
ices to  the  coal  roads  have  been  of  inestimable 
value,  and  the  outcome  of  his  negotiations  with  the 
Lehigh  Valley  System  is  now  awaited  with  confi- 
dence. He  is  also  an  important  factor  in  the  reor- 
ganization of  the  Baltimore  &  Ohio,  now  going 
on.  In  1896  he  obtained  control  of  the  New 
England  Railroad,  and  then  leased  it  to  the  New 
York,    New    Haven    &    Hartford     Railroad,    with 


Ml  A    Kl-     I'ROGRESS. 


317 


which  he  has  long  been  identified.  In  iSg;  he 
undertook  the  reorganization  of  the  Northern 
Pacific,  which  with  aid  of  derman  capital  and  a 
satisfactory  understanding  with  its  rival,  the  Great 
Northern,  has  been  placed  on  a  substantial  basis. 
In  these  reorganizations  he  has  usually  employed 
the  method  of  the  "voting  trust,"  through  which 
method  he  has  had  absolute  control  of  the  stock, 
and  has  been  left  unhamjiered  to  outline  the  policy 
of  the  company.  In  this  work  he  has  had  the 
active  assistance  of  powerful  allied  interests,  yet  the 
strong  iron  will  and  quick  brain  of  J.  Pierpont 
Morgan  have  always  been  the  compelling  force  in 
the  achievement.  His  interests  are  represented  in 
the  directorate  of  the  following  railroad  systems  : 
New  York  Central ;  New  York,  New  Haven  &  Hart- 
ford ;  Southern  Railway  ;  "  The  Big  Four  ;  "  Erie; 
Chesapeake  &  Ohio  ;  Baltimore  &  Ohio  ;  Northern 
Pacific  ;  Reading  &  Lehigh  Valley.  With  this  strong 
controlling  interest,  represented  in  lines  extending 
from  the  Atlantic  to  the  Pacific  and  from  New  York 
to  the  Gulf,  the  realization  of  a  single  giant  system 
extending  across  the  continent  seems  an  attainable 
possibility.  Mr.  Morgan  is  also  largely  interested 
in  the  General  Electric  Company,  in  the  various 
ferry  companies,  in  the  West  End  Street  Railway 
Company  of  Boston,  was  at  one  time  a  Director  in 
the  Manhattan  Elevated,  and  has  substantial  interests 
in  many  other  important  corporations.  The  impor- 
tant part  which  he  played  in  the  purchase  of  the 
Government  Bond  issue  in  1895  is  well  remembered 
by  the  public.  Like  every  man  who  accomplishes 
anything  he  has  met  with  criticism.  Yet  petty  poli- 
ticians and  outwitted  opponents  have  invariably 
acknowledged  his  unquestioned  honor  and  unswerv- 
ing integrity.  Li  the  summer  following  the  bond 
sale  he  made  his  annual  trip  to  Europe,  and,  through 
his  personal  exertions  in  the  |3lacing  of  the  .Amer- 
ican securities  on  the  Continent,  was  an  important 
factor  in  the  returning  tide  of  prosperity.  Mr. 
Morgan  inherited  a  large  estate  from  his  father,  but 
his  fortune  had  been  safely  established  long  before 
that  time  by  his  own  exertions,  and  each  succeeding 
year  has  recorded  the  widened  scope  and  increased 
value  of  his  interests.  He  stands  to-day  the  tnistee 
and  autocrat  of  more  wealth  than  has  ever  before 
been  entrusted  to  a  single  American.  Other  men 
are  richer,  but  no  other  combines  in  a  like  degree 
the  possession  and  ability  to  command  wealth  with 
that  clearness  of  vision,  boldness  of  purpose,  and 
force  of  will  which  are  the  elements  of  greatness. 
When  business  is  laid  aside  Mr.  Morgan  finds  dis- 


traction in  the  pleasures  of  yachting.  He  is  Com- 
modore of  the  New  York  Yacht  Club,  owner  of  the 
steam  yacht  "  Corsair,"  and  a  generous  upholder  of 
the  sjiort.  He  served  on  the  committee  of  three  in 
the  "  Defender- Valkyrie  "  dispute.  At  Gragslon, 
his  beautiful  country  place  at  Highland  Falls  on  the 
Hudson,  he  takes  delight  in  his  dogs,  his  horses, 
and  his  flowers.  His  kennel  of  prize  collies  is  well 
known.  He  enters  heartily  into  the  social  side  of 
the  city,  is  a  jiatron  of  art  and  the  grand  ojjcra,  and  a 
member  of  the  following  clubs  :  Metropolitan,  Union, 
Knickerbocker,  Union  League,  Century,  I/iwyers, 
Tuxedo,  Racquet,  Riding,  and  Players,  and  the 
Seawanhaka  and  New  York  Yacht  Clubs.  He  is 
the  President  and  was  one  of  the  founders  of  the 
Metropolitan  Club.  For  many  years  he  has  been  a 
faithful  attendant  and  Warden  of  St.  George's 
Episcopal  Church.  He  has  been  a  generous  contrib- 
utor to  the  church's  funds,  and  presented  it  with 
a  memorial  building  in  memory  of  his  wife's  parents. 
He  was  a  deputy  at  the  Episcopal  Convention  in 
1896  at  Milwaukee,  when  the  revision  of  the  ritual 
was  under  discussion.  His  princely  gift  of  one 
million  dollars  to  the  Society  of  the  Lying-in  Hos- 
pital of  the  City  of  New  York,  of  a  half-million  to 
the  New  York  Trade  Schools,  his  gift  of  the  steamer 
"  Stonington  "  during  the  cholera  scare,  his  donations 
to  the  American  Museum  of  Natural  History,  Metro- 
politan Museum  of  Art,  the  Bronx  Botanical  Garden, 
the  Hartford  Public  Library,  and  many  other  chari- 
ties, illustrate  the  many-sided  sympathies  of  his 
nature.  Mr.  Morgan  married  Frances  Louise  Tracy, 
daughter  of  Charles  Tracy,  the  well-known  lawyer 
of  New  York  city.  They  have  three  daughters 
and  one  son. 


PR.VIT,  Francis  AsHia'RV,  Manufiicturer  and  Me- 
chanical Engineer,  of  Hartford,  was  born  in  Peru, 
New  York,  February  15,  1827,  son  of  Nathaniel  ^L 
and  Euphemia  (Nutting)  Pratt.  He  received  his 
early  education  at  the  public  school  at  Lowell,  >Liss., 
and  served  his  time  as  a  machinist  with  Aldrich  & 
Hay,  of  Lowell.  In  1852,  when  a  young  man  of 
twenty-five,  he  came  to  Hartford  to  take  a  position  in 
the  pistol  foctory  of  Colonel  Colt,  having  been  urged 
to  the  step  by  Mr.  Samuel  H.  Bachelor,  one  of  the 
subordinate  chiefs  of  the  establishment.  Two  years 
later,  securing  the  services  of  his  life  long  associate, 
Mr.  Amos  Whitney,  as  assistant,  he  became  the 
Superintendent  of  the  Phoenix  Iron  Works,  and 
remained  in  that  office  until  after  the  outbreak  of 


3>S 


MK\    i)V    PROC.KI'.SS. 


our  Civil  War,  when  both  the  young  men  severed 
their  connection  with  that  firm,  having  determined 
to  start  a  business  of  their  own.  Accordingly, 
in  the  summer  of  i860,  they  hired  a  room  on 
Potter  street,  securing  as  patrons  some  of  the  best- 


F.    A.    PRATT. 

known  firms  in  the  State  (the  W'illimantic  Linen 
Company  among  others),  and  were  fairly  launched 
in  their  new  and  promising  enterprise  when,  in  Feb- 
ruary of  the  next  year,  tiiey  were  burned  out  by  a 
fire  which  caught  on  a  neighboring  building.  But 
in  spite  of  the  losses  they  had  sustained,  they  were 
again  established  in  comfortable  ijuarters  within  a 
month,  and  vigorously  carrying  on  the  temporarily 
suspended  business  in  Wood's  Building,  in  the  rear 
of  the  "Times"  office.  In  an  incredibly  short 
time  they  were  forced  to  enlarge  their  area  to  keep 
pace  with  the  growth  of  their  business,  and,  adding 
one  room  after  another,  soon  found  themselves  occu- 
pying all  the  available  space  in  the  building,  with 
the  immediate  prospect  of  outgrowing  even  these 
ample  quarters.  In  1862  Messrs.  Pratt  &:  Whitney 
took  into  partnership  Monroe  Stannard,  of  New 
Britain,  each  member  of  the  firm  contributing 
twelve  hundred  dollars,  and  the  association  has 
remained  unbroken  ever  since.  Three  years  later, 
the  necessities  of  the  business  demanding  more 
space,   the  firm   erected   the   first  building  on    the 


present  site,  a  structure  described  as  "  having  four 
stories  and  containing  forty  thousand  square  feet  of 
flooring.  It  was  ready  for  occupancy  the  following 
March.  From  time  to  time  additions  have  been 
made  to  the  original  stmcture  until  now  the  plant 
occupies  about  five  and  a  half  acres,  and  is  equipped 
throughout  with  the  most  approved  appliances  for 
protection  against  fire,  for  the  comfort  of  its  hands, 
and  for  the  convenient  and  economical  dispatch  of 
work.  The  property  lies  on  both  sides  of  Park 
river,  with  the  tracks  of  the  Consolidated  and  of 
the  New  Fngland  Railways  on  the  northern  border, 
about  one-fourth  of  a  mile  from  the  passenger  sta- 
tion. Side  tracks  admit  heavy  freights  direcdy  to 
the  doors."  Starting  with  the  manufacture  of 
machine  tools,  gun  tools,  and  tools  for  the  makers 
of  sewing  machines,  the  business  has  been  gradu- 
ally enlarged  in  scope  until  now  a  catalogue  of  its 
yearly  output  would  cover  many  hundreds  of  printed 
Images.  The  invention  of  the  typewriter  and  the 
bicycle  have  naturally  enlarged  the  demand  for 
tools,  and  since  the  general  adoption  of  these 
machines  by  the  public,  the  company  of  which  Mr. 
I'ratt  is  the  head  has  largely  supplied  the  manufact- 
urers with  their  required  appliances.  Nothing  is 
allowed  to  leave  the  premises  in  the  shape  of  a 
piece  of  mechanism  that  is  not  in  every  way  supe- 
rior, and  the  imprint  of  the  establishment  is  said  to 
be  sufficient  guarantee  of  simplicity,  strength,  pre- 
cision and  elegance,  durability  and  complete  adap- 
tation of  means  and  ends.  We  take  the  liberty  of 
i|uoting  a  passage  from  a  magazine  article:  "On 
taking  an  inventory  shortly  after  removal  from 
Wood's  Building  to  the  new  factory,  the  firm  found 
that  net  assets  of  thirty-six  hundred  dollars  in  1862 
had  grown  during  the  interval  of  four  years  to  the 
handsome  sum  of  seventy-five  thousand  dollars,  a 
striking  evidence  of  good  management  amid  general 
prosperity.  .  .  .  During  the  next  three  years 
they  made  and  put  in  the  business  a  clean  profit  of 
one  hundred  thousand  dollars.  In  July,  1869, 
under  a  charier  from  the  State,  the  Pratt  &  W'hitney 
Company  was  incorporated,  with  a  capital  of  three 
hundred  and  fifty  thousand  dollars,  increased,  mostly 
from  earnings,  to  four  hundred  thousand  dollars  in 
1873,  and  to  five  hundred  thousand  dollars  in  1875. 
Soon  after  the  close  of  the  Franco-German  war,  in 
1870,  an  agent  of  the  company  visited  Prussia  and 
discovered  that  both  imperial  and  private  gun  facto- 
ries were  equipped  with  inferior  tools  and  machin- 
ery, and  that  the  national  armories  were  bare.  He 
brought  the  merits  of  the  Pratt  &  Whitney  Company 


MKN    OK    I'KdC.RKSS. 


;i9 


to  the   attention  of  a   Berlin   engineer,  who  became 
deeply    interesteil,  and    who,  a  few    n.onths    later, 
called  Mr.  Pratt  thither.     The  latter  started  at  once, 
and  after  an  absence  of  six  weeks,  two  of  which  were 
spent  in   Berlin,  returned  to   Hartford  with   orders 
from  the  German  C.overnment  for  gun  machinery  to 
the  value  of  three  hundred  and   fifty  thousand  dol- 
lars.    Within   the   next  three  years  Mr.  I'ratt  made 
three  trips  to  Berlin,  taking  orders  and  delivering  to 
the   Government  goods  worth  over  a  million  and  a 
quarter  dollars.      While  the   panic    of  187,^    pros- 
trated the  industries  of  the  United  States,  the  com- 
pany was  kept  busy  on  European  orders  till  1875." 
It   would    be    impossible    in    our    limited  space  to 
enumerate  even  a  small   fraction  of  the  number  of 
benefits    this  company's  establishment  has   contrib- 
uted   to  the   mechanical  arts   and   the  commercial 
life  of  the  city  wherein  it  is  founded.     A   machine 
for  exact  and   uniform   measurements  is  one   of  its 
most   valuable  productions,  and  was  the   result   of 
many  years'    constant    experiment   and    the    most 
lavish    expenditure    of  thought   and    money.      On 
May  21,  iSiSS,  the  company  received   its  first  order 
for  the    llotchkiss  revolving  cannon,   and   for  three 
and  six  pounder  rapid-fire  guns  from  the  llotchkiss 
Ordnance    Company,    contractors    with    the    Navy 
Department.       Since   that  date    the    company    has 
made  over  four  hundred  Hotchkiss  guns,  mostly  to 
form  the  secondary  batteries  of  our  new  war-vessels. 
The   manufacture  of  these  guns   has  been    discon- 
tinued, having  sold  the  plant  to  the  American  Com- 
pany, of  Bridgeport,  Connecticut.     During  the  de- 
pression which  followed  the  panic  of  1893,  the  most 
vigorous  efforts  were  made  by  this  company  to  keep 
its  men  employed,  and  to  avert  the  catastrophe  that 
would  .surely  have  befallen  the  city  if  so  manv  of 
its  inhabitants    had    been  suddenly  thrown    out    of 
work  and  left  without  financial  resource.     Stock  v.-as 
allowed  to  accumulate  and  hours  were  shortened  to 
forty   a   week  in   order  to  give  every  employee  as 
large  a  slice  of  the  loaf  as  the   times  would    ])ermit. 
The  force  dropped  from  nine  hundred  and   sixty  to 
seven  hundred  hands,  but  with  the  general  recovery 
in   1895    soon   rose  about  one  hundred  above  the 
highest  mark  ever  attained  before.     The  success  of 
this  colossal  enterprise  is  mainly  due  to  the  unflag- 
ging energy  and   the  business  genius  of  its  moving 
spirits  —   President    Francis    A.    Pratt   and   Vice- 
President    and     Superintendent     Amos    Whitney ; 
both    are    men    of   much  force    of  character    and 
purpose.       They    have    won    their    way    to    their 
present   enviable   positions    through    sheer    native 


pluck  and  their  own  ability.  The  city  of  their  adop- 
tion owes  them  a  debt  of  gratitude  for  the  liencfit  it 
rca|)s  from  the  industry's  many  sources  of  revenue, 
and  for  the  reputation  it  hns  won  as  a  manufacturing 
centre,  through  this  and  other  similar  mammoth 
enterprises.  In  politics  they  are  both  Republicans. 
Mr.  I'ratt  was  married  in  1851  to  Miss  Harriet  K. 
Cole,  of  Lowell,  Massachusetts.  They  have  two 
children  :  Mrs.  Carrie  V.  Sp  iMlin'  .md  Frani  is  ('. 
Pratt. 

SKI  I. ION,  Di.wni  Ci.imon,  I'resideni  of  the 
Phcenix  Insuran<e  Company,  Hartford,  was  born 
January  11,  1S39,  in  Thomaston,  Connecticut,  then 
known  as  Plymouth  Hollow.  He  was  the  son  of 
John  Chester  and  Anna  (Healon)  Skilton.  He  is 
a  worthy  rc|)resentative  of  families,  on  both  the 
])aternal  and  maternal  side,  who  have  been  con- 
sjjicuous  in  the  history  of  New  England.  One  of 
his  ancestors,  Henry  Skilton,  came  from  Coventry, 
ICngland,  in  the  si)ringof  1735,  settling  first  in  Pres- 
ton, Connecticut,  anil  later  in  Southinglon,  Connect- 


DEWITT   C     SKILTON 

icut,  with  the  buikling-up  of  which  town  he  was 
closely  identified.  He  died  in  his  eighty-eighth 
year,  in  Watertown,  Connecticut.  .Among  other 
ancestors  was  the  Hon.  John  Steele,  who  went  to 
Hartford  from  Boston  with  the  Hooker  parly  that 


320 


MEN    OF    PROGRESS. 


settled  the  town  and  established  the  first  church 
there.  Mr.  Steele  was  prominent  in  public  affairs, 
and  was  Town  Clerk  of  Hartford  and  also  of  Farni- 
ington  for  many  years.  Another  ancestor  was  the 
Hon.  John  W'adsworth,  halfbrother  of  Captain 
Wadsworth,  who  is  said  to  have  hidden  the  Con- 
necticut Charter  in  the  Charter  Oak.  Mr.  Skilton 
is  also  descended  from  Sir  William  Southraayd ; 
the  Hon.  Matthew  Allyn,  one  of  the  original  parties 
to  the  Connecticut  Charter  from  the  king ;  the  Hon. 
John  .-Mlyn,  called  in  history  "  the  Oreat  Secre- 
tary' ;  "  William  Pynchon  ;  Covernor  Thomas  Welles  ; 
Captain  William  Judd  and  Timothy  Judd,  both  of 
whom  represented  \Vaterbury  in  the  colonial  govern- 
ment almost  continuously  for  forty  years;  Captain 
James  Avery,  of  Groton  and  New  London,  a  leading 
man  in  the  church  and  in  the  local  government,  and 
a  noted  Indian  fighter ;  and  Sir  Thomas  Gardner. 
Mr.  Skilton  was  educated  in  the  district  schools. 
He  entered  upon  a  mercantile  career  in  April,  1855, 
which  he  continued  until  October,  1861,  when  he 
became  Clerk  in  the  Hartford  Fire  Insurance  Com- 
pany. A  man  who  made  the  most  of  his  oppor- 
tunities and  who  did  his  work  thoroughly,  he  was 
steadily  advanced  till  he  was  chosen  Secretary  of  the 
Phoenix  Insurance  Company  of  Hartford,  on  Decem- 
ber I,  1867.  There  was  further  recognition  of  his 
merit  when  he  was  elected  \'ice-President  of  the 
company,  August  i,  i888,  and  again  when  he  was 
promoted  to  the  Presidency  of  this,  one  of  the 
largest  concerns  of  the  kind  in  the  country,  in 
February,  1891.  He  still  holds  that  office,  and  has 
had  the  satisfaction  of  seeing  the  company  become 
more  and  more  prosperous  each  successive  year. 
With  all  his  fondness  for  his  chosen  walk  in  life, 
Mr.  Skilton  could  not  turn  a  deaf  ear  to  his 
country's  call.  Going  to  the  front  in  the  Civil 
War  with  the  Twenty-second  Regiment,  Connecti- 
cut Volunteers,  he  was  Second  and  afterwards  First 
Lieutenant  of  Company  B,  of  that  command.  After 
the  war  he  continued  his  interest  in  military  affairs, 
and  held  the  commission  of  Captain  in  the  Connect- 
icut State  Militia,  as  it  was  then  called.  He  is  a 
Director  of  the  Hartford  National  Bank,  and  a  Trus- 
tee and  corporator  of  the  State  Savings  Bank  of 
Hartford.  In  the  insurance  world  the  appreciation 
of  his  abilities  is  shown  by  the  fact  that  he  was 
Secretary  of  the  National  Board  of  Fire  Under- 
writers in  1882-83,  Vice-President  from  1S84  to 
1890  inclusive,  and  President  in  1891,  1892,  and 
1893.  He  belongs  to  the  Military  Order  of  the 
Loyal    Legion   of    the    United   States,    the    Grand 


.Army  of  the  Republic,  the  Ignited  Service  Club  of 
New  York,  and  the  Hartford  Club.  In  politics  he 
is  a  thorough-going  Republican.  He  married  Ann 
Jeannette  Andrews,  August  5,  1865.  They  have 
had  one  son,  who  died  November   i,    1887. 


TOWNSEND,  James  Mulford,  Jr.,  Lawyer,  New 
York  city,  was  born  in  New  Haven,  August  26, 
1852,  son  of  James  M.  and  Maria  Theresa  (Clark) 
Townsend.  Both  his  father  and  mother  were  de- 
scended from  English  stock.  Mr.  Townsend  re- 
ceived his  early  education  at  the  Hopkins  Grammar 
School,  and  later  attended  Yale  University,  from 
which  he  was  graduated  in  1874,  the  youngest  mem- 
ber of  his  class.  He  was  twenty-four  years  of  age 
when,  having  completed  the  course  at  the  Columbia 
Law  School,  he  was  admitted  to  the  bar  and  began 
at  once  his  active  legal  career.  While  pursuing  his 
study  of  law  he  entered  a  law  office  in  New  York 
citv  in  the  capacity  of  clerk,  and  devoted  himself 


JAMES     M.    TOWNSEND,    JR. 

with  characteristic  determination  and  energy  to 
duty,  keeping  always  in  mind  the  fixed  resolve  of 
attaining  a  prominent  position  in  his  profession.  In 
the  course  of  time  he  became  a  member  of  the 
firm    of    Chittenden   &    Hubbard,    of    recognized 


MEN    OF    PROGRESS. 


321 


metroiiolitan  reputation,  and  subsequently  of  Chit-      seafaring    life,  out  of  deference    to   tlie  expressed 
tenden,  Townsend  &  Chittenden,  with  which  latter      wishes  of  his  father   and   mother  he   remained  at 


firm  he  remained  until  May  i,  i888,  when  he  aban- 
doned all  associations  with  other  ])artiesand  opened 
an  office  of  his  own.  Since  that  time  he  has  had 
no  partner,  but  has  established  a  practice  under  his 
own  name,  chiefly  in  the  line  of  cor])orations  and 
monetary  securities.  For  a  number  of  years  he  has 
lectured  on  "  Monetary  Securities  "  in  the  \'ale  Law 
School.  Mr.  Townsend  is  identified  with  m;iny  of 
New  York's  most  prominent  clubs.  He  is  a  member 
of  the  University,  Lawyers,  Colonial,  the  New  York 
Athletic,  and  Barnard  Clubs,  and  the  Association  of 
the  Bar  of  the  City  of  New  York  ;  also  of  the  Yale 
Club  and  the  Yale  .Alumni  Association.  His  politi- 
cal sympathies  are  with  the  Republicans,  and  though 
not  associated  with  any  of  their  organizations  he  is 
keenly  interested  in  the  welfare  of  his  party  and  the 
success  of  its  measures.  Mr.  Townsend  w-as  married 
on  November  15,  1882,  to  Miss  Harriet  Bailey 
Campbell,  daughter  of  Professor  John  Lyle  Camp- 
bell, of  Washington  and  Lee  University.  The  cere- 
mony was  solemnized  at  Lexington,  Virginia.  Their 
children  are  :  Harriet  Campbell,  born  October  3, 
18S4;  James  Mulford,  born  June  20,  1886;  John 
Campbell,  born  January  30,  1888  ;  Fklward  Howard, 
born  February  8,  1890;  and  Virginia  and  Donakl 
(twins),  born  April  29,   1892. 


home,  devoting  himself  to  a  study  of  the  ])rinting 
business.  In  1856  he  went  to  Boston,  where  he 
worked  on  the  "  Courier,"  the  "  I'ost,"  and  the 
"  Herald,"  and  where  he  aided   in  establishing  the 


TROLTP,  Alex-ANDER,  Journalist  and  Politician, 
New  Haven,  was  born  in  Halifax,  Nova  Scotia, 
March  31,  1840,  son  of  Alexander  and  I'^lizabeth 
(Nevers)  'I'roup.  His  fiither  was  a  well-known 
citizen  of  Halifax,  a  jeweller  and  watchmaker  by 
trade,  and  the  son  of  the  wealthy  and  public-spirited 
gentleman  who  made  the  massive  town  clock  which 
now  stands  at  the  head  of  George  street ;  the  same 
who,  as  an  officer  in  the  British  army,  served  under 
the  Duke  of  Wellington,  and  particijiated  in  the 
battle  of  Waterloo.  Mr.  Troup's  grandmother 
claims  descent  from  the  notable  Cameron  Clan  of 
Scottish  fame  and  history,  and  the  family  hails  from 
Aberdeenshire,  Scotland.  Her  maiden  name  was 
Mary  Cruikshank.  Mr.  Troui),  after  attending  the 
public  schools  of  Halifax,  prepared  to  enter  Dal- 
housie  College,  but  his  inclinations  were  so  strongly 
opposed  to  the  course  that,  in  the  end,  he  relin- 
quished the  idea  altogether.  His  ])arents  were 
anxious  that  he  should  enter  the  British  army  as  a 
commissioned  officer,  but  this  also  was  not  to  his 
taste,  and  although  his  real  disposition  was  toward  a 


ALEXANDER  TROUP. 

first  paper  devoted  exclusively  to  the  interests  of 
labor  in  New  England.  This  paper  was  called  the 
"  Voice,"  the  only  bound  volume  being  in  the  Public 
Library  of  Boston.  His  acquaintance  with  Wendell 
Phillips  and  William  Lloyd  Garrison  dates  from 
about  this  time,  and  he  became  an  ardent  advocate 
of  the  anti-slavery  cause  during  the  same  heated 
days  of  civil  disturbance.  In  1863  Mr.  Troup  went 
to  Springfield,  Massachusetts,  where  he  was  em- 
ployed on  the  Springfield  "  Republican,"  and  a  year 
later  he  repaired  to  New  York  and  through  a  letter 
of  introduction  from  Wendell  Phillips  to  John  Rus- 
sell Young  obtained  a  position  in  the  New  \'ork 
"Tribune,"  Horace  Ctreeley  being  its  editor  at  the 
time.  He  was  also  on  the  "Citizen  "  with  General 
Chas.  G.  Halpin  (Miles  O'Reilley)  an<l  took  a 
l^rominent  and  active  part  in  the  labor  movement. 
He  was  elected  delegate  to  the  International  Typo- 
graphical Union  conventions  in  1866,  1867,  a'"! 
1868,  and  in  Chicago  in  1S66  he  was  elected  the 
Secretary  and  Treasurer,  being  reelected  the  follow- 


322 


MEN   OF    PROGRESS. 


ing  year,  but  declining  a  second  reelection  in  1868. 
During  that  year  and  the  two  ensuing  he  attended 
the  sessions  of  the  National  Labor  Union  Congress, 
took  a  prominent  part  in  the  formation  of  the  third 
party,  and  in  1871  came  to  New  Haven,  where  he 
founded  the  New  Haven  "  Union."  This  journal 
was  first  started  as  a  Sunday  paper,  and  has  the 
distinction  of  being  the  pioncerin  the  field  of  Sunday 
journals.  He  subsequently  started  the  daily  edition 
of  the  same  paper,  in  1873,  and  it  is  one  of  the  most 
successful  and  progressive  journals  in  New  England. 
.Mr.  Troup  is  the  proprietor,  editor,  and  publisher. 
In  politics  the  subject  of  this  sketch  is  a  Democrat. 
From  1S72  to  18S0  he  \vas  prominent  in  the  Labor 
and  Greenback  party,  refusing  to  support  Horace 
Greeley  in  1872,  voting  for  Charles  O'Conor  for 
President.  He  was  an  ardent  supporter  of  General 
Hancock  in  1880,  and  stumped  Maine  and  Indiana. 
In  1878  he  ran  for  Representative  on  the  Greenback 
ticket  in  New  Haven,  polling  upwards  of  two  thousand 
votes.  Four  years  later  he  was,  without  solicitation 
on  his  part,  nominated  by  the  Democratic  conven- 
tion for  Representative,  and  was  elected.  He  met 
w^ith  defeat  the  following  year,  his  opponent  being 
Henry  B.  Harrison  (afterwards  Governor  of  Connect- 
icut), but  in  1884  was  reelected,  defeating  General 
S.  E.  Merwin,  since  Republican  candidate  for  Gov- 
ernor. He  took  a  prominent  part  in  the  campaign 
of  1884,  and  was  a  candidate  for  the  Postmastership 
of  New  Haven  under  the  Cleveland  administration, 
a  nephew  of  Ex-Governor  English  being  appointed. 
He  was  commissioned  on  April  22,  1885,  as  Collec- 
tor of  Internal  Revenue  for  the  District  of  Connect- 
icut, and  qualified  on  July  r,  1885,  filling  the  office 
not  alone  in  Connecticut,  but  in  Rhode  Island  as 
well,  and  although  meeting  with  bitter  opposition  at 
the  time  of  his  appointment,  on  account  of  his  out- 
spoken sentiments  against  civil  service  (which,  by 
the  way,  were  extensively  quoted),  managed  by 
the  successful  manner  in  which  he  conducted  the 
office  to  win  the  commendation  and  applause  of 
even  those  who  had  been  his  most  bitter  political 
antagonists.  Owing  to  a  change  of  administration 
Mr.  Troup  was  removed  by  President  Harrison  on 
July  25,  1889.  In  character  no  man  is  more  in- 
dependent or  more  just  than  the  subject  of  this 
sketch.  He  is  an  ardent  supporter  of  the  temper- 
ance cause,  and  a  believer  in  moral  suasion. 
Remarkably  able  as  a  speaker,  he  is  thoroughly 
posted  on  all  political  questions,  is  very  progressive, 
a  hearty  advocate  of  bimetallism,  and,  in  his  personal 
relations  with  his  fellows,  is  eminently  trustworthy 


and  sincere.  His  reputation  as  a  true  friend  and  a 
devoted  family  man  is  supplemented  by  that  of  a 
successful  journalist  and  distinguished  citizen.  In 
1872  Mr.  Troup  was  married  to  Miss  Augusta  Lewis, 
of  New  York.  They  have  had  seven  children,  five 
of  whom  are  living :  Alexander,  Jr.,  Marie  Grace, 
Philip,  Georgie  B.,and  Elsie  Agnes  Troup,  .'\ugusta 
and  Jessie  Elizabeth  died  in  infancy. 


THACHER,  Thomas,  Lawyer,  was  born  in  New 
Haven,  Connecticut,  May  3,  1850,  his  father  being 
Professor  Thomas  Anthony  Thacher,  for  almost  forty- 
eight  years  a  member  of  the  Yale  College  Faculty,  and 
his  mother  Miss  Elizabeth  Day,  daughter  of  Presi- 
dent Jeremiah  Day.  After  attending  for  two  years 
or  more  the  \\'ebster  Public  School  he  was  prepared 
for  college  at  the  Hopkins  Grammar  School  of  New 
Haven,  and  entered  Yale  in  1867,  at  the  age  of 
seventeen.  He  was  graduated  with  the  class  of  r  87  i . 
For  a  year  he  taught  in  the  Hopkins  Grammar 
School    in     New    Haven,    and    the    following   year 


THOMAS    THACHER. 

pursued  special  studies  in  the  graduate  department 
of  Yale.  From  1873-1875  he  studied  law  at  the 
Columbia  L.aw  School.  He  was  admitted  to  the  bar 
in  New  York  city  in  May,  1875.  For  a  year  follow- 
ing he  practised   law  in  the  office  of  Alexander  & 


MKN    OF    I'ROGRF.SS. 


323 


(Ireen,  a  firm  of  high  standing  in  the  city,  and 
thereafter  practised  by  himself  until  January  1, 
1884,  when  he  formed  a  partnership  with  John  W. 
Simpson  and  William  M.  Harnum,  under  the  name 
of  Simpson,  Thacher  &  Harnum.  This  firm  still 
continues,  and  enjoys  a  high  reputation  in  New 
York,  and  is  widely  known  throughout  the  country. 
For  the  past  ten  years  N[r.  Thacher  has  been  a 
lecturer  on  Corporation  Law  in  the  Vale  Law  School. 
He  has  been  President  of  the  Vale  .-Mumni  Associa- 
tion of  New  Vork,  and  is  now  President  of  the  Vale 
Club  of  that  city.  He  is  a  member  of  the  Century, 
Metropolitan,  University,  University  .Athletic,  and 
Lawyers  Clubs  of  New  York,  of  the  .Association  of 
the  Bar  of  the  City  of  New  York,  and  of  the  New 
Vork  Law  Institute,  and  of  the  Lniversity  Club  of 
New  Haven.  Mr.  Thacher  was  married  on  Decem- 
ber I,  1880,  to  Miss  Sarah  McCuUoh  Green, 
daughter  of  Hon.  Ashbel  Green,  and  has  four 
children  :  Thomas  Day,  Louisa  Green,  Sarah,  and 
Elizabeth  Thacher. 


of  some  three  years.  December  i,  iSjS.he  entered 
u])on  his  duties  as  a  tutor  in  Vale  College,  and  since 
that  time  has  been  an  officer  of  the  same."  The 
term  of  his  tutorship  was  followed  by  an  advance- 
ment to  the  Professor's  chair,  and  this  he  occupied 


TH.VCHER,  Thomas  .\nihiinv,  Piofessor  at 
Vale  College,  was  born  in  Hartford,  Connecticut, 
January  11,  1 8 1 5 .  Through  his  fother,  Peter  Thacher, 
he  was  descended  from  the  Reverend  Thomas 
Thacher,  the  first  minister  of  the  Old  South  Church 
in  Boston,  and  through  his  mother,  Anne  (Parks) 
Thacher,  from  the  Reverend  Thomas  Buckingham, 
of  Saybrook,  one  of  the  founders  of  Yale  College. 
We  can  do  no  better  than  quote  here  a  paragraph 
from  the  address  delivered  by  President  Noah  Porter 
in  the  chapel  of  Vale  College  on  the  occasion  of 
Professor  Thacher's  death  :  "His  father  had  been 
disappointed  in  not  receiving  a  college  training  him- 
self, and  was  the  more  bent  on  giving  the  advantages 
of  a  liberal  education  to  each  of  his  sons.  He  was 
fitted  for  college  at  the  Hopkins  Grammar  School 
in  his  native  city,  which  was  then  in  the  hands  of 
three  very  able  men  and  distinguished  scholars,  viz.  : 
Reverend  Professor  E.  P.  Barrows,  now  of  Oberlin, 
Ohio ;  Reverend  F.  A.  P.  Barnard,  now  President  of 
Columbia  College,  New  Vork  ;  and  Reverend  William 
Carter,  who  died  in  Princeton,  Illinois,  some  years 
ago,  after  a  life  of  great  usefulness.  He  entered 
college  in  1831  and  graduated  in  1835  ^^''h  ''"'gh 
honors  and  an  excellent  reputation.  He  filled  a 
vacant  post  as  teacher  in  New  Canaan,  Connecticut, 
till  December  of  that  year,  when  he  made  an  engage- 
ment in  Oglethorpe  county,  Georgia,  and  subse- 
quently another,  involving  a  residence  in  that  State 


THOMAS    A    THACHER. 

from  the  year  1842  until  the  date  of  his  death,  which 
occurred  .April  6,  1886.  "  His  success  in  his  tutor- 
ship," writes  Professor  Seymour,  a  dear,  lifelong 
friend,  "  was  due  not  only  to  the  kindliness  of  his 
nature  and  the  deep  personal  interest  he  felt  in  the 
young  men  of  his  charge,  but  to  a  keen  discernment 
of  character  which  always  seemed  to  me  one  of  his 
rarest  gifts."  Besides  being  a  man  of  the  highest 
mental  and  spiritual  attainments,  Professor  Thacher 
was  eminently  warm-hearted  and  admirably  human. 
Tributes  are  paid  on  every  side  to  his  sterling  man- 
liness. As  a  boy  he  is  described  as  being  always 
noble,  faithful,  pure,  and  unselfish,  and  the  same 
trails  of  character  are  emphasized  through  his  later 
college  days.  He  easily  won  the  love  and  respect 
of  his  classmates,  just  as  subsequently  he  won  the 
regard  and  esteem  of  the  young  men  of  his  charge. 
"The  enterprise  and  energy  with  which  he  devoted 
himself  to  his  work,"  says  President  Porter,  "  very 
early  attracted  the  attention  of  Professors  Kingsley 
and  Woolsey  ;  the  rare  combination  of  courage  and 
honesty,  of  kindness  and  tenacity,  of  sagacity  and 


MEN   OF   PROGRESS. 


justice,  which  he  manifested  in  the  discipline  of  the 
college  under  the  many  trials  which  its  conduct  in- 
volved.    As  the  consequence  of  four  years'  experi- 
ence of  his  success  and  his  promise,  he  was  warmly 
commended  by  Professors  Kingsley  and   Woolse)-, 
and  elected  as  .Assistant  Professor  of  I^tin  and  Greek 
in  1842.     In  1S43  it  was  thought  best  to  limit  his 
sphere,  and  he  was  elected  Assistant  Professor  of 
I.atin,  with  leave  of  absence  for  a  year  for  continu- 
ous study  and  travel  in  Germany  and  Italy,  the  most 
of  which  time  was  spent  in  Berlin,  in  earnest  study 
and  close  obsen'ation  of  the  methods  of  instruction 
which  were  practised  in  the  Gymnasia  and  Univer- 
sity.    During  his  residence  in  Berlin  he  was  invited 
to  give  instruction  for  several  weeks  to  the  Crown 
Prince  of  Prussia,  Frederic,  and  to  his  cousin,  Prince 
Frederic  Charles,  who  were  then  severally  fifteen  and 
sixteen  years  of  age.     .     .     .     During  his  residence 
abroad  he  not  only  gave  unremitting  attention  to  the 
new  Grammar  of  the  Latin  Language,  but  to    the 
methods  of  instruction  as  used  in  the  Gymnasia,  to 
which  he  had  free  access  through  his  friend  and  in- 
structor, Dr.  .August   Zumpt."     In   1845   Professor 
Thacher  returned  to  America  and  to  his  work  in  New 
Haven.     It  was  not  alone  in  the  class-room  that  he 
won  distinction.    He  was  also  a  notable  disciplinarian. 
Previous  to  his  election  as  Assistant  Professor,  the 
Board  of  Tutors  had  been  held  chiefly  responsible  for 
the  conduct  of  the  students,  and  this  responsibility  is 
described  as  having  been  of  a  nature  to  try  both  their 
patience  and  courage.       During   his  five  years   of 
tutorship,  Professor  Thacher  had  proved  himself  to 
be  essentially  qualified  for  the  task  of  maintaining 
discipline,  and  when  he  was  advanced  to  the  position 
of  Assistant  Professor  he  was  relied  upon  to  continue 
his  service  of  exerting  authoritative  control.     For  a 
score  of  years  he  labored  with  exemplary  patience 
and  courage  to  fulfil  all  the  requirements  of  his  ardu- 
ous position.     He  was  ever  on  the  alert  to  forestall 
and  avoid  evil,  and  unwearying  in  his  devices  for 
overthrowing  it,  and  his  success  in  these  directions 
was  a  matter  of  wonder  to  his  associates.     President 
Porter  says  :  "  Strange  as  it  may  seem  to  some,  his 
activity  in  rejjressing  and  detecting  evil  gave  him 
strength  and  influence  with  the  body  of  students. 
It  brought  him  into  intimate  relations  with  many 
beyond  his  own  classes,  and  in  circumstances  which 
forced  the  high-minded  and  generous  to  discern  his 
sturdy  manliness  and  his  self-forgetting  unselfishness, 
and  so  it  happened  in  the  most  natural  way  that  he  was 
personally  known  to  a  very  large  number  of  students 
of  all  classes,  and  at  an  earlier  period  of  their  college 


life  than  was  true  of  any  other  permanent  member 
of  the  faculty.  .  .  .  Probably  the  name  of  no 
one  of  its  oflScers  within  the  last  forty  years  has  been 
familiar  in  so  many  families  and  held  in  higher  affec- 
tionate regard  than  the  name  of  Professor  Thacher." 
But  his  efforts  for  the  college  did  not  end  here.  He 
was  indefatigable  in  his  efforts  to  add  to  its  treasury, 
and  manv  of  the  most  munificent  of  its  gifts  were 
due  directly  to  his  influence  and  courageous  zeal. 
.-Xn  enterprise  involving  a  gift  of  seventy-five  thou- 
sand dollars  was  one  of  his  last  earthly  concerns,  and 
he  was  prominentand  energetic  in  his  efforts  forthe 
reconstruction  of  the  Theological  Department  during 
the  years  in  vhich  it  maintained  its  struggling  exist- 
ence before  its  complete  reestablishment  in  1871. 
He  labored  for  the  School  of  Fine  Arts,  for  the 
establishment  of  the  Department  of  Philosophy  and 
Arts,  and  for  the  Observatory.  Nor  were  his  activi- 
ties limited  to  the  university  foundation  alone.  He 
ser\'ed  for  nearly  forty-eight  years  as  Trustee  of  the 
Hopkins  Grammar  School  in  New  Haven,  and  at 
onetime  he  gave  lessons  in  Latin  in  the  New  Haven 
High  School.  For  several  years  he  was  an  active 
and  able  member  of  the  State  Board  of  Education, 
and  only  resigned  the  office  when  sickness  made  it 
incumbent  on  him  to  relieve  himself  from  the  exer- 
tion necessary  to  the  extensive  lecturing  tours  it  had 
involved.  The  value  of  his  public  services  cannot 
be  estimated,  and  his  name  will  always  be  associated 
with  the  college  for  which  he  labored,  as  that  college 
is  identified  with  the  city  wherein  it  stands.  Pro- 
fessor Thacher  was  twice  married  —  first  to  Miss 
Elizabeth  Day,  daughter  of  President  Day,  in  the  year 
1845,  and  after  her  death  (in  i860)  to  Miss  Eliza- 
beth Sherman,  daughter  of  Roger  Sherman.  His 
children  by  the  first  union  are  ;  James  Kingsley, 
Thomas,  Edward  Stanley,  Alfred  Beaumont,  and  John 
Seymour  Thacher;  while  by  his  later  alliance  he  had 
four  children  :  Sherman  Day,  William  Earned,  Eliza- 
beth, and  George  Thacher. 


WILCOX,  Dennis  Colburn,  Manufacturer  and 
Merchant,  of  New  York,  was  born  at  Westfield, 
Conn.,  near  Meriden,  December  14,  1828,  son  of 
Elisha  B.  and  Hepzibah  (Cornwall)  Wilcox.  He  re- 
ceived his  early  education  at  the  district  school  at 
Westfield.  In  the  year  1852  Mr.  Wilcox  associated 
himself  with  his  brother  and  other  enterprising  young 
business  men  in  the  manufacture  of  Britannia 
ware,  the  association  being  incorporated  under  the 
title  of  the  Meriden  Britannia  Company  of  Meri- 


MKN    OF    I'ROdRKSS. 


325 


(It'll,  (.'onii.,  tho  brothers  being  the  first  to  introduce 
the  jirocess  of  electro-plating  in  a  commercial  way 
in  this  country.  "  Roger  liros.,  at  Hartforil,"  says 
an  article  in  the  '•  jewellers' Weekly,"  "  had  been 
making  silvcr-])lated  spoons  some  five  years  before 
the  incorporation  of  this  company  in  Meriden,  and 


D.    C.    WILCOX. 

the  keen  foresight  of  the  founders  of  the  new  enter- 
prise comprehended  at  a  glance  the  great  future  of 
the  silver-plating  business  in  this  country,  and 
shortly  afterwards  their  establishment  commenced 
the  manufacture  of  plated  ware.  In  the  early  days 
of  the  concern  Mr.  I).  C.  Wilcox  was  the  travelling 
man,  and  bore  the  reputation  of  being  one  of  the 
best  salesmen  in  the  trade."  The  company,  up  to 
this  time  engaged  in  making  Britannia  goods,  grad- 
ually eliminated  this  branch  of  manufacture,  substi- 
tuting for  Britannia,  plated  wares  of  a  white  metal 
and  nickel  silver  base,  and  subsequently  adding 
that  of  sterling  silver.  Mr.  Wilcox  established  the 
New  York  Branch  of  the  Meriden  Britannia  Com- 
pany about  1863,  and  moved  to  New  York  in  1868, 
in  order  to  give  the  same  his  closer  attention.  He 
was  also  instrumental  in  acquiring  for  the  Meriden 
Britannia  Company  the  plant,  good-will,  trade-mark, 
etc.,  of  the  Roger  Bros.,  makers  of  flat  ware,  this 
line  becoming  under  the  company's  management  the 
most  famous   brand  of  spoons,   forks,  etc.,   in  the 


world.  .Mr.  Wikox  was  a  Director  in  the  following 
companies:  Russell,  Irwin  Manufacturing  Com- 
pany, Mitchell,  \ance  iS:  Company,  Benedict  \- 
Burnham  .Manufacturing  Company,  l-Iagle  Ixick 
Company,  Roger  Brothers,  Meriden  Britannia 
Company,  .Meriden  Cutlery  Company,  Wilcox  Sil- 
ver-plate Company,  Wheeler  &:  Wilson,  lenders, 
Frares  &  Clark,  Peck,  Stow  &  Wilcox,  and  R.  Wal- 
lace &  Sons,  in  many  of  which  he  helil  i>ositions  of 
President  and  Secretary.  At  a  later  period  of  his 
life  he  was  a  member  of  various  brokerage  firms  on 
Wall  street,  in  which  he  was  a  very  extensive  oper- 
ator. He  was  also  Director  in  the  Bank  of  the  Re- 
public of  New  York  city.  Two  or  three  months 
prior  to  his  death,  which  occurred  on  Ajiril  16, 
1886,  he  was  gradually  withdrawing  his  interests 
from  Wall  street,  and  concentrating  his  attention 
upon  the  manufacturing  business  and  property,  but 
this  partial  retirement  came  too  late  to  allow  his 
shattered  nervous  strength  to  recuperate.  Mr. 
Wilcox  was  a  Republican  all  his  life.  He  was  one 
of  the  founders  of  the  Union  League  Club  of  New 
\'ork,  and  a  member  of  the  Produce  I'",xchange.  He 
was  married  in  1852  to  Mi.ss  Mary  K.  Peck,  by 
whom  he  had  four  sons  and  three  daughters :  Helen 
Peck,  Frederic  Peck,  Hallett  Dennis,  NTary,  Paul 
Peck,  Elizabeth,  and  Richard  Norris  Wilcox. 


WEBB,  Chaklls  Haiiiaw.w,  member  of  the  firm 
of  Dunham,  Buckley  &  Company,  New  York  city, 
and  President  of  the  National  .Accident  Society, 
was  born  in  Windsor  Locks,  Connecticut,  t)ctober 
24,  1842,  son  of  Myron  Safibrd  and  Mary  Carole 
(Denslow)  Webb.  On  both  the  paternal  and  ma- 
ternal sides  the  genealogical  record  is  very  full  and 
includes  many  honored  names.  He  is  eighth  in 
descent  from  Christopher  Webb,  the  first  of  the 
name  in  America,  who  with  Humility,  his  wife,  set- 
tled at  Braintree,  Massachusetts,  in  1645.  His  son 
Christopher  married  Hannah,  daughter  of  Benjamin 
Scott.  Nine  children  were  born  to  them,  of  whom 
Benjamin,  the  sixth  child,  was  born  February  2, 
1667,  and  November  21,  1692,  was  married  to 
Susanna  Balentine,  of  Boston.  'I'hey  lived  first  at 
Boston  and  then  at  Braintree.  He  was  a  tanner 
and  currier  and  the  owner  of  an  extensive  library, 
two  of  his  sons  receiving  a  college  education.  This 
good  couple  increased  and  multiplied  after  the 
manner  of  the  families  of  the  olden  times.  Ten 
children  were  born  to  them,  of  whom  Timothy,  the 
eighth  son,  was  born  Jime  30,  1708.     He  married 


326 


MEN    (~>F    PROGRESS. 


Sarah  Howard  May  26,  i  725,  of  Salem.  They  set- 
tled at  Windham,  Connecticut,  and  following  the 
family  traditions  became  the  parents  of  ten  chil- 
dren.    Again   the  eighth  child,  Benjamin,  became 


CHAS.    H.    WEBB. 

the  ancestor  of  the  subject  of  this  sketch.  Benja- 
min Webb  was  born  November  14,  1749,  and  mar- 
ried Januarj-  31,  1775,  Sarah  Holmes,  of  Nine  Part- 
ners (now  America),  New  York.  To  them  eight 
children  were  born,  of  whom  Benjamin,  the  third 
child,  and  grandfiuher  of  Charles  H.  Webb,  was 
born  May  14,  1782.  He  married  Electa  Safford. 
Their  second  child,  Myron  S.,  was  born  February  26, 
1810,  and  was  married  to  Mary  Denslow,  of  Windsor 
Locks.  Four  children  were  born  to  them,  of  whom 
Charles  H.  and  William  E.  Webb  were  the  first  and 
second  children  re.spectively.  On  the  maternal  side 
the  record  is  not  less  complete.  Charles  H.  Webb 
is  sixth  in  descent  from  Nicholas  Denslow,  who 
landed  at  Nantasket  Beach  in  1630,  in  Reverend 
Mr.  Wareham's  Company,  and  settled  at  Dorchester, 
Massachusetts,  removing  five  years  later  to  Windsor, 
Connecticut.  His  son,  Henry  Denslow,  had  nine 
children.  His  seventh  child,  Samuel,  was  born 
December  19,  1659.  From  him  the  line  descends 
to  Jose])h  Denslow,  born  in  1703,  who  married  Ann 
Holcomb  in  1733  ;  to  Martin  Denslow,  who  was  mar- 
ried April  II,  1770,  to  Lois  Wiard,  of  Farmington, 


Connecticut.  Their  fifth  child  was  Carlos  Denslow, 
the  maternal  grandfather  of  Charles  H.  Webb.  He 
was  born  in  1786  and  died  September  17,  1S45. 
His  wife  was  Pauline  Hathaway,  of  Suffield.  Their 
daughter,  Mary  Caroline,  was  born  October  11,  1815, 
and  married  October  12,  1840,  Myron  Safford  Webb, 
of  Bennington,  Vermont.  Martin  Denslow,  above 
mentioned,  served  in  the  French  War  for  a  time, 
and  during  a  greater  part  of  the  Revolution  ;  held 
a  Captain's  commission  during  the  latter  part  of  the 
war,  and  was  a  member  of  the  Society  of  the  Cin- 
cinnati. We  have  been  able  to  give  only  the  bare 
outlines  of  the  Webb  and  Denslow  genealogies,  and 
cannot  enumerate  here  many  other  honored  names 
included  in  the  list.  Charles  H.  Webb  finished  his 
early  education  with  a  three  years'  course  at  the  Semi- 
nary at  Bennington,  Vermont.  The  young  man  was 
ambitious  and  determined  to  try  his  fortunes  in  the 
big  city.  At  the  age  of  seventeen  he  came  to  New 
York  and  found  employment  with  the  famous  dry 
goods  house  of  Phelps,  Bliss  &  Company.  On  Mr. 
Bliss's  retirement  to  enter  the  banking  business  un- 
der the  firm  name  of  Norton,  Bliss  &  Company,  the 
dry  goods  firm,  which  is  still  carried  on  under  the 
same  roof  at  340  Broadway,  became  first  Eldredge, 
Dunham  &  Company,  and  on  January  i,  1876,  Dun- 
ham, Buckley  &  Company,  its  present  title.  One 
year  previous,  after  seventeen  years  of  faithful  and 
intelligent  service,  Mr.  Webb  had  been  admitted  to 
partnership.  The  firm  has  enjoyed  a  remarkable  pros- 
perity, and  is  one  of  the  leaders  of  the  trade.  No 
little  of  his  success  is  directly  due  to  Mr.  Webb's 
untiring  energy  and  strongly  marked  commercial  abili- 
ties. It  was  these  same  qualities  and  his  high  standing 
in  the  business  world  that  led  to  his  selection  as  Pres- 
ident of  the  National  Accident  Society.  This  is  one 
of  the  growing  accident  insurance  companies,  and 
under  Mr.  Webb's  able  management  is  rapidly  attain- 
ing prominence.  Mr.  Webb  is  of  a  kind  and  gener- 
ous disposition,  and  is  extremely  popular  with  a 
wide  circle  of  friends  and  business  associates. 
He  is  a  member  of  the  L^nion  League,  Merchants, 
Lotos,  and  Colonial  Clubs,  .^rion  Society  of  New 
York,  the  Hartford  Club,  the  Curry-buck  Sound 
Shooting  Club  of  North  Carolina,  the  Sons  of  the 
Revolution,  the  Patriots  and  Founders  of  .America, 
and  a  life  member  of  the  New  England  Society. 
He  has  served  as  a  Director  in  the  New  England 
Society  and  the  Lotos  Club,  and  is  the  present 
Treasurer  of  the  Merchants  Association  of  New 
York.  His  wife  was  Helena  Hortense  Brown ; 
they  have   no  children. 


mi:n  or  i'roc.kkss. 


WETHERBF.E,  Gardner,  the  well-known  hotil 
man  of  Xew  \'ork  city,  whose  summer  home  is  at 
Fairfield,  Connecticut,  was  born  in  Harvard,  Massa- 
chusetts, November  8,  183S,  son  of  Zophar  and 
Sarah  (Coolidge)  Wetherbee.  He  is  of  Enghsh 
descent.  For  seventy-five  years  the  Wetherbees 
have  been  iiotel  men.  'Ihe  grandfiither  of  the  sub- 
ject of  this  sketch,  his  father,  Zophar  Wetherbee, 
and  several  uncles,  were  prominent  hotel  proprietors 
in  Massachusetts  and  Ohio.  Gardner  Wetherbee 
was  educated  in  the  schools  of  his  native  State,  and 
was  graduated  from  Lawrence  Academy,  Groton, 
Massachusetts.  He  began  his  business  career  with 
a  mercantile  house,  but  soon  followed  the  family 
tradition  and  accepted  a  ])Osition  in  the  Gibson 
House,  Cincinnati,  of  which  his  uncle  was  one  of 
the  first  proprietors.  'I'his  was  followed  by  an  en- 
gagement with  the  .American  Hotel  at  Philadelphia. 
( )n  the  o])ening  of  the  I''ifth  Avenue  Hotel,  New 
Wnk  <ity,   in    1S59.    Mr.  Wetherbee  was   offered  a 


GARDNER    WETHERBEE. 

position  in  that  f,imo\is  hostelry.  Here  he  remained 
until  1869,  in  charge  of  the  office.  His  uniform 
courtesy  and  untiring  attention  to  business  gave 
him  a  wide  rcjnitation.  \  good  manager,  yet  always 
affable  and  unaffectedly  cordial,  Mr.  Wetherbee 
possesses  the  ideal  characteristics  of  a  successful 
hotel  man.       In  1869,  in  connection  with  a  fellow- 


clerk,  he  went  to  San  Francisco,  and  for  two  years 
was  manager  of  the  Occidental  Hutcl  in  that  city, 
at  that  time  one  of  the  most  prominent  hotels  on  ihc 
Pacific  coast,  and  enjoying  almost  a  nionopoly  of 
the  patronage  of  .\ustralian  and  New  Zealand  tra\ 
ellers.  With  this  well-rounded  training,  Mr.  Welh 
erbee  felt  competent  to  engage  in  hotel  keeping  on 
his  own  account.  From  1869-73  he  comlucted  the 
'Fremont  and  Revere  Houses  in  Hoston.  The  vent- 
ure proved  successful,  and  in  1873,  in  partnership 
with  Samuel  Hawk,  under  the  firm  name  of  Hawk 
ilv'  Wetherbee,  he  leased  the  Windsor  Hotel  in  Xew 
York  city,  the  management  of  which  was  most  suc- 
cessful from  the  start.  Mr.  Wetherbee  is  at  present 
the  Treasurer  of  the  Manhattan  Hotel  Company  of 
New  \ork.  He  is  also  a  Director  in  the  Fifth 
.Vvenue  liank.  He  has  always  avoided  politics,  but 
is  an  ardent  supjiorter  of  many  of  the  public  and 
charitable  institutions  of  the  Metropolis.  He  is  a 
Trustee  of  the  New  York  Infant  .Asylum  and  the 
Kersico  Cemetery,  and  is  a  member  of  the  Union 
League  Club,  New  England  Society,  and  Metropoli- 
tan Museum  of  Art. 


MEAD,  Benjamin  Pkni-iem),  State  Comptroller 
of  Connecticut,  Xew  t!anaan,  was  born  in  Bridge- 
port, September  20,  1847,  son  of  Benjamin  Close 
and  Mary  Elizabeth  (Ritch)  .Mead.  He  is  de- 
scended from  General  John  Mead,  of  Greenwich, 
of  Revolutionary  fame.  His  jiarents  removed  to 
Greenwich,  and  the  son  was  educated  at  the  High 
School  and  Greenwich  .Academy,  graduating  from 
the  latter  with  honor.  .At  eighteen  years  of  age  he 
went  to  New  York  and  there  remained  in  business 
until  he  was  twenty-one.  Removing  to  Xew  Canaan, 
he  entered  into  business  with  his  brother-in-law, 
and  built  up  a  large  business  in  general  merchandise. 
Hehasalways  been  before  the  |)iiblic,  holding  places 
of  more  or  less  distinction,  both  in  Xew  Canaan 
and  the  State,  from  Town  Clerk  to  Stale  Comp- 
troller. He  has  been  a  candidate  for  elective 
offices  twenty  times,  and  has  never  been  defeated, 
but  always  elected  by  an  increased  majority,  and 
many  times  by  the  assistance  of  votes  from  the 
ojiposite  party.  He  served  first  as  Town  Clerk  of 
New  Canaan,  and  then  as  First  Selectman  for  seven 
consecutive  years,  his  fellow-citiEens  calling  him 
when  his  services  were  most  needed.  He  is  now 
and  always  has  been  one  of  the  foremost  citizens  of 
the  town.  Mr.  Mead  is  President  of  the  Xew 
Board  of  Education   under  the  Consolidation  .Act, 


MKX    OF    I'ROC.RKSS. 


and  was  one  of  the  most  enthusiastic  founders  of 
the  Free    Reading  Room  and  Circulating    Library 


brought  about  chiefly  by  the  deadlock  session.  He 
was  appointed  by  the  general  assembly  one  of  three 
commissioners  to  arbitrate  on  the  Hartford  bridge 
difficulty.  In  1 896  he  was  again  elected  State  Comp- 
troller, being  the  only  candidate  renominated  on  the 
State  ticket,  and  polled  the  largest  vote  of  any  can- 
didate on  the  ticket.  He  was  named  by  the  general 
assembly  as  a  commissioner,  together  with  Judge 
Loomis,  to  arbitrate  and  settle  the  reformatory 
scheme,  which  law  had  been  repealed.  Mr.  Mead 
was  married  October  17,  1878,  to  Florence  Heath. 
They  have  had  four  children :  Benjamin  Heath, 
Stanley  Penfield,  Harold  Hoyt,  and  Florence  Louise 
Mead. 

MALLORY,  Charles,  Vice-President  of  New 
York  &  Texas  Steamship  Company,  New  York  city, 
was  born  in  Mystic,  Connecticut,  January  18,  1844, 
eldest  son  of  Charles  Henry  and  Eunice  D.  (Clift) 
Mallory.  His  father  was  the  head  of  the  firm  of  C. 
H.  Mallory  &  Company,  owners  of  the  New  York 
&  Texas  Steamship  Line,  in  which  well-known  ship- 
ping firm  the  subject  of  this  sketch  now  holds 
the    position   of  Vice-President.     Charles    Mallory 


B.    p.    MEAD. 

Association,  and  its  President  for  many  years.  He 
represented  New  Canaan  in  the  Legislature  in  1885 
and  again  in  1887.  The  first  year  he  was  a  mem- 
ber of  the  School  Fund  Committee,  and  the  second 
term  he  was  Chairman  of  Fisheries,  and  the  oyster- 
men  of  the  State  well  know  the  interest  he  took  in 
their  behalf.  He  also  represented  the  Twelfth  Sena- 
torial District  in  the  Senate  for  two  terms.  The  first 
term  he  was  Chairman  of  the  Committee  on  Cities 
and  Boroughs,  one  of  the  most  important  commit- 
tees of  the  Senate.  In  his  second  term  he  was  one 
of  the  staunch  seven  during  the  famous  and  dis- 
graceful deadlock,  and  at  that  time  made  a  speech 
that  was  printed  in  pamjjhlet  form  and  circulated 
through  the  State.  He  has  also  been  State  Auditor. 
Mr.  Mead  is  also  an  Odd  Fellow  and  an  enthu- 
siastic fireman.  He  presented  the  bill,  and  it  was 
through  his  individual  efforts  that  the  law  was  passed, 
prohibiting  the  sale  of  liquor  and  gambling  on  our 
agricultural  fair  grounds.  He  declined  the  nomi- 
nation for  Senator  for  the  third  term,  and  was 
elected  State  Comptroller  in  1894,  defeating  Nicho- 
las Staub,  who  was  considered  the  strongest  man  in 
the  opposite  party.  During  his  term  as  Comptroller 
he  had  many  weighty  matters  to  consider  and  setde, 


CHARLES    MALLORY. 


attended  the  common  schools  of  his  native  town, 
and  was  then  sent  to  the  schools  at  West  Cornwall, 
Connecticut,  and  afterwards  to  a  New  Haven  school. 


MI:N    ok    rROGRKSS. 


329 


He  entered  the  Sheffield  Scientific  School,  Yale  Lni-  Medical  Association  in  April,  1S97.  lie  is  Medical 
versity,  with  the  class  of  1865,  but  left  college  with-  l'".\nmincr  for  the  town  of  SutVield,  and  has  held  the 
out  graduating  in  order  to  go  into  business.  His  office  continuously  since  its  creation  by  the  Lcgis- 
first  business  training  was  with  the  firm  of  Livingston,  lature  of  i8S,v  He  was  appointed  Health  Officer 
Fox  &  Company,  where  he  worked  as  clerk  in  1S64.  for  the  town  in  1S93  and  again  in  1S97,  andhas 
In  the  following  year  he  found  employment  with  his 
father's  firm,  and  in  1870  was  admitted  to  partner- 
ship. He  is  now  the  Vice-President  of  the  New 
York  &  Texas  Steamship  Company,  the  corporation 
which  succeeded  tlie  firm  of  C.  H.  Mallory  iV 
Company.  Mr.  Mallory  is  a  member  of  the  Ihiion 
League  Club  and  has  always  been  a  loyal  Republican. 

He  also  belongs  to  the  New  England  Society.     He  '"" 

has  never  accepted  political  office.     He  was  married 
October  2,^,  1892,  to  ^L^ria  L.  Dimon.     They  have  ^ 

no  children. 


M.4S()N,  J.\K\is  King,  Piiysician  and  Surgeon, 
Suffield,  was  born  in  I'jifield,  Connecticut,  Novem- 
ber 8,  1 83 1,  son  of  John  and  Achsah  (Terry) 
Mason.  He  is  a  descendant  in  the  seventh  genera- 
tion from  Captain  John  Mason,  the  famous  com- 
mander of  the  Pequot  War,  and  on  his  mother's 
side  he  is  a  descendant  of  Deacon  Benjamin  Par- 
sons, one  of  the  founders  of  Springfield,  Massachu- 
setts. The  subject  of  this  sketch  received  his  early 
education  in  the  academies  at  ^Vilbraham,  Monson, 
and  Easthampton,  Massachusetts.  He  then  entered 
Vale  College,  graduating  with  the  degree  of  A.P>. 
i"  1855,  and  four  years  later  receiving  the  A.M. 
degree,  .^fter  graduation  he  was  Superintenilent 
of  Schools  in  New  York  and  Ohio  for  two  years. 
From  1 85  7  to  rSsg  he  taught  school  in  Carthage, 
Mississippi,  and  there  began  the  study  of  medicine 
under  Dr.  J.  L.  Plunkett.  He  then  returned  North 
and  studied  under  Dr.  Clarke,  of  \\'hitinsville, 
Massachusetts,  and  also  under  Dr.  William  \\'arren 
Greene,  of  Cray,  Maine,  formerly  Professor  of  Sur- 
gery at  Bowdoin  College.  He  then  took  the  course 
at  the  Harvard  Medical  .School,  where  he  was  grad- 
uated in  t86i.  He  began  the  practice  of  medicine 
and  surgery  in  Suffield,  May  21,  1861,  where  he  has 
since  resided  and  achieved  repjutation  and  success. 
In  surgery  he  has  always  held  a  controlling  practice. 
Dr.  Mason  has  frequently  contributed  to  medical 
journals,  and  has  taken  a  leading  part  in  the  discus- 
sions before  the  medical  societies  of  which  he  is  a 
member.  He  has  represented  Hartford  C'ounty  as 
a  Fellow  in  the  Connecticut  .Medical  Society,  and 
as  a  delegate  to  the  American  Medical  Association. 
He  was  elected   President  of  the   Hartford  County 


J.    K.    MASON. 

been  Town  Physician  since  the  establishment  of  the 
office  in  1894.  He  is  President  of  the  Hartford 
County  Health  Officers'  Association,  and  has  long 
been  medical  examiner  for  a  dozen  or  more  life 
insurance  companies,  including  the  leading  com- 
panies of  New  York,  Philadelphia,  and  Hartford. 
He  is  a  member  of  the  Har\ard  .Mumni  Medical 
.Association,  and  of  the  .\merican  Academy  of 
Medicine.  He  is  interested  in  all  local  public  im- 
provements ;  has  been  a  Director  in  the  Suffield 
i'ublic  Library  since  its  establishment  in  1884. 
In  politics  he  was  a  Democrat  until  the  beginning 
of  the  war,  since  which  time  he  has  been  a  Rejiub- 
lican.  Dr.  Mason  has  been  three  times  married  : 
his  first  wife  was  Mrs.  Mary  R.  (Homer)  Reynolds, 
widow  of  Joseph  L.  Reynolds,  Jr.,  of  Monson,  Mas- 
sachusetts, to  whom  he  was  married  June  23,  1863, 
and  who  died  April  13,  1864.  His  second  wife  was 
Miss  Clara  K.  Halladay,  of  Suffield,  to  whom  he 
was  married  September  4,  1873,  and  who  died 
February    12,    1876.      His   present   wife's   maiden 


.MF-:X    OK    rROC.RKSS. 


name  was  Mary  Louise  Eastman,  a  daughter  of  Rev. 
Lucius  R.  I'^astman,  of  Amherst,  Massachusetts,  to 
whom  he  was  married  October  23,  1877.  The 
children  of  his  second  marriage  are  :  Helen  \"n- 
ginia,  born  June  14,  1874,  and  Juniata  Tx)uise  Mason, 
born  December  i,  1875,  and  who  died  October  26, 
1882.  The  children  of  his  third  marriage  are: 
^L^rv  Belden,  born  July  20,  1878,  Edward  Jarvis 
King,  born  October  23,  1879,  and  Fannie  Eastman 
Mason,  born  December  24,  1S81. 


McQlAID,  Wil.liA.M  Annii'H,  Lawyer,  of  New 
York  city,  was  born  in  \Vebster,  Worcester  county, 
Massachusetts,  October  3,  1865,  son  of  Peter  and 
Kllen  Sophronia  (Carney)  McQuaid.  On  the 
maternal  side  he  is  descended  from  the  old  Massa- 
chusetts families  of  Hooker,  Lamb,  Dana,  Pierce, 
and  others.  His  great-grandfathers  were  Samuel 
Hooker  (married  Mary  Pierce)  and  Samuel  Lamb 
(married   Sarah    Dana),  both  of  whom    fought    in 


examination  into  the  High  School  of  that  city, 
among  two  hundred  and  fifty  applicants,  and  he  was 
graduated,  in  1885,  valedictorian  of  his  class.  En- 
tering Yale  College,  he  pursued  both  an  academic 
and  a  law  course,  graduating  as  Bachelor  of  Arts  in 
1889  (again  as  valedictorian)  and  as  Bachelor  of 
Laws  in  1S92.  In  the  same  year  he  went  to  New 
York,  where  he  was  admitted  to  the  bar  of  that 
State  in  1893,  and  in  1894  formed  a  partnership 
with  Henry  Woodward  Sackett  for  the  practice  of 
law,  under  the  firm  name  of  Sackett  &  McQuaid, 
with  offices  in  the  Tribune  Building.  On  October 
I,  1897,  Selden  Bacon,  a  grandson  of  Reverend 
Leonard  Bacon,  was  taken  into  the  firm,  since  which 
time  the  firm  style  has  been  Sackett,  Bacon  & 
McQuaid.  Mr.  McQuaid  is  a  member  of  the  Delta 
Kappa  Epsilon  Club,  the  Reform  Club,  the  Demo- 
cratic Club,  and  the  Yale  Club  of  New  York  city, 
also  of  the  Sons  of  the  American  Revolution.  He 
is  unmarried. 


.^ff 


a  Bgr-     -        _  ■  -.jv;-:..;>i 

Wm.    a.    McQUAID. 

the  War  of  the  Revolution.  A  genealogy  of  the 
Lamb  family  has  been  prepared  by  C.  L.  Newhall, 
of  Southbridge,  Massachusetts.  The  subject  of  this 
sketch  passed  his  early  life  in  New  Haven,  Connect- 
icut, where  he  attended  the  public  schools.  In 
1 88 1   he  received   the   highest  marks  on   entrance 


NICHOLS,  James,  Judge,  and  President  of  the 
National  Fire  Insurance  Company  of  Hartford,  son 
of  Isaac  Nichols  and  Betsy  (Piatt)  Nichols,  his 
wife,  was  born  at  Easton,  Fairfield  county,  Connect- 
icut, on  Christmas  Day,  in  1830.  His  ancestors 
were  sturdy  farmer  folk,  and  James  had  the  upbring- 
ing of  so  many  New  England  boys  who  were  to 
attain  success  —  he  worked  on  his  father's  farm, 
got  what  schooling  he  could,  and  took  a  hand  at 
teaching,  too.  It  was  in  the  town  of  Newton  that 
he  attended  first  the  district  school,  and  then  a 
private  seminary.  He  early  conceived  an  ambition 
to  become  a  lawyer  in  the  fulness  of  time ;  and 
evening  hours  and  the  holidays,  during  which  too 
many  of  our  city  youths  seek  pleasures  that  are 
time-killing  or  soul-killing,  were  used  by  James 
Nichols  in  this  study.  He  began  law  reading  with 
Amos  S.  Treat,  and  in  1854  was  admitted  to  the 
bar  at  Danbury,  soon  locating  in  Thompsonville  for 
practice.  But  his  stay  was  short  there,  for  within 
the  year  he  received  the  appointment  of  .Assistant 
Clerk  of  the  Hartford  County  Superior  Court,  neces- 
sitating a  removal  to  the  Capital,  where  Judge 
Nichols  has  ever  since  resided.  It  was  in  1S61 
that  he  received  this  title,  being  elected  by  the 
Republicans  Judge  of  Probate  in  the  Hartford 
District,  a  jurisdiction  taking  in  seven  towns.  In 
this  judicial  capacity  he  won  praise  from  both 
political  parties.  It  is  noteworthy  that  when  Judge 
Nichols  retired  in   1864,  after  a  three-year  service, 


Ml  N    itK    PROGRESS. 


no  Republican  held  the  office  until  the  election  of 
the  present  Judge,  Harrison  R.  I'reeman.  Judge 
Nichols  continued  in  lucrative  law  practice  until 
1867.  His  interest  in  fire  insurance  led  him  to 
study  the  subject  anil  finally  to  accejit  the  jiosition 
of  special  agent  and  adjuster  of  the  Merchants' 
Insurance  Company  of  Hartt'ord,  then  one  of  the 
soliil  institutions  in  that  field  in  Hartford.  It  was 
immediately  evident  that  he  had  rare  talents  for 
this  important  and  intricate  business.  He  brought 
to  it  his  legal  training  and  knowledge,  and  thev 
proved  very  valuable.  Promotion  was  rapid.  In 
two  years  he  was  made  the  companv's  Secretarv, 
the  late  Mark  Howard  being  President.  Upon  its 
dissolution  because  of  the  great  Chicago  fire,  which 
wrecked  so  many  reputable  and  firmly  establisheil 
organizations,  Judge  Nichols  with  Mr.  Howard 
organized  in  1871  the  National  Fire  Insurance  Com- 
pany, which  with  a  cajiital  stock  of  half  a  million 
began  business  in  December  of  that  year  —  rising 
ph(enix-like  from  the  ashes  of  disaster.  Wry  soon 
it  h;ul  to  meet  the  setback  of  the  Boston  fire  ;  but 
the  stockholders  had  such  reliance  upon  the  man- 
agement that  sufficient  money  was  paid  to  enable 
the  company  to  ride  triumphantly  over  its  difficul- 
ties. Trust  in  business  affairs  was  seldom  better 
placed,  for  the  National  Fire  has  grown  stead il\' 
into  a  splendid  position  among  concerns  of  its  kind 
—  a  fact  due  in  main  measure  to  Judge  Nichols, 
upon  whom,  while  still  Secretary,  Mr.  Howard  being 
in  fuling  health,  the  shajiing  of  the  policy  devolved, 
and  who,  elected  President  in  1SS7,  has  for  a  decade 
been  the  company's  leading  officer.  L'nder  his 
generalshii)  the  development  of  the  company's 
business  has  been  striking  in  all  departments,  show- 
ing that  he  was  the  right  man  in  the  right  place. 
The  National  has  paid  its  stockholders  regular  yearly 
dividends  of  ten  per  cent.,  a  feet  speaking  volumes 
for  its  successful  management.  Judge  Nichols  has 
attracted  attention  outside  of  his  relations  to  his 
company.  His  name  was  brought  conspicuously 
before  the  public  in  connection  with  the  P.ennett 
Brothers'  case  in  Syracuse,  whom,  as  a  chairman  of 
the  committee  of  the  fire  imderwriters  appointed 
to  investigate  the  fraud,  he  did  striking  service  in 
exposing,  saving  the  fire  insurance  companies  of  the 
country  a  large  sum  of  money  and  bringing  the 
criminals  to  justice.  Judge  Nichols,  again,  has 
associations  with  various  leading  mercantile  and 
other  organizations  in  Haitford.  He  is  Vice-Presi- 
dent of  the  Charter  Oak  National  Bank,  a  Director 
in    the    Phoenix    Life    Insurance   Company,    and    a 


Tnistee  of  the  Society  for  Savings.  Socially  he  is 
a  genial,  courteous  gentleman.  For  many  years  he 
has  been   a  meniber  of    the    I'.irk   CdiiLTCLMiional 


JAMES    NICHOLS. 

Church,  and  was  a  close  personal  friend  of  its  late 
pastor,  the  Reverend  Dr.  Bunton.  He  is  a  Repub- 
lican in  politics,  and  in  his  time  sen'ed  as  a  member 
of  the  Common  Council ;  St.  John's  rx)dge  of  Masons 
looks  to  him  as  a  loyal  member.  But  he  is  of  a 
quiet  disposition  and,  outside  of  business  cares,  most 
for  home  life  and  the  pleasures  that  arise  from  the 
ties  of  kinship.  His  long  professional  career  in 
Connecticut's  capital,  of  more  than  forty  years,  has 
been  in  all  ways  a  useful  and  honorable  one,  and  he 
ranks  to-day  among  the  city's  sons  most  successful 
and  esteemed.  Judge  Nichols,  on  July  9,  1861, 
married  Isabelle  N.  Starkweather,  who  died  October 
9,  1895.-  They  had  three  children:  James  L. 
Nichols,  Isabelle  (deceased),  and  Helen  C.  Nichols, 
now  the  wife  of  H.  A.  Smith,  of  Rochester,  New 
York. 

OSGOOD,  I  III. II  Henkv,  Mayor  of  Norwich  for 
ten  years,  with  an  intermission  of  a  single  year 
between  1875  and  18S6,  was  born  in  Pomfret,  Con- 
necticut, October  10,  1S21,  son  of  .\rtenias  and 
Saloma   (Johnson)   Osgood.     In   1855   he  came  to 


532 


MKN    OF    1>R(K;RF.SS. 


Norwich  anil  entereil  the  employ  of  Samuel 
Tyler  t\:  Son,  druggists,  where  he  thoroughly  mas- 
terctl  all  the  details  of  the  drug  trade.  In  March, 
1842,  he  formed  a  copartnership  with  Dr.  Chas. 
Lee  under  the  firm  title  of  I.ee  &  Osgood,  building 
up  a  large  and  successful  business,  of  which  he  has 
been  the  head  for  more  than  thirty  years.  He  is  a 
man  of  remarkable  judgment,  tact,  energy,  and 
business  enterprise,  and  in  municipal,  educational, 
and  business  affairs  has  occupied  many  positions  of 
honor  and  responsibility.  He  was  originally  a  Whig 
in  i>olitics,  but  he  espoused  the  Republican  cause 
from  the  organization  of  the  party,  attained  a  high 
place  in  its  councils,  and  served  with  the  rank  of 
Colonel  upon  the  staff  of  Governor  Buckingham,  by 
whom  he  was  entrusted  with  important  commissions 
during  the  war.  He  was  an  active  supporter  of  the 
Union  cause,  was  a  member  of  the  Loyal  League, 


HUGH     H.    OSGOOD. 

and  upon  the  Executive  Committee.  He  was  a  pro- 
moter of  the  organization  of  the  "  Buckingham 
Rifles,"  Captain  Chester.  As  Mayor  of  Norwich 
he  conducted  the  affairs  of  the  city  upon  business 
principles,  and  by  advancing  the  sewer  system  and 
introducing  an  electric  fire-alarm  system  improved 
the  sanitary  condition  of  the  city  and  gave  greater 
security  to  property  against  fire.  He  was  one  of  the 
organizers  of  the  Park  Congregational  Church,  and 


for  many  years  was  a  member  of  the  Society  Com- 
mittee. He  has  taken  an  active  interest  in  educa- 
tional matters,  and  has  for  years  been  the  Treasurer 
of  the  Central  School  District  and  a  Fellow  of  the 
corporation  of  the  Norwich  Free  Academy.  Mr. 
Osgood  was  one  of  the  organizers  of  the  Norwich 
Hoard  of  Trade,  and  its  first  President.  He  was 
married  June  23,  1892,  to  Mary  Ruth  Lee,  of 
Manlius,  New  York,  an  estimable  woman,  who  is 
active  in  social  life  and  Chairwoman  of  the  Advisory 
Committee  of  the  W.  W.  Backus  Hospital.  Few 
men  have  won  higher  standing  in  the  business  circles 
of  eastern  Connecticut  than  Colonel  Osgood.  He 
has  been  the  promoter  of  a  great  variety  of  business 
enterprises,  and  is  President  of  nine  organizations 
and  manufacturing  establishments  :  The  Worcester 
Thread  Company  of  Worcester,  Massachusetts  ;  The 
Glasgo  Yarn  Mills  Company  of  Glasgo,  Connect- 
icut ;  the  Sterling  Dyeing  &  Finishing  Company  of 
Sterling,  Connecticut;  and  of  the  Norwich  Bleach- 
ing, Dyeing,  and  Printing  Company :  the  Uncas 
Paper  Company ;  the  Bulletin  Association ;  the 
Bulletin  Company  ;  the  Norwich  City  Mission  ;  and 
the  Dime  Savings  Bank  of  Norwich.  He  is  also  a 
Director  in  the  Thames  National  Bank  and  the  First 
National  Bank  of  Norwich.  For  many  years  he  has 
been  identified  with  every  movement  for  the  business, 
educational,  and  moral  improvement  of  the  town, 
and  is  highly  respected  for  public  spirit  and  business 
enterprise. 

PORTER,  George  Loring,  Physician,  Bridgeport, 
was  born  in  Concord,  New  Hampshire,  April  29, 
1838,  son  of  George  and  Clarissa  (Ayer)  Porter. 
He  is  a  direct  descendant  of  John  Porter,  of  Eng- 
land, who  settled  in  Hingham,  Massachusetts,  in 
1635,  and  of  Simond  Ayer,  of  England,  who  settled 
in  Haverhill,  Massachusetts,  in  the  same  year.  Dr. 
Porter,  after  getting  his  early  education  at  Little  Blue 
Academy,  Farmington,  Maine,  was  graduated  from 
the  Pembroke  (New  Hampshire)  Academy  in  1853  ; 
from  the  New  London  (New  Hampshire)  Academy  in 
1855  ;  and  from  Brown  University  in  1859.  He  read 
medicine  with  Dr.  J.  P.  Dake,  at  Pittsburgh,  Pennsyl- 
vania, in  1859  ;  was  an  office  student  with  Drs.Brinton 
and  De  Costa,  in  Philadelphia,  from  i860  to  1862, 
also  attending  lectures  at  Jefferson  Medical  College, 
Philadelphia,  where  he  obtained  the  degree  of  M.D. 
in  1862.  Having  passed  the  regular  Army  exami- 
nation in  April  of  that  year,  he  became  a  surgeon  in 
the  war.  In  May  he  was  captured  in  the  Shenan- 
doah Valley  campaign,  volunteering  to  remain  with 


MEN   OF   PROGRFSS. 


333 


the  wounded  at  Strasburgh,  ami  (Icneral  "Stone- 
wall ''  Jackson  placed  him  in  charge  of  the  general 
hospital  there,  to  care  for  the  men  of  both  armies. 
It  is  understood  that  this  was  the  first  instance  in 
the  conflict  where  the  right  of  a  medical  officer  to 
protection  under  the  rules  of  the  war  was  recognized. 
July  17,  1862,  he  was  appointed  .Assistant  Surgeon  in 
the  regular  army,  with  rank  of  First  Lieutenant.  Me 
was  assigned  as  medical  officer  of  the  Fifth  L'nited 
Slates  Cavalry,  and  was  jiresent  at  all  the  great  bat- 
tles of  the  Army  of  the  Potomac  ;  was  wounded  in  the 
left  arm  at  Boonsboro,  and  finally  was  relieved  from 
duty  in  the  field  April  29,  1864,  and  ordered  to  re- 
port at  Washington.  l!ut  railway  connections  having 
been  severed  by  the  army  before  the  order  reached 
him,  he  remained  at  the  front  till  after  the  battles  in 
the  Wilderness,  when  he  went  to  Washington  witli 
despatches.  He  was  recommended  by  Captain 
Julius  Mason,  of  the  Fifth  Cavalry,  for  a  brevet  Ca])- 
taincyand  a  brevet  Majority  for  conspicuous  gallan- 
try. At  Washington  he  held  the  position  of  Post 
Surgeon  at  the  Arsenal  from  May,  1864,  till  May, 
1867,  where  he  added  materially  to  his  interesting 
experience.  He  was  the  only  commissioned  officer 
present  when  the  body  of  John  Wilkes  Booth  was  con- 
cealed ;  he  had  the  medical  care  of  the  conspirators 
in  the  assassination  of  Lincoln,  attended  the  exe- 
cution of  four  of  them,  and  accompanied  the  others 
to  Tortugas.  He  received  his  brevet  of  Captain  and 
Major  March  13,  1865.  In  1S67  and  1868  he  had 
a  taste  of  Indian  campaigning.  The  first  year  was 
spent  at  Camp  Cook,  Montana,  and  in  the  spring  of 
the  next  year  he  was  with  the  expedition  to  the 
Mussel-shell  River  and  the  defence  of  Camp  Cook 
against  Sitting  Bull.  Part  of  the  time  he  did  volun- 
teer service  as  officer  of  the  day,  to  relieve  the 
almost  exhausted  line  officers.  Though  his  resigna- 
tion took  effect  July  18,  1868,  he  remained  on  duty 
till  his  successor  arrived,  when  he  crossed  the  conti- 
nent, on  horseback  and  alone,  by  the  Lewis  and 
Clark  trail,  returning  to  the  East  by  the  Isthmus  of 
Panama.  Since  October  of  that  year  he  has  been 
practising  in  Bridgeport.  For  four  years  he  was  Sur- 
geon of  the  Fourth  Regiment,  Connecticut  National 
Guard,  and  for  three  years  he  was  Brigade  Medical 
Director,  with  rank  of  Lieutenant-Colonel  on  the 
staff  of  Brigadier-General  Thomas  L.  Watson.  He 
was  President  of  the  Connecticut  Medical  Society ; 
of  the  Bridgeport  Medical  Association  in  1876-77  : 
the  Fairfield  Medical  Association  in  1883;  and  of 
the  Bridgeport  Board  of  Health  in  1882-83.  Other 
organizations  to  which  he  belongs  include  the  Amer- 


ican Medical  .Association,  in  which  he  was  a  menibcr 
of  the  Judicial  Council  in  1891-94  ;  the  .Xnierican 
.•\cademy   of    Medicine;    the    Ninth    International 


GEO.    L.    PORTER. 

Medical  Congress  (\'ice- President  of  the  section  on 
military  surgery  in  1887)  ;  the  Military  Order  of  the 
Loyal  Legion ;  the  Masons  (thirty-third  degree)  ; 
the  Grand  Army  of  the  Republic ;  the  Oquosoe 
Angling  Association ;  the  Metabetchouan  and  Island 
Brook  Fishing  and  Game  Club  ;  the  Bostonnais  .A-sso- 
ciation  of  Canada  (an  angling  and  hunting  organiza- 
tion of  which  he  is  lessee  and  manager)  ;  the  Young 
Men's  Christian  Association ;  the  Army  and  Navy 
Club  of  New  \'ork  ;  the  Seaside,  Eclectic,  and  Algon- 
([uin  Clubs ;  and  the  Bridgeport  Scientific  Society- 
Si  nee  1880  he  has  been  Msiting  Physician  of  the 
Hartford  Retreat ;  was  President  of  the  Bridgeport 
Library  Association  in  1879  ;  and  is  Medical  Exami- 
ner for  a  number  of  insurance  companies  and  fraterni- 
ties. He  has  written  many  articles,  which  alone  would 
give  him  a  name  in  the  medical  world.  He  has 
also  delivered  a  number  of  lectures  on  to|)ics  of 
general  interest,  i)articularly  the  war.  To  him 
belongs  a  large  part  of  the  credit  for  securing  the 
passage  of  the  coroner's  law,  in  1882.  He  mar- 
ried Catharine  Maria,  daughter  of  Mr.  Chaffee,'  of 


»  whose   invention   of  the  Chalice    Cylinilcr  ni.ide   Indin-ruhhcr 
available  in  manufactured  prnducLs. 


jj4 


MEN    OF    PROGRESS. 


Providence,  Rhode  Island,  in  1862.  Their  children 
are  :  Elizabeth,  George,  James,  Renton,  I-:thel,  Lind- 
say, May,  Alice,  Aaron,  Ihigli,  Grace,  Anna,  and 
Clarissa  Porter. 


PEASE,  L.  HoYT,  Ex-Mayor  and  business  man, 
Secretary  of  the  Stanley  Works,  of  New  Britain, 
Connecticut,  was  born  at  Winsted,  Connecticut,  in 
1845,  son  of  Julius  W.  and  Mary  (Hotchkiss)  Pease. 


(T 

N^^H 

11 

EL^^I 

1*2 

ff^-^M 

^HBi^    ^ 

^^ 

^, 

L.    H.    PEASE. 

He  was  educated  at  the  High  School  of  that  city, 
and  in  1865  entered  the  employ  of  the  Stanley 
Works  in  New  Britain,  with  which  he  has  ever  since 
been  identified  in  various  and  steadily  more  impor- 
tant positions  of  responsibility.  In  1887  he  was 
elected  Director  and  Secretary.  Mr.  Pease  has 
taken  an  active  and  leading  part  in  the  city  govern- 
ment. He  has  been  Councilman,  ."Mderman,  and 
Mayor  in  1S90  and  1891  ;  since  1893  he  has  been  an 
active  member  of  the  School  Board  ;  on  the  organ- 
ization of  the  Burritt  Savings  Bunk  he  was  made 
its  President,  and  still  holds  that  post ;  and  he  has 
been  a  Director  of  the  Mechanics  National  Bank  for 
six  years.  He  takes  an  active  interest  in  church 
matters,  and  is  Clerk  and  Treasurer  of  the  First 
Ecclesiastical  Society,  duties  he  has  fulfilled  for 
more  than  twenty  years.     He  has  also  been  a  leader 


in  the  political  life  of  his  town.  A  Republican  in 
politics,  he  is  at  present  Chairman  of  the  Republi- 
can Town  Committee,  and  for  many  years  assisted 
on  this  important  committee  where  the  occasion  re- 
quired his  help  and  counsel.  From  this  enumeration 
of  Mr.  Pease's  various  activities  it  may  be  seen  that 
he  is  one  of  New  Britain's  trusted,  able,  and  influ- 
ential citizens,  who  occupies  an  honorable  place  in 
the  community.  In  1S80  he  married  Julia  L. 
Sawyer,  and  their  children  number  three  :  Herbert 
Hoyt,  Maurice  Henry,  and  Dorothy  Sawyer  Pease. 


BARTLETT,  John  Pomerov,  Lawyer,  New  York 
city,  was  born  in  Collinsville,  Connecticut,  on  June 
4,  1858.  His  parents  were  John  Newton  and  Ellen 
Root  (Strong)  Bartlett,  both  of  whom  are  of  English 
descent.  On  the  paternal  side  the  line  can  be 
traced  back  to  a  certain  member  of  the  family  of 
Bartelot,  to  whom  William  the  Conqueror  granted  an 
important  estate  in  England,  the  same  being  occu- 
pied at  the  present  time  by  Sir  Walter  Bartelot. 
Another  forbear  was  Eider  Brewster.  The  maternal 
branch  springs  from  Elder  Strong,  of  Northampton, 
England,  who  sailed  to  New  England  in  the  ship 


J.   p.    BARTLETT. 


"  Mary  and  John,"  in  1630.     Both  the 
and    great-grandfather   of   Mr.    Bartlett 


grandfather, 
were   Yale 


MKN    OK    l>ROORr-:SS. 


33S 


men,  and  thus  it  is  natural  that  after  completing  his 
course  of  jireparatory  study  at  the  High  School  (New 
Britain,  Connecticut)  he  should  have  gone  to  New 
Haven  and  associated  himself  with  the  Alma  Mater 

of  his  forefathers.  He  entered  Yale  with  the  class 
of  187S,  graduated  with  credit, and  took  a  i)Ost-grad- 
uate  course  extending  over  one  year,  for  the  degree 
of  Ph.D.  He  next  went  through  the  Law  School, 
class  of  18S1,  and  was  admitted  to  the  bar  during 
the  same  year.  Before  entering  the  law  office  of 
Mitchell  &  Hungerford,  in  New  Britain,  about  Jan- 
uary, 1882,  Mr.  B.utlett  travelled  through  the  West, 
making  the  trip  during  the  sununer  following  his 
graduation  from  the  Law  School.  He  at  first  en- 
gaged in  the  general  practice  of  law,  but  subsequently 
made  the  practice  of  patent  and  trade-mark  law  a 
specialty,  and  for  some  years  has  devoted  himself  to 
following  that  branch  of  his  profession  almost  exclu- 
sively, in  the  Federal  Courts.  In  1891  he  entered 
the  firm  with  which  he  had  been  associated  for  nine 
years,  under  the  style  of  Mitchell,  Hungerford  & 
Bartlett,  offices  being  maintained  in  New  Uritain, 
New  York,  and  Hartford;  but  on  January  i,  1897, 
the  partnership  was  dissolved  by  mutual  consent,  and 
in  connection  with  the  Hon.  C  K.  Mitcliell  .Mr. 
Bartlett  formed  the  firm  of  Mitchell,  Bartlelt  ..V 
Brownell,  of  New  York  city.  He  now  devotes  him- 
self exclusively  to  the  practice  of  patent  and  trade- 
mark law,  and  has  been  engaged  in  a  large  nunilier 
of  cases  involving  a  wide  variety  of  patents  and 
trade-marks.  From  May,  1896,  to  May,  1897,  Mr. 
Bartlett  acted  as  Corporation  Counsel  for  the  city  of 
New  Britain.  His  political  sympathies  are  with  the 
Republican  party,  and  he  was  a  member  of  the  Re- 
publican Town  Committee  in  the  same  city  for  some 
years.  He  is  a  member  of  the  P>erzelius  Society,  a 
Yale  society,  the  New  Britain  ('Itib,  the  Saturday 
Night  Club  of  that  city,  the  Country  Club  of  Farming- 
ton  (being  one  of  the  Governing  Board  of  the  latter), 
the  Yale  Club  of  New  York,  the  Sons  of  the  .\tneri- 
can  Revolution,  the  Connecticut  Congregational 
Club,  and  the  Metropolitan  Museum  of  .'\rt.  New 
York.  On  May  19,  1885,  he  was  married  to  Miss 
Ellen  1'.  Fitch,  by  whom  he  has  two  children  : 
Margaret   Keith  and  F^leanor  Bartlett. 


ROBERTS,  Charles  Wai.uo,  of  Ivist  Hartford, 
Connecticut,  was  born  in  East  Hartford,  Connecti- 
cut, May  30,  1840,  son  of  Ira  T.  and  Charlotte  C. 
(Cowles)  Roberts,  of  old  New  England  ancestry. 
After  receiving  an  academic  education,  he  spent  the 


early  part  of  his  life  upon  the  firm,  but  later  has 
been  engaged  in  mercantile  pur>uits.  .\lr.  Roberts 
was  First  Selectman  of  ICast  Hartford  from  1872  to 
1879  and  again  from  1890  to  1893, and  has  served  as 


CHARLES    W.    ROBERTS. 

Town  Treasurer,  Town  Auditor,  and  Bridge  Com- 
missioner. He  also  represented  the  town  in  the 
General  .\ssembly  at  the  sessions  of  1882,  1887, 
and  1895.  He  is  at  present  serving  as  Prosecuting 
.\ttorney  of  the  Town  Court.  He  is  a  Re|)ublican 
in  politics,  and  active  in  all  interests  relative  to  good 
government.  He  was  married  in  1861  to  .Adelaide 
L.,  daughter  of  Ashbel  Brewer,  of  East  Hartford. 
They  have  three  children  :  Lena  B.,  Homer  C,  and 
CJeorge  I.  Roberts. 


RLDl),  W'lLi.LAM  Beakiwlke,  .Manufacturer,  of 
Lakeville,  was  born  in  Fredonia,  New  York,  .August 
7,  1838,  while  his  father  was  pastor  of  the  First 
Presbyterian  Church  of  that  place.  He  is  a  lineal 
descendant  of  Lieutenant  Jonathan  Rudd,  of  Say- 
brook,  in  the  following  line :  Lieut.  Jonathan,' 
Jonathan,'  Capt.  Nathaniel,^  Zebulon,'  Nathaniel,* 
Maj.  Nathaniel,'  Rev.  George  Robert,'  William  B.' 
He  is  also  lineally  descended  from  Elder  William 
Brewster,  from  John  Hopkins,  of  Hartford,  Connect- 
icut,  from   Henry  .Atiams,  of   Braintree,   Massachu- 


JJ^ 


MEN    OF    PROGRESS. 


setts,  from  Peter  Waldo,  of  Ipswich,  from  Matthew 
St.  John,  of  Norwalk,  Connecticut,  and  other  early 
settlers  of  New  England.  His  paternal  grandfather, 
Nathaniel  Rudd,  was  of  Vergennes,  Vermont,  about 
the  year  iSoo,  and  in  iSio  removed  to  Stockholm, 


WM.    B.    RUDD. 

St.  Lawrence  county.  New  York.  He  married  Waity, 
daughter  of  Colonel  Roswell  Hopkins,  of  Amenia, 
New  York,  a  soldier  of  the  Revolution  and  a  man 
of  prominence  in  his  locality.  Colonel  Hopkins' 
four  brothers,  Noah,  Weight,  Benjamin,  and  Reuben, 
were  officers  in  the  Continental  Army.  Reuben 
Hopkins,  of  Orange  county,  New  York,  was  ap- 
pointed a  Brigadier-General  of  State  Militia  upon 
the  outbreak  of  the  War  of  1812.  The  second  son 
of  Nathaniel  Rudd  and  \Vaity  Hopkins  was  George 
Robert  Rudd,  born  at  Vergennes,  Vermont,  July  16, 
1801  ;  died  at  Lyons,  New  York,  February  i,  1881. 
He  was  graduated  at  Hamilton  College  in  1S23,  and 
was  prepared  for  the  ministry  at  the  Auburn  (New 
York)  Theological  Seminary;  in  January,  1827,  he 
was  ordained  by  the  Presbytery  of  Cayuga  county, 
and  was  installed  over  the  Presbyterian  Church  of 
Scipio,  New  York,  in  October  of  the  same  year. 
He  married  Frances  Beardslee,  of  Auburn,  New 
York,  who  was  born  at  New  Hartford,  New  York, 
January  15,  1805,  and  was  the  daughter  of  Hezekiah 
Beardslee  and    ALary    Riley    (of    the  Wethersfield, 


Connecticut,  family)  his  wife.  The  sixth  rbilil  of 
this  marriage  was  William  Beardslee  Rudd,  the  sub- 
ject of  this  sketch.  In  1850  he  with  his  parents, 
sister,  and  brothers  moved  to  Lyons,  New  York,  and 
here  he  received  a  common-school  education  in  the 
Lyons  LInion  School  until  he  was  sixteen  years  old. 
He  then  began  his  business  life  with  his  elder 
brother,  I'^dward  Payson  Rudd,  founder  of  the  pub- 
lishing house  of  Rudd  and  Carleton,  of  New  York 
city,  and  father  of  the  Reverend  Edward  Huntting 
Rudd,  present  Associate  Pastor  of  the  Madison 
Square  Presbyterian  Church  of  New  York  city. 
William  B.  Rudd  soon  returned  to  Lyons,  and  there 
continued  in  the  book  business  for  several  years,  at 
the  same  time  acting  as  agent  for  the  American 
Express  Company.  In  the  fall  of  1861  he  was 
active  in  assisting  in  the  organization  of  the  Ninety- 
P^ighth  New  York  Volunteers,  and  in  February,  1862, 
went  out  as  Sergeant-Major  of  that  regiment.  In 
May  of  the  same  year  he  was  commissioned  Second 
Lieutenant  of  Company  K,  same  regiment.  After 
a  severe  illness  and  continued  ill-health  he  returned 
to  Lyons,  in  November,  1862,  and  did  not  again 
enter  the  army.  In  November,  1864,  he  was  com- 
missioned Adjutant  of  the  One  Hundretl  and  Seventh 
Regiment,  New  York  National  Guard.  In  June, 
1865,  he  married  Maria  Coffing  Holley,  only 
daughter  of  Ex-Governor  Alexander  Hamilton 
Holley,  of  Lakeville,  Connecticut,  and  a  sister  of 
Alexander  Lyman  Holley,  Brown  University  1853, 
civil  engineer,  etc.,  and  of  John  Coffing  Holley, 
Yale  1859.  Mr.  Rudd  moved  from  Lyons  to  Lake- 
ville in  1866,  after  the  death  of  John  C.  Holley,  and 
at  once  became  Secretary  of  the  Holley  Manufact- 
uring Company.  In  1883  he  was  elected  Treasurer 
and  General  Manager,  and  for  many  years  has  been 
one  of  the  largest  stockholders  of  the  com])any. 
Mr.  Rudd  has  always  been  a  member  of  the  Repub- 
lican party,  and  cast  his  first  presidential  vote  for 
Abraham  Lincoln.  He  was  a  member  of  the  State 
Central  Committee  for  some  fifteen  years,  a  district 
delegate  to  the  Cincinnati  Convention  in  1876,  and 
alternate  delegate  to  the  Chicago  Convention  in 
1888.  In  1 88 1 -2  Mr.  Rudd  was  Aide-de-Camp  on 
Governor  Bigelow's  staff,  and  in  1889  he  was  ap- 
pointed Quartermaster-General  by  Governor  Bulke- 
ley  and  held  the  office  two  terms  by  reason  of  a 
disagreement  in  deciding  upon  Governor  Bulkeley's 
successor.  Mr.  Rudd  has  been  a  Mason  since  1S64, 
and  for  some  years  has  been  Treasurer  of  Hematite 
Chapter,  Royal  Arch  Masons,  of  Salisbury.  He  is 
Past  Commander  of  Oren  H.  Knight  Post,  Grand 


MKN    OI"    I'RtKlRKSS. 


i57 


Army  of  the  Republic,  a  inember  of  the  Army  ami 
Navy  Chib  of  Connecticut,  of  the  Hartford  Club, 
and  of  the  Society  of  the  Sons  of  the  American 
Revolution,  and  honorary  member  of  one  or  two 
other  organizations.  Of  his  seven  children,  four 
are  living  :  Alexander  Holley  Kudd,  Sheffield  Scien- 
tific School  1 886,  now  Signal  I-^ngineer  on  the 
Springfield  Division  of  the  New  York,  New  Haven 
&  Hartford  Railroad,  who  married  in  iSSS  Theo- 
line  Bancker  Oliver,  of  Brooklyn,  New  York,  and 
resides  in  Hartford,  Connecticut ;  Fanny  Rudd, 
now  the  wife  of  Martin  Cantine,  a  paper  manufact- 
urer, of  Saugerties,  Ulster  county,  New  York ; 
Malcolm  Day  Rudtl  :  and  Charles  luhvanl  Kudd, 
who   is  preparing  to  enter  \'alc   in    189S. 


STREET,  NVii.i.iAM  Edcar,  Treasurer  of  Pennsyl- 
vania Coal  Company,  New  York  city,  was  born  in 
Norwalk,  Connecticut,  December  13,  1840.  His 
father,  Chauncey  Street  (married  to  ICliza  Hoyt), 
was  a  son  of  Samuel  Street  and  CHara  Mather,  the 


\VM.    E. 


iTi-;EET. 


former  a  great-grandson  of  John  Street,  an  officer  in 
the  Continental  Army,  and  killed  at  the  battle  of 
White  Plains;  the  latter  a  daughter  of  Captain 
Joseph  Mather,  also   an  officer  in  the  same  army. 


William  K.  Street  actpiired  his  early  education  at 
the  public  schools  of  his  native  Sutc,  the  last  two 
years  of  his  student  life  being  spent  at  the  Nonvalk 
High  School.  .At  the  early  age  of  sixteen  he  was 
obliged  to  enter  upon  an  active  business  life,  which 
he  did  by  engaging  as  office  boy  with  the  Pennsyl- 
vania Coal  Company.  Discharging  the  duties  of 
this  humble  post  to  the  complete  satisfaction  of  his 
employers,  he  was  soon  made  clerk  and  assistant  to 
the  .Secretary  until,  in  1S77,  that  jtosition  itself  was 
entrusted  to  him.  l'"or  eighteen  years  he  filled  the 
same  and  only  resigneil  it  in  1S95,  when  his  election 
as  Treasurer  placed  him  in  that  more  responsible 
office.  In  these  days  of  fiuctiiating  financial  con- 
ilitions  and  insecure  business  situations,  it  is  inter- 
esting to  note  the  fact  that  for  forty  years  Mr. 
Street  has  been  associated  with  the  same  corpora- 
tion, his  only  changes  being  those  which  came  in 
the  course  of  his  steady  and  deserved  advancement. 
In  politics  he  is  Democratic  in  his  ])rinciples, 
though  not  populistic,  and  while  dee])ly  interested 
in  public  afHdrs  has  never  desired  to  identify  him- 
self with  party  interests.  He  is  a  Vestryman  and 
\Varden  of  St.  Luke's  Church,  and  an  active  worker 
in  its  interest  for  over  twenty-five  years.  In  the 
suburb,  Darien,  where  he  has  made  his  home,  he  is 
a  member  of  various  local  associations  of  both  a 
social  and  public  character,  being  enrolled  on  the 
membership  of  the  Yacht  and  Middlesex  Clubs,  and 
has  the  right  to  call  himself  a  Son  of  the  American 
Revolution.  Mr.  Street  was  married  on  October 
28,  1868,  to  Frances  A.  Watkins,  of  New  York,  by 
whom  he  has  had  six  children  :  P'red  D.,  l-;isie  (1., 
(liace  I",.,  and  Clifford  W.  Street,  now  living;  and 
IJlith  A.  anil  Archer  E.  Street,  deceased. 


SMITH,  Leiiheus  Enswokih,  Mayor  of  Putnam, 
was  born  in  Canterbury,  Connecticut,  October  1  7, 
1849,  son  of  Marshall  and  Clarissa  C.  (Ensworth) 
Smith.  He  was  educated  in  the  district  school  of 
his  native  town,  at  a  private  school  in  Northampton, 
Massachusetts,  and  at  the  Business  College  in 
Sijringfield,  Massachusetts,  from  which  he  gradu- 
ated at  seventeen  years  of  age.  .After  returning 
from  college  to  Canterbury  he  remained  on  the 
farm  with  his  parents  until  1876,  during  which  time 
he  represented  the  town  in  the  State  Legislature, 
being  the  youngest  member  of  that  body.  In 
August,  1876,  he  purchased  a  controlling  interest  in 
a  furniture  and  undertaking  establishment  at  Rock- 
ville,  Connecticut,  in  which  he  continued  for  four 


MEN    OF    PROC.RESS. 


years.  Then  returning  to  Canterbury  he  remained 
there  until  August,  1 88 1,  when  he  located  at  Put- 
nam, starting  his  present   business  —  furniture,  un- 


STEVENS,  George  Barker,  Professor  of  Sys- 
tematic Theology  in  Yale  University,  New  Haven, 
was  born  July  13,  1854,  in  Spencer,  New  York,  son 
of  Thomas  J.  and  Weltha  (Barker)  Stevens.  On 
the  paternal  side  he  is  of  Dutch  descent;  on  the 
maternal  side  English.  His  early  education  was 
received  in  the  schools  of  his  native  town.  He 
prepared  for  college  at  the  .Academy  at  Ithaca,  New 
York,  and  was  graduated  from  the  University  of 
Rochester  in  1877.  He  then  took  the  course  at  the 
■S'ale  Divinity  .School,  where  he  was  graduated  in 
1880.  During  the  same  year  he  received  a  flatter- 
ing call  to  the  ]xistorate  of  the  First  Congregational 
Church  of  Buffalo,  New  York.  After  two  years  in 
Buffalo  he  was  called  to  the  pastorate  of  the  First 
Presbyterian  Church  of  ^^'atertown,  New  York, 
where  he  remained  until  1885.  He  felt,  however, 
more  and  more  drawn  to  the  philosophical  and 
theological  side  of  his  work,  and,  in  order  to  obtain 
a  more  thorough  groundwork  for  his  studies,  during 
1885-6  took  a  course  of  lectures  at  the  universities 
of  Leipzig  and  Berlin.  Meantime  his  work  had 
attracted  the  attention  of  the  authorities  at  Yale, 
and  while  pursuing  his  studies  abroad  he  was  offered 
the  chair  of  New  Testament  Criticism   and   Inter- 


L.    E.    SMITH. 

dertaking,  wall-paper,  etc.  Mr.  Smith  has  become 
known  all  over  the  county  and  surrounding  country 
as  "  L.  E.  Smith,  the  Furniture  Man,"  and  is  con- 
sidered one  of  the  largest  dealers  in  his  line  of 
goods  in  eastern  Connecticut.  He  has  always  been 
interested  and  active  in  public  affairs,  and  served  as 
Town  Collector  for  Canterbury  in  1873-4-5,  also  as 
Representative  to  the  Legislature  from  that  town  in 
1876.  In  Putnam  he  was  a  member  of  the  Town 
Board  of  Relief  1888-91,  Grand  Juror  for  the  town 
in  1892,  and  Town  Assessor  1892-5.  In  1895  Put- 
nam was  made  a  city,  and  at  the  first  city  election, 
in  December,  notwithstanding  that  Mr.  Smith  has 
always  been  a  Democrat  and  Putnam  is  Republican 
by  an  average  of  two  hundred  majority,  he  was 
elected  by  twenty-three  majority  as  the  first  Mayor, 
for  a  term  of  two  years.  Mayor  Smith  is  a  member 
of  the  Masonic  and  Odd  Fellows  fraternities.  He 
was  married  December  17,  1878,  at  Rockville,  Con- 
necticut, to  Sarah  M.  James ;  they  have  two 
children:  Clara  Thomas,  born  February  26,  1881, 
and  Herbert  James  Smith,  born  December  9, 
1883. 


GEO.    B.    STEVENS. 


pretation    in    the   Yale    Divinity    School.     This  he 
filled  until   1895,  when  he  was  transferred   to    the 


MKN    OF    PROGRESS. 


339 


chair  of  Systematic  Theology,  which  he  still  holds. 
Professor  Stevens  is  still  in  the  prime  of  life,  lit- 
is widely  recognized  as  an  authoritative  writer  on 
theological  subjects.  He  has  been  honored  with 
the  degree  of  Ph.D.  from  Syracuse  University  in 
1883,  and  with  the  degree  of  'Ih.D.  from  the 
University  of  Jena,  Germany,  in  1886.  His  work 
at  Vale  has  been  of  the  highest  value,  and  has 
brought  honor  to  himself  and  the  university.  He 
is  the  aullior  of  the  following  books  :  "  Commentary 
on  Calatians,"  "The  Pauline  Theology,"  "  The 
Johannine  Theology,"  "  Doctrine  and  Life,"  "The 
Life  of  Peter  Parker,  M.D.,"  besides  many  signifi- 
cant contributions  to  current  jjcriodicals.  Professor 
Stevens  was  married  November  23,  1880,  to  Kate 
Abell  Mattison.  Two  daughters  have  been  born 
to  them  :  Margaret  IJrewster  and  Mar\-  Mattison 
Stevens. 

SANFORD,  Walter,  Artist,  and  Secretary  and 
Treasurer  of  the  Sanford  Company  of  Hartford,  was 
born  in  Albany,  New  \'ork,  June  18,  1859,  son  of 
Joseph  Perry  and  I.ydia  (Ransom)  Sanford.  His 
paternal  ancestry  is  of  old  Virginia  stock,  Mr.  San- 
ford being  a  direct  descendant  of  John  Sanford, 
planter,  of  Culpepper,  Virginia.  On  his  mother's 
side  he  is  descended  from  John  Rathbone,  one  of 
the  original  settlers  of  Block  Island  in  1660.  He 
received  his  early  education  in  the  .Albany  schools, 
and  later  was  sent  to  the  Albany  Military  .\cademy 
and  the  school  of  Professor  Lewis  Collins.  He  was 
in  the  class  of  1879  at  L'nion  College,  and  immedi- 
ately afterward  entered  upon  the  study  of  architect- 
ure and  decoration  in  New  York  city.  Mr.  Sanford 
early  showed  an  unmistakable  gift  for  figure  paint- 
ing, and  after  three  years  of  preparatory  work  in 
New  York  he  decided  to  carry  on  his  studies  abroad, 
and  his  visit  to  Antwerp,  Belgium,  extended  itself 
to  seven  years,  during  which  time  he  had  the 
advantage  of  such  masters  as  Siberdt,  Heyermans, 
Van  Havermaet,  and  Verhaerdt.  On  his  return  to 
America  he  made  his  home  in  Hartford,  Connecticut, 
and  is  to-day  the  Secretary  and  Treasurer  of  the 
Sanford  Company  of  that  city,  manufacturing  archi- 
tectural and  decorative  relief  ornament,  a  position 
which  his  long  training  and  careful  study  enable  him 
to  fill  with  credit  to  himself  and  to  his  adopted  city. 
Mr.  Sanford  is  recognized  in  Hartford  as  a  leading 
artist,  as  well  as  a  successful  business  man ;  he 
belongs  to  the  modern  school  of  artists,  and  his 
work  is  of  excellent  technique  and  often  striking 
and  poetic  in  conception.     His  knowledge  of  art  is 


frequently  helpful  in  various  social  entcrtainmcnt.s 
organized  for  charity's  sake,  where  artistic  decora- 
tion  or   display    is    desired,  and   his   • ■■•   ^■■■••] 


WALTEH    SANFORD. 

traits  make  him  popular  in  this  capacity.  Mr.  San- 
ford is  a  member  of  the  Loyal  Legion  of  the  United 
States;  of  the  Societ<5  Royale  de  I'Harmonie  and 
Le  Cercle  Artistique  of  Belgium  (under  the  patron- 
age of  the  king)  ;  and  is  a  member  of  various  social 
clubs :  of  the  Kappa  .Alpha  fraternity  of  Union 
College  and  the  Union  College  Alumni  .Association  ; 
he  is  also  a  Knight  Templar,  and  has  taken  thirty- 
two  Masonic  degrees.  In  1881  Mr.  Sanford  married 
l'',milie  M.  Jewell,  daughter  of  Pliny  Jewell,  a  lead- 
ing Hartford  manufiicturer ;  they  have  one  child: 
N'alerie  Jewell  .Sanford,  born  in  Antwerp,  Belgium. 


SHOKMAKi:i\,  lliNkv  Fkanxis,  banker  and 
railroad  president,  of  New  \'ork  city,  was  born  in 
Schuylkill  county,  Pennsylvania,  on  March  28,  1845. 
He  is  the  .son  of  John  Wise  and  Mary  (Brock) 
Shoemaker,  and  his  father  was  a  prominent  coal 
0]3erator  of  Tama<|ua,  Pennsylvania,  while  his  mother 
was  a  daughter  of  William  Hrock,  a  well-known 
patriot  in  the  War  of  1812.  Mr.  Shoemaker  i-- 
descended  from  good  Dutch  stock,  and  the  founders 
of  the  family  in  America  settled  in  Philatlelphia  in 


j40 


MEN    OF    PROCRRSS. 


1683,  where,  and  thronj;hout  the  Schuylkill  and 
Wyoming  valleys  ol"  I'ennsylvania,  the  name  has 
since  been  conspicuous.  His  great-grandfather, 
lohn  Shoemaker,  ser\ed  in  the  War  of  the  Revolu- 
tion, and  Iwth  his  grandfathers  were  soldiers  in  the 
War  of  1S12.  The  family  at  an  early  period  were 
engaged  in  the  anthracite  coal-mining  interests  of 
Pennsylvania,  and  Mr.  Shoemaker,  after  receiving 
his  education  at  'I'amatiua  and  at  (lenesee  Semi- 
nary, Lima,  New  York,  and  graihiating  from  the 
latter,  would  undoubtedly  have  associated  himself 
with  the  industry  at  once  had  not  C.eneial  Lee  with 
his  Confederate  army  then  invailed  the  State,  and 
a  call  for  troops  to  defend  it  being  made  by  the 
Government,  young  Shoemaker,  a  youth  of  eighteen, 
responded  promptly  to  the  demand  for  recruits. 
He  enlisted  a  company  of  si.\ty  volunteers  from  the 
workmen  in  his  father's  mines,  and  being  made 
Captain  took  his  command  to  Harrisburg,  where  it 
was  mustered  into  service  as  part  of  the  Twenty- 
Seventh  Pennsylvania  Volunteer  Militia  and  attached 


HENRY    F.    SHOEMAKER. 

to  the  Si.xth  Army  Corps.  After  his  military  expe- 
rience, Mr.  Shoemaker  went  to  Philadelphia  in  1864 
and  entered  the  wholesale  coal-shipping  trade 
witii  one  of  the  leading  establishments  of  that  city, 
and    two    years    later   began    business  on    his  own 


account  as  the  senior  member  of  the  firm  of  Shoe- 
maker iK:  Mclntyre.  In  1870  he  formed  the  firm 
of  Fry,  Shoemaker  &  Company,  and  engaged  in 
mining  antiirai:ite  at  Tamaqua,  Pennsylvania.  But 
it  was  not  many  years  before  he  discovered  that  the 
trans])ortation  business  afforded  him  wider  oppor- 
tunities tlian  mining,  and  having  disposed  of  his 
coal  interests  he  became  in  1876  Secretary  and 
'I'reasurer  of  the  Central  Railroad  of  Minnesota. 
In  1878  he  took  an  active  part  in  the  construction 
of  the  lUiffalo,  Rochester  &  Pittsburgh  Road.  Three 
years  later  he  added  to  his  business  ventures  the 
banking  house  of  Shoemaker,  Billion  &  Company,  in 
Wall  street,  New  York.  His  transactions  in  the 
handling  of  railroad  securities  and  properties  since 
that  time  have  been  on  an  extensive  scale.  He 
became  interested  in  the  Wheeling  &  I>ake  I'>ie 
Railroad  in  1886,  President  of  the  Mineral  Range 
Railroad  in  1887,  Chairman  of  the  Executive 
Committee  of  the  Cincinnati,  Hamilton  &  Dayton 
Railroad  in  1888.  He  is  also  interested  in  the 
Cleveland,  Lorain  &  Wheeling  Railroad,  the 
Indiana,  Decatur  &  Western,  and  many  others. 
Mr.  Shoemaker's  career  presents  an  interesting 
study  of  the  evolution  of  the  successful  business 
man  from  a  youth  of  promise.  As  a  boy  he  was 
intensely  studious,  and  tireless  in  his  pursuit  of 
knowledge  and  information.  Frequently  during  his 
school  vacations  he  spent  his  time  in  his  father's 
colliery,  familiarizing  himself  with  the  physical 
features  and  details  of  mining  operations.  His 
special  predilection  was  for  higher  mathematics  and 
the  exact  sciences,  his  mind  being  analytical  and 
finely  developed.  He  early  evinced  a  genius  for 
organization  and  a  comprehension  of  detail  and 
affixirs  which  was  astonishing  in  a  youth,  which  has 
very  naturally  carried  him  into  the  many  positions 
of  responsibility  and  importance  which  he  now 
fills.  Mr.  Shoemaker  is  at  present  a  member  of 
the  Union  League,  the  Lawyers,  the  Lotos,  River- 
side Yacht,  and  American  Yacht  Clubs  of  New  York 
city,  the  Sons  of  the  Revolution,  and  the  Lafayette 
Post  No.  140  of  the  Grand  Army  of  the  Republic. 
He  was  married  in  April,  1874,  to  Blanche, 
daughter  of  the  late  Honorable  James  W.  Quiggle, 
of  Philadelphia,  at  one  time  Consul  at  Antwerp,  and 
later  Minister  to  Belgium.  They  have  three  chil- 
dren :  two  sons  and  a  daughter.  "  Cedar  Cliff,"  on 
the  shore-front  of  Long  Island  Sound  near  River- 
side, Connecticut,  is  Mr.  Shoemaker's  beautiful  sum- 
mer home,  and  is  one  of  the  finest  residences  in 
the  State. 


Mi;\   oi'  I'kockKss. 


>4I 


SCOFIEI.D,  Joseph  Strkki',  of  New  Nork  city, 
Assistant  Superintendent  of  the  New  York,  New 
lFavcn\-  Hartford   Railroad,  was  horn  in  Norwalk, 


jiartly  for  |ileasiire,  and  for  educating  himself  in  the 
ways  of  the  world.  In  November,  1862,  he  accepted 
a  situation  with  the  New  N'ork,  New  Haven  ."v:  Hart- 
ford Railroad  Company,  serving  them  as  conductor 
until  18S0,  then  for  ten  years  to  1S90  as  their  New 
\'ork  City  Agent,  an<l  from  1890  to  the  present 
time  as  Assistant  Superintendent.  Mr.  .Scofield  is 
I  member  of  the  various  Masonic  Iradies,  including 
the  Knights  Templar;  also  of  several  New  \'ork  and 
Connecticut  social  clubs.  He  was  married  De- 
cember 2^],  1869,  to  Ivllen  Hart,  of  New  Haven, 
Connecticut  ;  they  have  two  chihiren  :  Florence 
May,  born  September  24,  1S74,  and  Cuy  I'ercival 
Scofield,  born  Octtjber  10,  I1S.S7. 


Si;\MOUR,  FRKDKNrcK,  Lawyer,  of  New  N'ork, 
is  a  scion  of  C"onnecticut  stock,  being  a  son  of 
George  W.  and  .Mary  (Freeman)  Seymour,  of 
Connecticut.  Some  interesting  facts  relating  to  his 
ancestry  and  family  history  are  given  in  the  sketch 
of  ills  brother,  John  S.  Seymour,  which  ai)pears  else- 
where ill  tliis  work.  Frederick  Seymour  was  born  at 
Whitney's  Point,  New  York,  .August  2,  1.S56,  and 
aci|uired  his  early  education  in  the  public  schools 


J.     S.    SCOFIELD. 


Fairfield  county,  Connecticut,  January  12,  1841, 
son  of  Smith  Scofield,  born  October  25,  1803,  and 
Polly  Webb,  born  July  7,  1806,  who  were  married 
at  Norwalk,  December  7,  1824.  He  is  descended 
from  the  Scofields,  Youngs,  Lynes,  Smiths,  Hoileys, 
and  others,  on  the  paternal  side,  and  on  the  maternal 
side  from  the  Webbs,  Streets,  ISrowns,  and  other 
prominent  families,  whose  records  are  complete  from 
those  first  coming  to  this  country.  His  ancestors 
came  from  England,  settling  in  Fairfield  county, 
Connecticut,  early  in  the  eighteenth  century.  Mostly 
farmers,  they  were  all  through  a  thrifty,  honest 
people  ;  and  in  the  Revolutionary  times,  almost  to 
a  man  they  were  with  the  patriot  army,  fighting  for 
liberty.  At  the  beginning  of  the  \Var  of  181 2,  his 
grandfiither,  Joseph  Scofield,  enlisted  in  a  Connecti- 
cut regiment,  and  died  in  the  ser\'ice.  Joseph  S. 
Scofield's  early  education  was  acquired  first  in  the 
district  school,  and  later,  up  to  1857,  in  the  Union 
High  School  of  Norwalk.  He  was  a  farmer's  son, 
and  left  home  at  the  age  of  seventeen,  first  working 
for  two  years,  1858-9,  as  apprentice  and  clerk  in  a 
mercantile  house  in  New  York  city.  He  then  spent 
about  two  years,  i86o-r,  in  home  and  foreign  travel, 


FREDK.    SEYMOUR. 

of  that    place    anil    the  liinghamlon   High  School. 
He  then  took  an  academic  course  at  Yale  College, 


342 


MEN    OF   PROGRESS. 


graduating  therefrom  in  the  class  of  1881,  following 
which  he  studied  for  a  year  at  Columbia  Law 
School,  and  was  admitted  to  the  bar  in  New  York 
September  25,  1S82.  From  this  time  he  was 
totally  incapacitated,  by  illness  resulting  from  over- 
work, until  1883,  when  he  entered  the  law  office  of 
Dill  &  Chandler,  120  Broadway,  New  York,  as 
Managing  Clerk,  and  at  the  end  of  the  year  was 
admitted  to  partnership  under  the  firm  name  of 
Dill,  Chandler  &  Seymour.  For  a  perio<l  of  more 
than  ten  years,  from  January  i,  1884,  to  Oct.  i,  1894, 
he  continued  the  general  practice  of  law  as  a  mem- 
ber of  the  above  firm.  Mr.  Chandler  then  retiring, 
and  Mr.  Kellogg,  formerly  of  Carter,  Hughes  iS: 
Kellogg,  entering,  the  present  firm  of  Dill,  Seymour 
iV  Kellogg  was  established,  with  offices  at  27  Pine 
street,  N.  Y.  It  is  regarded  as  one  of  the  leading 
firms  in  the  city  engaged  in  general  practice,  num- 
bering among  its  clients  many  of  the  large  industrial 
corporations  and  banks  of  the  country ;  it  has  been 
prominent  in  much  of  the  important  litigation  of 
recent  years  in  the  .State  and  Federal  Courts. 
Mr.  Seymour  is  a  Democrat  in  politics.  He  is  a 
member  of  the  Manhattan,  Yale,  Orange,  and  Essex 
County  Clubs.  He  was  married  Oct.  14,  1885,  to 
Julia  Clark  Dikeman,  of  Waterbury,  Conn. ;  they 
have  three  children  :  Helen,  Stella  Margaret,  and 
Frederick  Dikeman  Seymour. 


1883,  :hk1    Mr.  Terry  still  continues  the    business 
under  the  ol<l  firm  name  of  Vl.  D.  Morgan  &  Co.     He 


TERRY,  John  Taylor,  of  New  York  city,  was 
born  in  Hartford,  Conn.,  September  9,  1822,  son  of 
Roderick  and  Harriet  (Taylor)  Terry.  He  is  a  lineal 
descendant  of  Governor  William  Bradford,  of  the 
"Mayflower,"  and  his  wife  Mabel  Harlekenden.  He 
is  also  descended  from  John  Haynes,  Governor  of 
Mass.  in  1635,  and  first  Governor  of  Conn,  in  1639, 
to  which  office  he  was  elected  alternate  years  until  his 
death  in  1654  ;  George  Wyllys,  Governor  of  Conn,  in 
1642,  and  owner  of  the  Charter  Oak,  in  which,  upon 
his  lawn,  was  secreted  the  charter  ;  Colonel  Nathaniel 
Terry,  of  the  Revolutionary  Army  ;  and  Judge  Eliph- 
alet  Terry,  who  was  elected  to  the  Legislature  of  Conn, 
annually  from  1779  to  his  death,  and  was  Speaker  of 
the  House  all,  or  nearly  all,  of  that  period.  Mr. 
Terry  received  his  early  education  at  various  acade- 
mies in  Conn,  and  Mass.,  and  his  practical  training 
for  active  life  in  business  as  a  clerk  for  his  father  at 
Hartford.  In  184 1  he  removed  to  New  York,  and  in 
1844  became  a  partner  of  Governor  E.  D.  Morgan, 
of  New  York,  in  the  banking  business.  This  partner- 
ship continued  until  Governor  Morgan's  death  in 


JOHN    T.    TERRY. 

is  \'ice-President  and  Director  of  the  Mercantile  'I'rust 
Company ;  the  American  Exchange  Bank  and  Bank 
of  New  Amsterdam  ;  the  Western  Union  Telegraph 
Company,  American  Cable  Company,  International 
Ocean  Telegraph,  and  several  other  telegraph  com- 
panies ;  the  Wabash,  Iron  Mountain,  and  other  rail- 
roads ;  also  of  the  Standard  Gas  Company,  the  Pres- 
byterian Hospital,  the  New  York  Institution  for  the 
Deaf  and  Dumb,  and  various  other  corporations  and 
institutions.  He  is  a  member  of  the  Union  League 
and  Ardsley  Clubs,  the  New  England  Society,  the 
Society  of  Mayflower  Descendants,  and  the  Sons  of 
the  Revolution.  Mr.  Terry  was  married  July  22,1 846, 
to  Elizabeth  Roe  Peet.  They  have  had  five  children  : 
Frederick  Peet,  born  May  14,  1847,  died  May  12, 
1874  ;  Roderick,  born  April  i,  1849  ;  Harriet  Taylor, 
born  October  9,  185 1,  died  April  6,  1857  ;  Elizabeth 
Lockwood,  born  September  15,  1855, died  December 
24,  1855,  and  John  Taylor  Terry,  Jr.,  born  August 
17,  1857-  

TERRY,  George  E.,  Lawyer,  A\'aterbury,  was 
born  at  Bristol,  Conncticut,  September  15,  1836, 
the  son  of  Edward  and  Ann  (Lewis)  Terry.  He 
received  his  education  in  the  public  schools  and  at 


Mi:\    (>|-    l-KOGRICSS. 


343 


the  Albany  Academy,  ami  his  health  becoming 
imi)aired  durint;  his  preparation  for  college  he  was 
forced  to  give  it  iiii.  After  leaving  school  he  learned 
the  machinist's  trade  and  followed  that  business 
until  1855,  when  he  commenced  studying  law  with 
Samuel  1'.  Newell,  in  Hristol.  After  studying  two 
years  with  him,  and  one  year  with  John  Hooker,  in 
Hartford,  he  was  admitted  to  the  bar  at  Hartford  in 
185S,  and  has  since  been  in  the  active  practice  of 
law,  excejjting  one  year  in  the  army,  sen'ing  in 
Company  K,  Twenty- Fifth  Regiment,  Connecticut 
Volunteers.  In  politics  he  is  a  Republican,  and 
was  a  member  of  the  General  Assembly  from  Farm- 
ington,  Connecticut,  in  i860.  From  i866  to  187  i 
he  was  Clerk  of  the  City  Court  of  Waterbury,  and 
from  iSSi  to  1891  he  was  City  Attorney  of  Water- 
bury.  Since  1881  he  has  been  Assistant  State 
Attorney  of  New  Haven  county,  at  Waterbury,  which 
office  he  resigned  February  i,  1897.  He  also 
holds  the  following  offices  :  President  and  Director 
of  the  Waterbury  ( las- 1  .ight  Company  ;  Director  and 
\'ice-President  of  the  Norwich  Cas  and  Flectric 
Company,  the  New  London  Cas  and  l^lectric  Com- 
pany, and  Director  of  the  Rockville  Gas  and  h;iectric 
Company,  in  the  last  of  which  he  is  also  Secretary; 


GEO.    E.   TERRY. 


likewise  Director  of  the   Fourth  National  Bank  of 
Waterbury,  the  Waterbury  Savings  Bank,  the  Water- 


bury Traction  Company,  the  King's  County  Electric 
Light  and  Tower  Company,  and  the  Monarch  .Man- 
ufacturing Comi)any.  He  is  a  member  of  the 
Waterbury  Club,  and  also  of  the  Continental  lx>dgc 
of  Masons.  He  married,  September  26,  i86i, 
I'.mma  I'ollard,  of  I'lainville,  Connecticut,  by  whom 
he  had  one  child  :  Fred  L. Terry,  born  July  31,  1863. 
He  married  for  his  seiond  wife,  M:\rcU  2,  1869, 
Fannie  Williams,  of  Waterbury.  Hy  this  marriage 
there  were  two  <  hildren,  both  of  whom  died  in 
infancy. 

T.'VLCO'rr,  HoRACK  (iAKDM-.K,  Business  Man  and 
l'hilanthro])ist,  Talcottville,  was  lx)rn  in  X'ernon, 
Connecticut,  November  14,  1847,  son  of  Horace 
W.  and  Jane  M.  (Gardner)  'I'alcott.  The  Knglish 
family  of  Talcotts,  from  which  he  is  descended, 
dates  its  origin  from  a  remote  period,  as  in  \'olunie 
No.  ii;,7,  page  14S,  of  the  Harleian  Manuscripts, 
])reserved  in  the  British  Museum,  is  found  recorded 
a  rejjort  of  the  herald's  visitation  of  Fssex  county 
in  1558,  giving  the  arms  and  pedigree  of  the  Tal- 
cots,  and  a  subsequent  visitation  in  1634  records 
the  same  arms,  but  spells  the  name  "  Talcott."  John 
Talcott,  of  Braintree,  Essex  county,  England,  died 
in  1604,  and  his  son  John,  the  .American  ancestor, 
emigrated  with  the  Reverend  Thomas  Hooker's 
Company  on  the  ship  "Lion"  in  1632,  first  settling 
at  Newtown,  now  Cambridge,  Massachusetts.  John 
Talcott  was  admitted  a  freeman  November  6,  1632, 
and  with  Messrs.  Goodwin  and  Spencer  was  Repre- 
sentative to  the  General  Court  from  Newton  May 
14,  1634.  .'Vt  a  general  meeting  held  February  4 
of  that  year  he  was  chosen  one  of  the  six  Select- 
men, and  according  to  the  registry  enumerating  the 
eighty  legitimate  townsmen  he  was  the  fifth  largest 
proprietor  of  houses  and  lands.  'I'he  Hooker  Com- 
]iany,  becoming  dissatisfied  with  their  location,  ob- 
tained with  some  difficulty  permission  from  the 
( ieneral  Court  to  remove  to  the  Connecticut  River, 
whereu])on  John  Talcott  sold  his  property  to  Nicho- 
las Danforth,  the  sale  occurring  .May  i,  1636,  and 
ill  June  of  that  year  he  left  Newtown  with  a  company 
of  about  one  hundred  people  bound  for  the  site  of 
the  present  city  of  Hartford.  He  had  previously 
sent  out  Nicholas  Clark,  a  carpenter,  who  erected 
for  him  a  dwelling  which  stooil  on  the  ground  now 
occupied  by  the  North  Church,  and  was  the  first 
house  built  in  the  town.  "  'The  \\'orshipful  Mr. 
John  'Talcott,"  as  he  was  styled  by  his  fellow-towns- 
men, took  an  active  part  in  organizing  the  new 
colony,  was  Representative  to  the  General  Court  for 


344 


MEN    OF    PROGRRSS. 


a  number  of  years,  and  acted  as  a  Chief  Magistrate 
until  his  death,  which  occurred  in  his  mansion  at 
the  head  of  Main  street,  in  March,  1660.  On  May 
I,  1637,  he  was  chosen  a  member  of  the  committee 
to  consiiicr  the  advisability  of  war  with  the  Pequot 
Indians,  and  as  a  result  of  their  decision  hostilities 
were  begun.  By  his  will  he  left  his  property  to  his 
widow,  two  sons,  and  grandchildren,  a  daughter  hav- 
ing i)reviously  died,  and  his  name  is  inscribed  upon 
a  monument  erected  by  the  citizens  of  Hartford 
to  per])etuate  the  memory  of  the  founders  of  the 
Colony  of  Connecticut.  On  the  maternal  side  Mr. 
Talcott  is  a  descendant  of  the  Oardners,  Oreens, 
and  Hardings,  all  of  which  are  old  New  England 
families  of  repute  ;  and  a  representative  of  the  last- 
named  family.  Captain  Stephen  Harding,  served 
with  honor  in  the  Revolutionary  War.  Horace 
Cardner  Talcott  began  his  studies  in  the  district 
schools,  attended  the  Rex  kville  High  School  and 
Phillips  .\ndover  .\cademy  under  Dr.  Samuel  Tay- 
lor, graduating  in  1867.  Entering  Yale  University, 
class  of  1871,  he  pursued  but  a  partial  course,  owing 
to  ill  health,  and  becoming  connected  with  the  firm 
of  Talcott  Brothers  in  1869,  succeeded  to  the  posi- 
tion of  Superintendent  after  his  father's   death  in 


Manager  of  the  business.     He  is  a  Director  of  the 
First  National  Bank,  and  as  a  member  of  the  Legis- 
lature from  Vernon  in  1895  he  was  assigned    to  the 
Banking  Committee.     Mr.  Talcott's  life  and  inter- 
ests have    been  thoroughly  identified  with  the  vil- 
lage  which  bears  the  family  name.     He  has  aimed 
to  be  true  to  the  high  traditions  received  from  his 
predecessors.      For  considerably  more  than  a  half- 
century  the  village  has  been  noted  for  its  sobriety, 
thrift,    and    sound    morals.      The    original   Talcott 
Brothers,  Horace  W.  and  Charles  D.,  were  men  of 
fine    physique,   untiring    energy,  and    sterling  char- 
acter, whose  Puritan  inheritance,  tempered  by  the 
ameliorating  influence  of  a  modern  Christian  civili- 
zation, produced  characters  certain   to  achieve  the 
truest  success.     Not  only  was  a  prosperous  business 
built  up  on  a  permanent  basis,  but  the  chief  result 
of  their  labors  is  the  village  itself,  unique  among 
New  England  communities  for  its  beauty  and  high 
moral  character,  consistently  maintained.     The  firm 
as  early  as  possible  erected  in  quick  succession  and 
at  its  own  expense  a   large  and  commodious  church 
an  attractive    school-house,  and  a  beautiful  library 
building  (which  they  furnished  with  a  choice  selec- 
tion of  books),  all  substantially  built  of  brick,  and  all 
devoted  to  the  interests  of  the  community.    Into  this 
material  and  moral  inheritance  the  subject  of  this 
sketch  has  entered,  and,  while  holding  firmlv  to  the 
old  traditions,  he  has  exhibited  a  progressive  spirit 
and  aims  to   keep  constantly  in  line  with  modern 
development.     He  succeeded  his  uncle  as  Superin- 
tendent of  the    Sunday  School  and  as    Deacon  of 
the  Church,  and  has  thoroughly  identified  himself 
with  the  moral,  educational,  and  religious  interests 
of  the  town.     He  is  a  Director  of  the  Connecticut 
Home  Missionary  Society,  and  also  President  of  the 
Tolland  County  Foreign   Missionary  Society.     His 
sympathies   are  large,    his    impulses    philanthropic. 
Appeals  for  help  meet  a  quick  response,  and  he  is  a 
liberal  contributor  to  the  support  of  educational  and 
religious  work,  both  in  home  and  foreign  fields. 


H.    G.    TALCOTT. 


187  I,  and  since  the  death  of  C.  D.  Talcott,  the  sur- 
viving partner,  in  July    1882,  he  has  been  General 


TINGIER,  Lyman  Twining,  Lawyer,  of  Rock- 
ville,  was  born  in  Webster,  Massachusetts,  June  9, 
1862,  son  of  Seymour  A.  and  Sarah  (Twining) 
Tingier.  He  is  a  lineal  descendant  of  William 
Twining,  who  came  from  England  to  New  England 
in  1630  and  lived  at  Yarmouth,  Massachusetts,  and 
of  George  Steele,  one  of  the  first  settlers  of  Hart- 
ford, who  fought  in  the  Pequot  War,  under  Captain 
John  Mason,  in  1639.     His  fiither,  whose  name  was 


MIA     111      l'K()t.Ki:sS. 


Tinker  up  to  1856,  when  the  Massachusetts  Legis- 
lature changed  it  to  Tintjier,  was  for  nianv  years  a 


34  = 


1896.     He  lielongs  to  the  Masonic  frnlernily,  l)cing 
a    member   of   I'ayette    Ixjdge    of   Rockvilie.     11. 
was  married   Noveinher   16,   1S96,  to  Charlotte  1 
Skinner,  of  Rockvilie. 


L     T.    TINGIER. 

practising  lawyer  at  Webster,  Massachusetts,  subse- 
quently removing  to  the  adjoining  town  of  Thomp- 
son, Connecticut,  where  he  died  July  23,  1888. 
Lym;in  T.  Tingier  acquired  his  early  education  in 
the  public  schools  of  Webster  and  at  Nichols 
Academy  in  Dudley,  Massachusetts,  and  was  gradu- 
ated from  the  Yale  Law  School  in  June  1888.  lie 
was  admitted  to  the  Bar  at  New  Haven  immediately 
after  graduation,  and  in  the  follow-ing  December 
began  the  practice  of  law  at  Webster,  his  native 
town.  In  November  1889  he  removed  to  Rock- 
vilie, Connecticut,  where  he  has  since  continued  in 
the  active  practice  of  his  profession.  In  February 
1890  he  was  elected  Judge  of  Probate  for  the 
District  of  Ellington,  to  fill  a  vacancy,  and  was 
reelected  to  that  position  in  November  1890,  and 
again  in  November  1892.  He  was  also,  in  Decem- 
ber 1S90,  elected  Alderman  in  Rockvilie,  and 
served  as  Chairman  of  the  Committees  on  Public 
Works  and  Police,  also  as  President  of  the  Hoard 
of  Aldermen.  In  1893  he  was  appointed  Clerk 
of  the  Superior  Court  of  Tolland  county,  which 
office  he  still  holds.  Mr.  Tingier  is  a  Democrat 
in  politics,  and  represented  Tolland  county  at 
the  Democratic  National  Convention  in  Chicago  in 


\\'HI;i:LI:R,  Nathanih.,  son  of  David  and  S;irah 
(De  Forest)  Wheeler,  was  born  at  Watertown,  Con 
necticut,  September  7,  1S20.  He  was  a  descend 
ant  in  the  seventh  generation  from  Moses  Wheeler, 
who  came  to  this  c  otnitry  from  the  county  of  Kent, 
lingland,  probably  in  163.S,  received  an  allotment  of 
land  at  New  Haven  in  1643,  and  was  settled  in 
.Stratford  in  1648.  David  Wheeler,  the  father  of 
Nathaniel,  was  a  carriage  manufacturer,  and  the  son 
learned  that  trade,  in  which,  while  yet  a  minor, 
he  .acquired  a  high  re]>utation  for  skill,  ingenuity, 
and  taste.  l'|)on  reaching  his  majority  Nathaim-l 
took  the  carriage  business,  and  for  some  five  years 
conducte<l  it  successfully  on  his  own  account. 
Thereafter  he  engaged  in  the  manufacture  of 
various  small  metallic  articles,  and,  by  substituting 
machinery  for  hand  labor,  very  greatly  reduced  the 
cost  of  production,  thus  early  disi)laying  that  i)rac- 
tical  ability  which  marked  his  subseciuent  career. 
For  the  better  prosecution  of  his  business  he 
formed  in  1848  a  copartership  with  Messrs.  \\'arren 
&  Woodruff,  of  the  same  tosvn,  under  the  firm  name 
of  Warren,  Wheeler  &  Woodruff.  A  new  factorv 
was  built,  and  the  entire  management  of  the  busi- 
ness was  placed  in  the  hands  of  Mr.  Wheeler,  who 
made  it  a  thorough  success  from  the  start.  In 
December  1S50,  Mr.  Wheeler's  attention  was 
attracted  to  the  earliest  form  of  Allen  H.  Wilson's 
sewing  machine,  and  with  a  keen  foresight  of  pos- 
sibilities he  contracted  in  behalf  of  his  own  firm 
to  manufacture  a  considerable  number  of  such 
machines.  He  engaged  Mr.  Wilson  to  superintend 
that  branch  of  their  manufacturing  dejiartment, 
and  soon  after  arrangements  were  completed  to 
make  the  manufacture  of  sewing  ni.achines  a  sep- 
arate and  distinct  business.  For  this  purpose  a 
company  was  formed  by  Messrs.  Warren,  Wheeler 
&  Woodruff,  under  the  style  of  Wheeler,  Wilson  & 
Company,  Mr.  Wheeler  having  charge  of  the  mer- 
cantile department  and  Mr.  Wilson  of  the  mechani- 
cal. Mr.  Wilson  soon  invented  material  improve- 
ments in  his  m.achine,  which  were  to  a  very  great 
extent  organized  and  put  into  practical  shape  by 
Mr.  Wheeler.  The  introduction  of  that  machine, 
the  original  Wheeler  &  Wilson,  to  the  public,  the 
placing  of  it  in  fiictories,  and  the  demonstration  of 


546 


MKN    OF    I'ROCRKSS. 


its  adaptability  to  use  in  fomilies, —  all  this  was  the 
personal  work  of  Mr.  Wheeler  almost  exclusively. 
In  October  1853,  the  Wheeler  iV  Wilson  Maniitact- 
uring  t'ompany  was  organized,  under  the  general 
law  of  the  State  of  Connecticut.  Mr.  Wheeler  was 
made  Oeneral  Manager  of  the  Company,  and  he 
held  the  office  of  President  as  well  as  General 
Manager  from  1855  to  the  time  of  his  death.  In 
1856  the  works  of  the  Wheeler  &  Wilson  Manufact- 
uring Company  were  moved  from  Watertown  to 
Bridgeport,  and  from  that  time  forth  Mr.  Wheeler 
was  a  resident  of  the  latter  city,  to  the  best  interests 
of  which  he  was  zealously  devoted.  Mr.  Wheeler's 
life  work  was  most  intimately  connected  with  the 
origin  and  development  of  the  art  of  sewing  by 
machinery,  in  which  he  achieved  a  world-wide 
reputation.  It  may  be  safely  asserted  that  credit 
for  the  progress  made  in  that  art  during  his  life  was 


NATHANIEL    WHEELER. 

due  to  Nathaniel  Wheeler  in  a  greater  degree  than 
to  any  other  man.  In  recognition  of  his  services 
in  this  department  of  industry  he  was  decorated  at 
the  World's  Exposition,  Vienna  1873,  with  the 
Knight's  Cross  of  the  Imperial  Order  of  Francis 
Josef,  and  at  the  Exposition  Universelle,  Paris 
1889,  he  was  made  a  Chevalier  of  the  I.egion  of 
Honor  of  France.  In  this  connection  should  be 
made    some    mention  of   Mr.    Wheeler's    inventive 


ability,  which,  in  itself,  affords  a  proof  of  his  versa- 
tility. Mostly  as  sole  inventor,  but  in  .some  in- 
stances jointly  with  others,  he  took  out  patents  for 
inventions  in  wood-filling  compounds,  power  trans- 
mitters, iiolishing  the  eyes  of  needles,  refrigerators, 
ventilating  railway  cars,  heating  and  ventilating 
buildings,  and  for  a  multitude  of  devices  having 
relation  to  the  construction  of  sewing  machines. 
His  intelligence  and  activity  were  by  no  means  con- 
fined to  that  enterprise  with  which  his  name  is  and 
will  always  remain  indissolubly  connected.  He  was 
at  all  times  deeply  interested  in  the  affairs  of  his 
city  and  State.  He  was  one  of  the  corporators  and 
a  Trustee  of  the  Peoples'  Savings  Bank  ;  a  Director 
in  the  Bridgeport  City  Bank,  the  Bridgeport 
Hydraulic  Company,  the  Bridgeport  Horse  Rail- 
road Company,  the  Fairfield  Rubber  Company,  the 
\Mllimantic  Linen  Company,  and  the  New  York, 
New  Haven  &  Hartford  Railroad  Company ;  one  of 
the  founders  and  the  first  President  of  the  Seaside 
Club,  and  always  an  active  member  of  the  Bridge- 
port Board  of  Trade ;  a  member  of  the  Bridgeport 
Board  of  Education  from  its  establishment  until 
shortly  before  his  death,  and  a  member  of  the 
building  committees  of  the  Bridgeport  High  School 
and  the  Fairfield  County  Court  House  ;  the  direct- 
ing commissioner  in  the  laying-out  and  completion 
of  the  Seaside  Park,  of  which  he  was  also  one  of 
the  chief  donors.  He  was  chiefly  instrumental  in 
putting  Mountain  (Irove  Cemetery  into  its  present 
creditable  form,  and  St.  John's  Church  received 
from  him  its  most  munificent  donations.  He  was 
a  member  and  a  liberal  supporter  of  the  Fairfield 
County  Historical  Society  and  the  Bridgeport  Scien- 
tific Society.  Mr.  Wheeler  was  the  most  active 
member  of  the  commission  for  the  building  of  the 
State  Capitol  at  Hartford,  a  magnificent  structure, 
which  is  especially  notable  for  the  fact  that  it  was 
completed  without  a  stain  of  jobbery  and  within 
appropriation.  He  served  a  number  of  years  in  the 
Common  Council  of  the  city  of  Bridgeport.  From 
1 865  to  1872  inclusive  he  represented  Bridgeport 
in  the  House  of  Representatives,  and  in  1S73 
and  '74  served  with  distinction  as  State  Senator. 
It  should  be  added  that  he  repeatedly  declined 
higher  political  honors  than  he  ever  consented  to 
accept.  Mr.  Wheeler  was  blessed  with  robust 
health  until  early  in  the  autumn  of  1893,  when  it 
began  to  fail,  and  after  a  painful  illness  he  closed  a 
life  of  intense  activity  and  widespread  usefulness  on 
the  last  day  of  that  year,  at  his  residence  on  Golden 
Hill  in  Bridgeport.      In  1842  Mr.  Wheeler  took  to 


MKN    ()|-    I'ROC.RKSS. 


347 


wife  lluldah  lirailley,  of  Walcrtown,  who  died  in 
1857.  By  this  marriage  there  were  four  chiUlren, 
two  of  whom  are  living  :  Samuel  11.,  now  President  of 
the  N\heeler  &  Wilson  Manufacturing  Company,  and 
Kilen  H.,  wife  of  I'.dward  Harral,  of  l-'airfield,  Con- 
necticut.  Mr.  Wheeler's  seconil  wife,  still  siin'iving 
him,  was  Mary  !•;.  Crissy,  of  New  Canaan,  liy  this 
marriage  there  were  four  sons,  two  of  whom,  .Archer 
Crissy  and  William  Bishop,  are  now  living  anil 
reside  in  Bridgeport.  The  eldest  son,  Harry  De 
Forest,  died  at  the  age  of  eighteen  years.  Arthur 
Penoyer,  the  youngest  son,  died  in  inflmcy.  As  a 
business  man  Mr.  Wheeler  was  distinguished  for  his 
organizing  and  administrative  abilities,  his  energy, 
enterprise,  foresight,  good  judgment,  and  fair  deal- 
ing, qualities  which  were  recognized  not  only  locally, 
but  throughout  the  civilized  world.  All  officers, 
clerical  employees,  and  workmen  of  the  great  cor- 
poration of  whicii  he  was  for  so  many  years  the 
head,  for  the  welfare  of  every  one  of  whom  he  was 
deeply  solicitous,  were  affected  towards  him  with  a 
feeling  stronger  than  mere  respect  or  admiration. 
In  public  affairs  he  always  had  deeply  at  heart  the 
best  interests  of  his  city,  the  State,  and  of  the  nation, 
as  he  understood  them,  and  to  those  interests  he 
contributed  no  little  thought,  labor,  and  money.  In 
politics  he  was  a  consistent  and  thorough-going 
Democrat,  but  not  an  unreasonable  partisan.  He 
was  a  philanthropist  of  the  best  sort,  unostentatious, 
but  beneficent  to  the  last  degree.  A  multitude  of 
the  poor  know  how  great  was  his  bounty  in  dispens- 
ing charity,  but  he  never  advertised  his  good  deeds. 
His  natural  but  unostentatious  dignity  veiled  an 
underlying  geniality  in  companionship,  which  was 
revealed  to  his  more  intimate  acquaintances,  while 
all  his  purely  social  (jualities  were  surpassed  by  his 
steadfastness  and  devotion  as  a  friend.  The  record 
of  his  life  is  without  a  stain,  ami  the  world  is  surely 
better  for  his  having  lived. 


ber  of  the  l.iw  firm  of  Woosier,  Williams  iS:  (iajjcr, 
of  Derby,  in  which  town  he  has  since  practised  and 
resided.      In  politics  .\lr    Willlims  K,,    ,In  ,v.  1.  i..! 


WILLIAMS,  William  H.,  Lawyer,  Derby,  was  born 
in  Bethany,  Connecticut,  June  7,  1850,  son  of  E. 
J.  and  Laura  J.  (Baldwin)  Williams.  After  the 
usual  school  training  in  the  district  schools,  he  \vent 
to  Seymour,  Connecticut,  to  study  law  in  the  office 
of  the  late  Hon.  Harris  B.  Munson,  and  was 
admitted  to  the  Bar  in  1874.  Mr.  Williams  began 
the  practice  of  law  in  Seymour,  where,  and  in  1  )erby, 
he  continued  to  practise  his  i)rofession  on  his  own 
account  until  April,  1885,  when  he  became  a  mem- 


\V.    H.   WILLIAMS. 

with  the  Democratic  party  until  the  last  Presiden- 
tial election,  when  he  voted  for  McKinley  and 
Hobart ;  and  he  has  always  taken  a  keen  interest 
in  the  political  situation.  In  January  1896  he 
accepted  the  office  tendered  him,  of  State's  .Mtor- 
ney  for  iNew  Haven  county.  He  belongs  to  the 
Knights  Templar,  Odd  Fellows,  and  Knights  ol 
Pythias  fraternities.  Mr.  Williams'  political  record 
indicates  his  sterling  independence  and  honesty  of 
character,  and  his  steady  progress  in  his  profession 
is  a  testimonial  of  his  worth.  He  has  been  twice 
married:  first,  in  May  1S74,  to  Iris  E.  Munson, 
daughter  of  the  late  Judge  Harris  B.  Munson,  of 
Seymour.  He  was  a  second  time  married,  in  1S7S, 
to  Nellie  A.  Johnson,  of  Oxford,  Connecticut.  Mr. 
Williams  has  no  children. 


\\  Ll.D,  Henry  Frank,  .Merchant,  of  New  Vork 
city,  was  born  in  Noroton,  Connecticut.  He  is  the 
son  of  Rufiis  Weed  and  Phebe  (Clock)  Weed.  His 
stock  contains  good  Revolutionary  folk,  both  grand- 
fathers,   Benjamin   Weed   and  John  Clock,  having 


34^^ 


^[EN    OF    PROGRESS. 


been  soldiers  in  that  war.  Henry  V.  W  eed's  educa- 
tion was  academic,  but  instead  of  going  to  college 
he  entered  practical  life  as  a  clerk,  and  by  virtue  of 
hard  work,  energy,  and  perseverance  pushed  his 
way  to  the  front  in  the  business  of  his  choice,  dry 
goods.  He  is  at  present  one  of  the  well-known  firm 
of  Weed  i^-  Brother,  dry  goods,  a  house  which  has 
its  headquarters  in  White  street,  New  York  city. 
Mr.  Weed  has  stuck  close  to  business  interests,  and 
has  not  been  drawn  away  therefrom  by  political  or 


H.    F.    WEED. 

other  distractions.  He  is  a  member  of  the  New 
York  Athletic  Club  and  of  the  Sons  of  the  Revolu- 
tion. 


WEED,  Benjamin,  Merchant,  of  New  York  city, 
was  born  at  Darien,  Connecticut,  June  i6,  182 1, 
son  of  Benjamin  and  Hannah  (Husted)  Weed,  who 
before  her  marriage  to  Mr.  AVeed  the  elder  was  Mrs. 
Hoyt,  a  widow.  Benjamin  AVeed's  life,  like  that  of 
other  members  of  the  family,  has  been  a  business 
one.  In  1862  he  was  a  member  of  the  Connecticut 
House  of  Representatives.  He  has  been  twice 
married  :  first  to  Mary  Waterbury,  on  Febniary  4, 
1845  ;  and  second  to  Eleanor  Jones,  on  April  9, 
1872.     He  had  two  sons  by  his  first  marriage  :  Isaac 


BENJ.      WEED. 


Downer  and  Arthur  Waterbury  Wcecl.     'Ihe   former 
died  in  1893. 


WOODRUFF,  Franklin,  senior  member  of  the 
warehouse  and  importing  firm  of  F.  Woodruff  & 
Company,  Brooklyn,  New  York,  was  born  in  Farm- 
ington,  Connecticut,  April  29,  1832.  He  is  the 
son  of  Sylvester  and  Nancy  (Andrus)  Woodruff,  and 
is  of  English  descent.  His  grandfiither,  Sylvanus 
Woodruff,  married  Miss  Barker,  a  relative  of  the 
late  Noah  Porter,  formerly  President  of  Yale  Col- 
lege. Young  Woodruft"  received  a  common-school 
education,  finishing  with  a  one  winter's  course  at  the 
East  Hartford  Academy.  With  the  ambitions  of 
youth  stirring  in  his  veins,  and  the  solid  inheritance 
of  New  England  character  and  training,  he  came 
to  New  York  in  1S50,  at  the  age  of  eighteen,  and 
became  a  clerk  with  Woodruff  &  Robinson.  So  well 
were  his  services  and  ability  appreciated  that  after 
eight  years  of  faithful  labor  he  was  made  a  partner 
in  the  firm.  I'he  partnership  continued  until  1875, 
when  the  firm  was  dissolved.  Mr.  Woodruff  carried 
on  the  business  alone  for  several  years,  afterwards 
admitting  to  partnership  Thomas  and  Samuel  Mc- 
Lean, who  retired  after  a  few  years  with  a  large 
fortune.  The  present  firm  of  F.  Woodruff  &  Com- 
pany are  widely  known  as  warehouse-men,  and  as  the 


N[F.X    OK    I'ROCRF.SS. 


349 


largest  imporlcrs  nnd  dealers  in  the   rniteil  Stales  W  Ill.i.l'iS,  Kih-.ak  '1"iui.i>ki'S,  of  New  York  ••ity, 

of  fish  and  salt.      I  he  business  has  proved  reniaik-      waslxiniiii  Hartford,  Conneriicm,  Aiijoist  21),  1843. 

He  is  one  of  the  able  sons  of  that  city  who  have 
gone  to  tlie  nictro|)olis,  there  to  win  success  and 
honor.  Siiil)  a  result  might  liave  been  expci-tcd 
with  .Mr.  Welles'  forbears,  for  he  is  the  son  of 
(lideon  Welles  and  Mary  Jane  Hale  his  wife,  the 
father's  name  being  a  noted  one  in  the  country's 
annals,  (iideon  Welles  was  Secretary  of  the  Navy 
during  the  I'residency  of  Lincoln  and  again  through 
that  of  Johnson,  a  longer  teinire  of  that  oflice  than 
any  other  statesman  before  or  since  can  claim. 
The  family  comes  from  Olastonbury,  Connecticut, 
an<l  it  was  as  the  Representative  to  the  State  Ix-gis- 
lature  from  that  town  that  (lideon  Welles  began  his 
loni,'  and  distinguished  public  career.  Mis  residence 
JTi  Charter  Oak  Place,  Hartford,  which  he  retained  to 
the  end  of  his  life,  was  one  of  the  marked  sjiots  in 
the  city,  'liie  Wclleses  come  of  fine  Puritan  stock. 
Thomas  Welles  was  the  original  settler,  and  he  was 
a  man  of  parts  who  rose  to  distinction  :  Treasurer 
of  the  Colony  from  iCi^q  to  1651;  Commissioner 
of  the  I'Tiited   Slates  Colonies    in    1649   and   1654; 


FRANKLIN    WOODRUFF, 

ably  snccessfiil.  Mr.  \\'oo(lniff  has  been  an  impor- 
tant factor  in  the  commerce  of  Pirooklyn,  and  no 
man  lias  done  more  in  providing  the  water  front 
with  ample  warehouses  and  docks.  He  is  a  man 
of  spotless  character  and  unswerving  honesty,  and 
has  the  universal  esteem  of  his  fellow-citizens.  In 
politics  he  is  an  independent  Republican.  With 
the  exception  of  a  five  years'  term  as  member  of 
the  Board  of  Elections,  he  has  never  accepted 
office.  He  takes,  however,  an  active  interest  in  all 
public  affairs,  and  was  largely  instrumental  in  the 
establishment  of  the  Brooklyn  Public  Library,  the 
largest  in  Brooklyn,  serving  for  five  years  as  its 
President.  He  was  for  many  years  a  member  of 
the  Brooklyn  Chib,  and  is  still  a  member  of  the 
Crescent  Club.  Mr.  Woodruff  has  been  twice 
married.  His  first  wife  was  Mary  Farnham,  of 
East  Hartford.  Three  children  were  born  to  them, 
Lilian,  Franklin,  and  Henry  Sylvester  Woodruff,  of 
whom   Lilian  only  is  living.     Llis  second  wife  was 

Mrs.  Phebe  L  (Van  Sidern)  Hunt.  Four  children  and  Governor  of  Connecticut  in  1655  and  1658. 
have  been  born  to  them  :  Franklin,  Peter  Myers,  The  old  family  homestead  in  which  Clideon  Welles 
Grace,  and  Arthur  Van  Sidern  \\oodruff,  of  whom  was  born  was  jiurchased  by  Governor  Welles  in 
the  first  and  last  named  are  still  living.  1640   from    the    Indians,  and    handed    down   from 


EDGAR    T.    WELL.ES. 


3SO 


MEN    OF    PROGRESS. 


(iither  to  son  in  unbroken  succession.  Thus  in 
ancestors,  both  remote  and  immediate,  Edgar  T. 
Welles  is  especially  favored.  He  was  educated  at 
that  excellent  institution,  the  Hartford  Public  High 
School,  and  thence  went  to  Yale,  and  was  graduated 
in  the  class  of  1864.  He  resided  for  a  time  in  Hart- 
ford, but  for  many  years  has  made  his  home  in  New 
York  city,  where  he  has  been  engaged  in  a  number 
of  important  enterprises,  and  is  at  ])resent  Yice- 
I'resident  of  the  Wabash  Railway  Company.  Mr. 
Welles  has  many  social  and  other  interests  and 
connections.  He  is  a  member  of  the  Union,  Uni- 
versity and  "  Down  Town "  Clubs  of  New  York 
city,  of  the  St.  Louis  Club,  the  Chicago  Club,  and 
the  Hartford  Club ;  also  of  the  Sons  of  the  Revolu- 
tion, the  Connecticut  Historical  Society,  New  York 
Historical  Society,  and  the  New  England  Society  of 
New  York.  He  married  Miss  Alice  Brainard,  of 
Hartford,  on  September  29,  1870,  and  they  have 
had  one  child  :  .Mice  Welles. 


WHITE,  John  Hurlhurt,  Lawyer  and  Judge,  of 
Hartford,  was  horn  in  Glastonbury,  Connecticut, 
November    23,    1833.     His    parents    were  Eleazar 


some  of  the  first  settlers  of  Wethersfield  and 
Hebron,  Connecticut,  and  from  that  Thomas  Hurl- 
hurt  who  was  one  of  the  participators  in  the  Pequot 
War,  under  Captain  Mason,  who  led  the  expedition. 
Judge  White  received  a  thorough  academic  educa- 
tion, upon  the  completion  of  which  he  begun  the 
study  of  law  in  the  office  of  the  late  H.  H.  Barbour, 
of  Hartford,  and  was  admitted  to  the  Bar  on  March 
12,1858.  He  was  elected  Auditor  of  the  city  in  i860 
on  the  Democratic  ticket,  and  continued  in  that  office 
until  1863,  when  he  was  elected  Judge  of  Proliate 
for  the  district  of  Hartford,  which  position  he 
retained  for  twenty-three  years.  At  the  expiration 
of  that  time  he  resigned  the  office  to  resume  his 
practice  of  law,  January  18S7.  He  was  a  Commis- 
sioner of  the  State  of  Connecticut  to  receive  the 
votes  of  the  State's  soldiers  in  the  field  in  the 
presidential  election  of  1864.  Since  i860  he  has 
been  connected  with  the  First  Company  of  Gov- 
ernor's Foot  Guard  as  an  active  and  veteran  mem- 
ber, and  is  now  President  of  the  ^'eteran  Corps, 
judge  White  was  for  some  years  President  of  the 
Probate  Assembly  of  the  State  of  Connecticut,  and 
has  been  an  active  and  valued  member  of  that  body 
ever  since.  He  is  a  member  of  the  Park  Congre- 
gational Church  of  Hartford  (made  famous  by  the 
ministry  of  Horace  Bushnell  and  Nathaniel  J. 
Burton),  and  for  many  years  has  served  upon  the 
various  committees  of  the  church  and  its  societies. 
Judge  White  holds  a  position  of  both  social  and 
professional  importance  in  Hartford.  He  is  not 
alone  a  gentleman  of  many  accomplishments,  but  is 
acknowledged  to  be  possessed  of  rare  judicial  abil- 
ity and  absolute  personal  integrity.  He  is  highly 
esteemed  in  the  community,  and  is  a  tireless  worker 
for  its  improvement  and  welfare.  He  was  married 
in  i860  to  Miss  Jennie  M.  Cooke,  daughter  of  the 
late  George  Cooke,  of  Litchfield,  Connecticut.  One 
son  was  born  to  them,  Henry  C.  White,  who  is 
well  known  as  an  artist,  and  who  was  married  in 
April   1889,  to  Miss  Grace  H.  Holbrook. 


JOHN    H.    WHITE. 


Sweetland    and    Alma    Holmes    (Hurlburt)    White, 
and  upon  the  maternal  side  he  is  descended  from 


WORDIN,  NATH.4NIEL  EuGENE,  Physician,  of 
Bridgeport,  was  born  in  Bridgeport,  May  26,  1844, 
son  of  Nathaniel  Sherwood  and  Fannie  Augusta 
(Leavenworth)  Wordin.  The  Leavenworth  ancestry 
goes  back  to  Thomas,  of  Southwark,  F2ngland,  who 
came  to  this  country  soon  after  the  restoration  of 
Charles  the  Second  —  a  period  when  many  dissenters 
and  republicans  found  it  both  convenient  and  safe 
to  leave  their  country  to  escape  the  dangers  and  per- 


mi:n  or  PKoc.RKSS. 


35' 


secutions  of  those  unhappy  times,  'rhomas  Leaven- 
worth, of  Southwark,  in  1664  appears  again  in 
Woodbury,  Connecticut,  where  he  ilieil  in  i6.S_v 
His  son,  Dr.  Thomas,  was  a  man  of  ])osilion, 
influence,  energy,  ami  weahh,  and  one  of  the 
founders  of  the  first  church  at  Ripton,  then  a  part 
of  Stratford,  now  the  town  of  Huntington,  Connecti- 
cut. Of  his  eleven  children,  the  sixth  was  Mark,  horn 
at  Stratford  in  171 1,  gra<luate(l  at  Vale  College  in 
I  737,  and  who,  as  Reverend  Mark  Leavenworth,  was 
a])]W)inted,  in  1  760,  Chajilain  to  the  Second  Connect- 
icut Regiment,  and  went  with  it  to  Canada.  Jesse, 
his  oldest  son,  graduated  at  Yale  in  i  759  ;  a  lieu, 
tenant  in  the  Governor's  Foot  Ciuards  under  ihi' 
Captaincy  of  Benedict  .Arnold.  When  the  news  of 
Lexington  reached  New  Haven  the  company  volun- 
teered, and  marched  by  Pomfret,  taking  "Old  I'ut" 
along  with  them.  He  is  known  in  the  genealogical 
history  as  Colonel  Jesse  L.  His  third  child,  Fred- 
erick, the  grandfather  of  the  subject  of  this  sketch, 
was  born  in  Waterbury  in  1766,  studied  medicine 
with  Dr.  Isaac  Baldwin  of  that  town,  and  practised 
there  for  several  years.  He  was  not  fond  of  the 
drudgery  of  practice,  and  for  upwards  of  twenty 
years  prior  to  his  death  held  the  office  of  Post- 
master. His  youngest  daughter,  Fanny  .'\ugusta, 
was  the  mother  of  Dr.  N.  E.  Wordin,  who  is  the 
fifth  generation  of  his  family  name  who  have  lived  in 
l)ridgeport.  They  are  a  family  of  integrity,  personal 
honor,  and  unpretending  life.  His  early  education 
was  acquired  in  the  public  schools,  and  under  the 
private  teaching  of  Rev.  G.  B.  Day  (Yale  1847),  of 
Bridgeport,  who  prepared  him  for  Yale,  with  one 
year  at  Wilbraham  (Massachusetts)  .'\cademy,  — 
three  years'  service  in  the  Sixth  Connecticut  Volun- 
teers, during  the  Civil  War,  intervening.  He  was 
graduated  at  Vale  College  as  A.B.  in  1870,  and  in 
1874  received  the  degree  of  M.A.  from  that  institu- 
tion, having  in  the  meantime  studied  one  season  at 
Y'ale  Medical  School  and  two  years  at  Jefferson 
Medical  College,  Philadel])hia,  where  he  graduated 
in  March  1S73.  Since  that  time  Dr.  Wordin  has 
practised  his  jirofession  in  Bridgeport.  He  is 
Physician  to  the  Bridgeport  Protestant  Orphan 
Asylum  ;  Visiting  Surgeon  to  the  Bridgeport  Hos- 
pital ;  Secretary  of  the  Connecticut  Medical  Society 
from  1888  to  the  present  time  ;  is  a  member  of  the 
Board  of  ^Lanagement  of  the  Fairfield  County 
Temporary  Home;  and  has  been,  since  1890,  a 
member  of  the  Connecticut  State  Board  of  Health. 
He  held  the  position  of  Secretary  of  the  Briilgeport 
Medical  Association  for  a  number  of  years,  and  was 


its  President  18S3-5.  Besides  his  membership  in 
various  medical  societies,  includin){  the  .Smerican 
Academy  of  Medicine  and  the  .American  Public 
Health  .Association,  he  is  a  member  of  the  Unitetl 
( )rder  of  the  Golden  Cross,  the  Sons  of  the  .American 
Revolution,  the   1-airfield  County  Misloriral  Society, 


N.    E.    WOHDIN. 

the  Contemporary  Club,  and  the  First  Congrega- 
tional Church  of  Britlgeport.  Dr.  Wordin  was 
married  December  25,  1879,  at  \Vilmington,  Dela- 
ware, to  Lli/.a  Woodruff  Barnes,  daughter  of  Julius 
Steele  Barnes,  ALD.,  a  graduate  of  \'alc  College  in 
1815,  and  of  Yale  Medical  School  in  1817;  they 
have,  one  child,  Laura  Barnes  Wordin,  born  May 
9,   1SS2. 

W.VRNICR,  .Arthur  Dixon,  Lawyer,  Woodbury, 
was  born  in  Southbury,  Connecticut,  .August  2, 
1848,  son  of  Sherman  B.  and  I.ydia  .A.  (Hall) 
Warner.  Obtaining  his  early  education  in  the 
common  schools,  he  took  a  four  years'  course  under 
Professor  T.  W.  'l'houii>son,  of  Woodbury,  which 
included  the  work  of  the  first  two  years  at  Yale. 
He  was  admitted  to  the  Bar  in  Litchfield  April  12, 
1872.  Prior  to  this  he  had  studied  law  for  three 
years  in  James  Huntington's  office  in  Woodbury. 
Sturdy,  straightforward,  and  strictly  conscientious  in 
every  detail,  he  entered  ujion  his  career  as  a  lawyer 


552 


MEN    OF    PROGRESS. 


in  West  Cornwall,  Connecticut,  immediately  after  his 
ulmission  to  active  practice.     He  remained  in  that 


ARTHUR    D     WARNER. 

village  till  November  14,  1S83,  when  he  went  to 
\\'oodbury  and  formed  a  partnershij)  with  the  emi- 
nent State's  Attorney,  James  Huntington,  and  has 
remained  there  ever  since.  Their  business  has 
increased,  and  has  taken  them  into  the  courts  all 
through  that  section  of  the  State.  Mr.  Warner  has 
held  the  office  of  Justice  of  the  Peace  since  April 
1S73,  and  was  Judge  of  the  Court  of  Common 
Pleas  for  Litchfield  County,  from  April  6,  1893,  for 
four  years.  Being  deeply  interested  in  educational 
matters,  he  was  a  member  of  the  Board  of  Educa- 
tion in  the  towns  of  Cornwall  and  Woodbury  from 
April  1873  to  July  1897.  Judge  Warner  belongs 
to  the  Masonic  Order,  which  has  a  unique  temple 
in  Woodbury.  He  married  Julia  J.  Sherman,  of 
Bethlehem,  Connecticut,  October  14,  1874.  They 
had  one  child,  (irace,  who  died  in  infancv. 


WILLIAMS,  Right  Reverend  John,  D.D.,  LL.D., 
Bishop  of  the  Diocese  of  Connecticut,  Senior  and 
Presiding  Bishop  of  the  Protestant  Episcopal  Church 
in  the  United  States,  and  Dean  of  the  Berkeley 
Divinity  School,  Middletown,  was  born  in  Old  Deer- 
field,  Massachusetts,  August  30,  181 7,  son  of  Eph- 


raim  andfEmily  (Trowbridge)  Williams.  His  father, 
one  of  the  foremost  lawyers  of  the  State,  was  the  author 
of  the  first  volume  of  the  Massachusetts  Reports. 
The  future  Bishop  was  reared  in  the  LTnitarian  faith. 
.\fter  studying  at  the  academy  in  Deerfield  he  went 
to  the  academy  in  Northfield,  and  in  1831  entered 
Harvard.  While  there,  under  the  advice  of  his 
friend,  the  Reverend  Benjamin  Davis  Winslow,  and 
after  careful  consideration  and  discussion,  he  decided 
to  adopt  the  Episcopal  faith.  This  determination 
made,  he  considered  it  wise  to  continue  his  educa- 
tion at  some  church  college,  and,  with  the  hearty 
approval  of  his  parents,  entered  Washington  (now 
'I'rinity)  College  in  Hartford.  Bishop  Brownell, 
who  had  resigned  the  Presidency  of  the  college,  con- 
tinued to  reside  in  Hartford,  so  that  the  young  stu- 
dent had  an  opportunity  to  form  a  close  acquaint- 
anceship with  one  of  the  great  leaders  of  the  church. 
He  also  enjoyed,  later  on,  intimate  relations  with  the 
Reverend  Dr.  Samuel  F.  Jarvis.  When  he  gradu- 
ated, in  1835,  he  became  a  candidate  for  Holy 
Orders,  and  entered  the  Theological  Seminary  in 
New  York.  Called  home  by  the  illness  of  his  father, 
which  proved  to  be  his  last,  he  gave  up  his  studies 
in  New  York  and  went  to  Hartford,  Connecticut, 
where  Dr.  Jarvis  was  a  Professor.  Here  he  resumed 
his  studies.  Bishop  Brownell  ordained  him  as 
Deacon,  with  his  friend,  Abner  Jackson,  in  the 
church  in  Middletown,  September  2,  1838.  After 
two  years  as  tutor  at  Trinity  College,  he  went  abroad 
with  his  mother  and  spent  about  a  year  in  England, 
Scotland,  and  Paris.  Then,  having  reached  the 
canonical  age  and  being  eligible  to  ordination  to 
the  priesthood,  he  returned  and  for  one  year  was 
assistant  to  the  Reverend  Dr.  Jarvis,  Rector  of 
Christ  Church  (now  Holy  Trinity)  in  Middletown. 
His  first  rectorship  was  at  St.  George's  Church, 
Schenectady,  New  York,  from  which  position,  in 
1848,  and  then  only  thirty-two  years  of  age,  he  was 
called  to  the  Presidency  of  Trinity  College.  When 
Bishop  Brownell  passed  the  age  of  seventy,  the  duties 
of  his  high  office  rested  so  heavily  upon  him  that  it 
became  necessary  to  choose  an  assistant.  Dr.  Will- 
iams was  elected.  He  was  consecrated  at  St.  John's 
Church,  Hartford,  October  29,  1851.  It  was  not 
till  two  years  later  that  he  resigned  the  Presidency 
of  the  college,  though  all  that  time  most  of  the  work 
of  the  diocese  had  fallen  upon  him.  During  his 
administration  the  college  made  wonderful  progress, 
the  small  endowment  was  greatly  increased,  and  the 
institution  assumed  the  worthy  position  among  the 
seats  of  learning  which  it  has  held  ever  since.     Re- 


mi:n  of  progrkss. 


353 


taining  the  position  of  Vice-Chancellor,  he  bocanu- 
Chancellor  ex-officio  on  the  ileath  of  liishop  Itrown- 
ell.     His  lectures  to  the  upper  classmen  were  also 


duty  which  has  characterized  his  whole  life  he  im- 
mediately took  his  place  in  the  chancel  and  went 
through  the  usual  ceremony  (jf  those  occasions.  A 
few  years  ago  the  house  in  Woodbury,  Connecticut, 
in  which  Hishop  Seabury  was  elected  in  1SS3  was 
inirchased  and  jiresented  to  him  by  some  of  his 
friends.  The  Uishop  performed  every  duty  of  his 
several  offices  up  to  the  summer  of  1897,  when 
increasing  infirmities  necessitated  division  of  lalwr, 
and  the  Reverend  Dr.  Chauncey  I),  llrewster,  of 
Brooklyn,  New  York,  was  chosen  Bishop-Coadjutor. 
Bishop  Williams  has  been  a  freipient  and  valuable 
contributor  to  the  religious  periodicals.  Among  his 
better-known  literary  works  are:  "Studies  in  the 
Book  of  Acts,"  and  his  .American  edition,  with  addi- 
tional notes,  of  Bishop  Harold  Browne's  "  l^xposi- 
tion  of  the  Thirty-N'ine  Articles."  The  Bishop  is 
popular  with  all  classes  and  sects  of  people.  A 
brilliant  conversationalist  and  interesting  speaker, 
and  withal  a  man  of  kindly  heart  and  broad  sym- 
pathies, he  is  not  only  revered,  but  loved  as  few 
men  are. 

W1':i;D,  John,  Merchant,  ol   New  York  city,  was 
horn   in   Noroton,  Connecticut,  son  of  Rufus   and 


JOHN    WILLIAMS. 

continued.  He  took  up  his  residence  in  Middle- 
town  in  1854,  with  his  mother,  that  he  might 
become  Dean  of  the  Berkeley  Divinity  School,  just 
incorporated.  At  Bishop  Brownell's  death,  January 
13,  1865,  he  succeeded  to  the  full  Bishopric.  'J"he 
diocese  had  nearly  doubled  in  every  way  during  his 
incumbency.  Union  College  in  1847,  Trinity  in 
1849,  Columbia  in  1851,  and  Yale  in  1883  conferred 
upon  him  the  degree  D.D.,  and  Hobart  in  1870 
that  of  LL.D.  At  the  General  Convention  in  1883 
he  was  made  Chairman  of  the  House  of  Bishops  and 
Assistant  to  the  Presiding  Bishop.  At  the  death  of 
Bishop  Lee,  of  Delaware,  in  1887,  he  became  the 
Senior  and  Presiding  Bishop.  At  the  Centennial 
celebration  in  .Aberdeen,  Scotland,  of  the  consecra- 
tion of  Bishop  Seabur)',  the  First  Presiding  Bishop  of 
the  American  Church,  Bishop  Williams  was  present 
as  his  direct  successor,  and  as  the  representative  of 
the  American  Church,  and  preached  the  anniversary 
sermon.  When  the  class  of  1872  at  the  Berkeley 
Divinity  School  were  about  to  be  ordained,  the 
liishop's  mother  was  dying.  Just  before  the  mo- 
ment for  him  to  jierform  his  official  duties  she 
breathetl  her    last,  and  with    that  fidelity  to  every 


JOHN    WEED. 


Phebe    (Clock)  Weed,  the    paternal   and   matern.d 
grandfathers  having  been  soldiers  in  the  Revolution- 


354 


mi;n  oi'  progress. 


:iry  War.  John  Weed  received  an  academic  educa- 
tion, and  then  entered  business  life  as  a  clerk.  By 
hard  work  and  faithful  performance  of  his  duties  he 
rose  steadily  until  he  reached  the  "  top  of  the  lad- 
der," and  is  at  present  at  the  head  of  the  well-known 
firm  of  Weed  &  Brother,  of  New  York  city,  whole- 
sale dry  goods.  He  has  devoted  himself  so  assidu- 
ously to  business  interests  that  he  has  not  connected 
himself  with  outside  interests;  true  to  his  ancestry, 
however,  he  is  a  member  of  the  New  England  Soci- 
ety.    Mr.  Weed  is  unmarried. 


WARNER,  Donald TiCKNOR,  Lawyer,  of  Salisbury, 
was  born  in  Salisbury  December  15,  1850,  son  of 
Donald  Judson  Warner  and  Lois  Camp  (Ball)  Tick- 
nor.  On  the  paternal  side  he  is  a  lineal  descendant 
of  Andrew  Warner,  who  emigrated  from  Gloucester- 
shire, England,  in  1630,  and  settled  in  Cambridge, 
Massachusetts,  in  16:52.  He  joined  Dr.  Hooker's 
colonv  in   1635,   and    was    one    of  the  deacons  of 


or  1759,  became   a  Congregationalist  minister,  and 
married  Elizabeth   l)e  Forest,  a  descendant  of  Jean 
De  Forest,   Huguenot  leader,  who  settled    in  Man- 
hattan Colony.     His  son,  Harvey  De  Forest  Warner, 
settled    in    Salisbury,    Connecticut,    where    Donald 
Judson,  father  of  Donald  Ticknor,  was  born.     The 
mother  of  the  subject  of  this  sketch  was  Lois  Ball, 
daughter  of  Sophia  Bingham  Ticknor  and   Robert 
Ball,  a  descendant  of  Robert  Ball,  a  clergyman  of 
the    north    of  Ireland.      She  was  adopted    by    her 
uncle,  Benajah  Ticknor  of  the  United  States  Navy, 
Fleet-Surgeon   under    Commodore   Decatur.     Don 
aid   Ticknor    Warner,  the   subject   of   this    sketch, 
acquired  his  early  education  in  the  common  schools 
of   Salisbury  and    at    the    Salisbury  Academy,  and 
entered  Trinity  College  at  Hartford  in  the  class  of 
1872,  but  did  not  graduate,  being  obliged  to  leave 
college  on  account  of  the  state  of  his  health.     Sub- 
sequently he  received  the  degree  of  Master  of  Arts 
from  that  institution.     Pursuing  the  study  of  law  in 
the  office  of  his  father,  Judge  Donald  J.  Warner,  of 
Salisbury,  he  was  admitted  to  the  Bar  in  April,  1873, 
and  since  that  time  has  been  a  practising  attorney 
in    Salisbury.       Mr.  Warner   held  the    position    of 
Postmaster  of  Salisbury  for  eleven  years  from  No- 
vember, 1874,  and  has  been  Judge  of  Probate  for  the 
District    of  -Salisbury    since    1885.      He    is    State's 
Attorney  for  Litchfield  County,  appointed  in  June, 
1896,  and   has  been  State   Senator  for  two    terms, 
1895   and   1897,  serving  as  Chairman  of  the  Judi- 
ciary Committee.     In  politics  Mr.  Warner  is  a  Re- 
publican.    He    was    married  October   4,    1882,  to 
Harriet  E.  Wells.     They  have  six  children  :   Donald 
judson,    Elizabeth    Harrison,  Lois    Caroline,    Mary 
Virginia,    I'hilip    Wells,    and    Jeanette     De  Forest 
Warner. 


DONALD    T.     WARNER. 

Hooker's  church.  He  subsequently,  in  1659,  moved 
to  Hadley,  Massachusetts,  from  which  place  his 
grandson  John  moved  to  East  Haddam,  Connecticut, 
where  he  died  in  1750.  The  latter's  son,  Noahdiah, 
born  in  1729,  graduated  from  Yale  College  in    1757 


ALLEN,  Charlks  Dexter,  Literary  Man,  is  the 
son  of  the  late  B.  Rowland  Allen,  of  Hartford,  who 
was  a  well-known  business  man,  and  of  Annie  Pier- 
son  Dexter,  his  wife.  Charles  D.  Allen  was  born 
May  8,  1865,  at  Windsor  Locks,  Connecticut,  where 
the  Dexter  family  homestead  is  located.  He  is  a 
seventh  descendant  from  Abraham  Pierson,  one  of 
the  founders  and  the  first  Rector  of  Yale  College, 
and  it  is  a  matter  of  regret  with  Mr.  Allen  that  with 
such  a  progenitor  he  did  not  attend  that  University. 
Revolutionary  soldiers,  too,  were  among  his  ances- 
tors, so  that  both  the  studious  and  the  martial 
mingle  in  his  blood.  One  forbear  walked  with 
Thos.  Hooker  through  the  wilderness,  and  his  name 


MKN    or    I'ROdRKSS. 


is  on  a  monument  in  the  historic  old  l-'irst  C'hunh 
Burying  Ground  in  Hartford.  Mr.  Allen  attended 
in    due    course    several    private    s(-hools,   the   West 


CHAS.    DEXTER    ALLEN. 

Middle  (".rammar  School  and  the  High  School  of 
Hartford,  but  did  not  go  to  any  college,  taking 
instead,  in  iSSj,  when  but  seventeen  years  of  age, 
the  position  of  a  clerk  in  the  Society  for  Savings, 
one  of  the  city's  solid  banking  establishments,  and 
he  has  ever  since  ke]>t  his  connection  with  that 
institution.  15ut  his  tastes  were  bookish  and  schol- 
arly ;  he  read  a  great  deal  and  took  especial  interest 
in  I'.X'li/iris  matters.  As  a  result  of  his  tastes  and 
inclination,  Mr.  .Mien  in  1895  accepted  the  posi- 
tion of  Literary  I'kiitor  of  the  Hartford  "  Evening 
Post,"  which  position  he  now  holds.  Moreover,  he 
has  made  himself  an  authority  second  to  none  in 
the  country  upon  the  subject  of  book-plates.  He 
has  published  two  very  handsome,  complete,  and 
scholarly  illustrated  works  of  ex-libris  imjiort, 
"American  Book-Plates"  (1894)  and  "Ex-Libris, 
Essays  of  a  Collector"  (1896),  has  a  notable  col- 
lection himself,  and  is  a  member  or  ofificer  of  half  a 
dozen  or  more  societies  whose  membership  is  made 
up  of  book-lovers,  book-collectors,  and  authors. 
Thus  he  is  a  member  of  the  Grolier  Club  of  New 
York,  the  Ca.xton  Club  of  Chicago,  and  the  Club  of 


Old  N'oluines  of  Itostun,  .ind  is  one  ui  tin-  Vice- 
Presidents  and  the  Corresponding  .Sccrelar)'  for  the 
Unitetl  States  of  the  K.\-Libris  Society  of  Ix)ndon, 
and  also  holds  memberships  in  the  .\merican  His- 
torical Association,  the  Conne<li<  iit  Historical  So- 
ciety, and  the  Connecticut  Society  Sons  of  the 
American  Revolution.  In  1894  the  Grolier  Club 
l)ublished  a  monograph  by  .Mr.  Allen,  on  .\mcrican 
hook-plates.  The  Authors'  Club  of  New  York  city 
has  recently  signified  its  appreciation  of  his  sen'iccs 
in  this  interesting  phase  of  letters  by  electing  him  a 
non-resident  member.  It  was  .Mr.  .Mien's  privi- 
lege in  1S94  to  plan  and  direct  the  first  exhibition 
of  book-plates  ever  held  in  this  country.  It  was 
given  at  the  Grolier  Club  in  New  York  city,  and 
many  foreign  e.xhibits  were  sent  over.  It  is  much 
to  Mr.  Allen's  credit  that,  while  sjicnding  the  work- 
ing hours  of  the  day  in  mercantile  pursuits,  he  has 
followed  his  bent,  and  by  quiet,  persevering  study 
won  a  recognized  place  as  an  authority  upon  book- 
plates and  a  cultured  man  of  letters.  In  politics  he 
is  a  Republican.  In  1890  he  was  married  to 
Frances  Louise  Clark,  of  Hartford,  and  has  two 
daughters  living  :  Sylvia  and  Marion  .-Mien. 


BRIXSMADE,  William  (k)Li>,  Educator,  Wash- 
ington, was  born  in  Springfield,  Massachusetts,  Jan- 
uary 21,  185S,  son  of  William  B.  and  Charlotte 
(Chapin)  Brinsmade.  He  is  a  descendant  in  the 
eighth  generation  of  John  and  Mary  Brinsmade,  the 
former  of  whom  arrived  in  Charlestown,  Massachu- 
setts, in  1637,  and  was  made  a  freeman  in  1638. 
In  1650  he  moved  to  Stratford,  Connecticut,  and 
was  Representative  from  that  town  for  the  years 
1669-71.  Daniel  Brinsmade,  the  next  in  line,  who 
was  born  in  1645  and  died  in  1702,  married  Sarah 
Kellogg,  of  Norwalk.  Lieutenant  Daniel  Brinsmade, 
son  of  Daniel,  was  born  in  16S7  and  died  in  1757. 
Reverend  Daniel  Brinsmade,  who  was  born  in  1718 
and  died  in  1793,  was  a  graduate  of  Yale,  and  for  a 
period  of  about  forty  years  a  Congregational  minister 
in  Washington,  Connecticut.  He  nurried  Rhoda 
Sherman,  a  niece  of  Roger  Sherman,  one  of  the 
signers  of  the  Declaration  of  Independence.  Judge 
Daniel  Nathaniel  Brinsmade,  also  a  graduate  of 
Yale,  married  Abigail  Farrand,  and  his  son.  Gen- 
eral Daniel  B.  Brinsmade,  William  G.  Brinsmade's 
grandfather,  who  was  born  in  1782  and  died  in 
1861,  married  Mary  W.  Gold,  of  Cornwall.  William 
B.  Brinsmade,  the  father,  was  born  in  1S19.  He 
was  graduated  from  \ale  University  with  the  class 


356 


MEN   OF   PROGRESS. 


of  1S40,  became  a  civil  engineer,  and  was  for  many 
years  Superintendent  of  the  Connecticut  River  Rail- 
road. He  married  Charlotte  Blake  Chapin,  of 
Si)ringfield,  Massachusetts.  His  death  occurred  in 
1S80.  John  Hrinsmade,  the  American  ancestor  of 
the  family,  had  a  brother  William,  who  was  ordained 


WM.    G.    BRINSMADE. 

to  the  ministry  in  1666,  in  Marlboro',  Massachusetts, 
where  he  remained  for  many  years  as  Pastor,  and 
his  journal  from  1665  to  1695,  written  in  Latin,  is 
now  in  possession  of  the  Massachusetts  Historical 
Society.  On  his  mother's  side  Mr.  Brinsmade  is  a 
lineal  descendant  of  Deacon  Samuel  Chapin,  who 
emigrated  from  Wales  and  settled  in  Springfield 
about  the  year  1640.  He  was  the  founder  of  the 
Chapin  family  in  this  country,  and  he  was  the  father 
of  two  sons  :  Japhet  and  Henry.  Japhet  Chapin 
married  Abilene  Cooley,  of  Chicopee  ;  John,  son  of 
Japhet,  married  Sarah  Bridgman,  of  Northampton ; 
Phineas,  son  of  John,  married  Bethiah  Chapin,  of 
Chicopee ;  Phineas,  2d,  married  Sabrina  Wright,  of 
Chicopee  ;  and  Hannah,  daughter  of  Phineas,  mar- 
ried Colonel  Harvey  Chapin,  a  descendant  of 
Deacon  Samuel  through  his  son  Henry.  Henry 
Chapin  married  Bethiah  Cooley,  of  I.ongmeadow; 
Deacon  Benjamin,  son  of  Henry,  married  Hannah 
Colton,  of  the  same  place  ;  Captain  Ephraim,  son 


of  Deacon  Benjamin,  married  Jemima  Chapin,  of 
Chicopee ;  Colonel  Abel  Chapin,  son  of  Captain 
Ephraim,  married  Dorcas  Chajjin,  also  of  Chicopee  ; 
and  Colonel  Harvey  Chapin,  son  of  Colonel  Abel, 
married  Hannah  Chapin, as  above.  Mary  W.  (Gold) 
Brinsmade,  William  G.  Brinsmade's  grandmother, 
was  a  descendant  of  Major  Nathan  Gold,  who  died 
in  March,  1694,  and  the  line  is  continued  through 
Captain  Nathan  Gold,  who  married  Hannah  Talcott, 
of  Hartford;  Reverend  Hezekiah,  ist,  married 
Mary  Ruggles,  of  Cornwall ;  Reverend  Hezekiah, 
2(1,  who  married  Sarah  Sedgwick,  of  Cornwall ; 
Benjamin,  who  married  Eleanor  Johnson,  of  Corn- 
wall;  and  Mary  W.  Gold,  who  married  (Jeneral  D. 
B.  Brinsmade,  as  above.  William  B.  and  Charlotte  B. 
(Chapin)  Brinsmade  were  the  parents  of  three  chil- 
dren, two  of  whom  are  John  C,  who  married  Mary 
G.  Gunn,  daughter  of  F.  W.  Gunn,  master  of  the 
Gunnery  School,  and  \\'illiam  Clold  Brinsmade,  the 
subject  of  this  sketch.  The  latter  acquired  the  pri- 
mary branches  of  his  education  at  a  private  school, 
])repared  for  college  at  the  Springfield  High  School, 
and  was  graduated  from  Harvard  University  in  the 
class  of  i88i,with  the  degree  of  A.B.  In  the  same 
year  he  became  an  instructor  at  the  Gunnery  School, 
of  which  his  brother  is  Principal,  and  was  Teacher 
of  Classics  until  1894,  when  he  established  the  Ridge 
Preparatory  School  for  Boys,  which  is  closely  allied 
to  the  Gunnery,  but  under  entirely  independent 
management.  The  Ridge  is  a  limited,  non-secta- 
rian school  where  youths  are  prejiared  for  a  collegi- 
ate course  in  a  most  thorough  manner.  It  is  located 
upon  elevated  ground  in  the  town  of  Washington, 
where  the  pupils  can  enjoy  healthful  surroundings ; 
and  the  building,  which  is  provided  with  a  perfect 
system  for  heating,  ventilating,  and  drainage,  affords 
all  the  comforts  and  moral  influences  of  a  well-regu- 
lated home.  Mr.  Brinsmade  has  been  for  the  past 
ten  years  a  member  of  the  Washington  Board  of 
Education,  and  its  Secretary  since  1893,  and  has 
served  in  the  same  capacity  for  the  Washington 
Library  Association  since  1 889  ;  has  been  for  ten 
years  Clerk  of  the  first  Ecclesiastical  Society  of 
Washington,  and  for  several  years  Chairman  of  the 
Society's  Committee ;  is  leader  of  the  Congrega- 
tional Church  Choir;  Conductor  of  the  Washington 
Glee  Club ;  a  member  of  the  Litchfield  County  Uni- 
versity, and  Poquasset  Club.  In  1885  he  married 
.•^da  Gibson  Colton,  daughter  of  Reverend  W.  S. 
Colton  (Yale  1850),  who  held  pastorates  in  Litch- 
field county  for  over  twenty  years.  They  have  one 
daughter :  Dorothy  Brinsmade. 


MKN    (IK    I'ROC.RKSS. 


357 


BRINSMADi:,  John  Ciiapin,  Kilucator,  wasborn 
in  Springfield,  Massachusetts,  April  ^4,  1852,  son  of 
\Villiam  Barllett  and  Charlotte  Hlakc  (fhajiin) 
Brinsmade.  His  father,  a  Yale  graduate  of  1840, 
was  a  son  of  Daniel  and  Afary  ((lold)  Brinsmade. 
Daniel's  father  was  Daniel  N.  lirinsniade,  also  a 
Yale  graduate,  and  son  of  Reverend  Daniel  Brins- 
made, a  graduate  of  N'ale  in  1745.  'The  mother  of 
John  Chapin  lirinsmade  was  a  daughter  of  Colonel 
Har%'ey  Chapin,  son  of  Colonel  Abel,  son  of  Captain 
Kphraim,  son  of  Benjamin,  son  of  Henry,  son  of 
Deacon  Samuel  Chapin.  Additional  particulars  re- 
garding the  lineage  of  John  C.  Brinsmade  are  given 
in  the  jireceding  sketch  of  William  G.  lirinsmade. 
'J'he  subject  of  our  sketch  received  his  early  eiluca- 
tion  at  " 'l"he  Gunnery,"  Washington,  Connecti- 
cut, and  at  private  schools  in  Springfield,  Massachu- 
setts, and  graduated  at  Harvard  College  in  the  class 
of  1874.  From  1S74  to  18S1  he  was  Assistant 
Teacher  in  the  (junnery  School,  in  the  beautiful 
hill  town  of  Washington,  Connecticut,  and  since  1881 
has  been  I'rinciiial  of  that  noted  institution, of  which 
his   f;ither-in-law,  the   lalc  1'".  W.  Gunn,  was  so   long 


JOHN    C-    BKINSMADE. 


the  head,  making  "  The  Gunnery  "  one  of  the  famous 
schools  of  New  England.  Mr.  Brinsmade  has 
adopted  the  unique  methods  introduced  by  Mr. 
Gunn,  and  under  his  direction  the  school  has  flour- 


ished, and  is  at  present  in  the  cnjuynient  of  all  its  old 
time  prestige.  Mr.  Hrinsmade  is  a  Kepiililican  in 
politics,  and  was  a  member  of  the  Connecticut  GtMicrnl 
.•\ssen)bly  from  Washington,  session  of  1895,  scn'ing 
on  the  Committees  of  Ivdiication  and  Federal  Rela- 
tions, of  the  latter  of  which  he  w.is  Chairman.  He 
was  married  October  4,  1876,  to  Mary  (Jold  Gunn  ; 
they  have  had  eight  children  :  Frederick,  William 
liarllett  (died  .August  1,  1894),  Chapin,  Ivleanor, 
Mary,  John  Chapin,  Jr.,  Charlotte  lllake,and  .Xbigail 
rene  Brinsmade. 


B.A'ri'FLI,,  Ri)iii;iNs,  Hanker,  Philanthropist,  and 
Musician,  of  Norfolk,  Connecticut,  was  born  in  thai 
place  on  the  ninth  of  .\pril,  1819,  and  died  January 
26,  1895.  "^'  ^^'-'^  ''■"-■  ''O"  of  Joseph  and  Sarah 
Battell,  and  a  direct  descendant  of  Dr.  FVancis 
LeBaron,  the  hero  of  Mrs.  .-Vustin's  novel,  "  A  Name- 
less Nobleman,"  and  he  was  also  a  descendant  of 
Governor  Bradford.  F'our  of  his  ancestors  were 
"Mayflower"  pilgrims,  and  the  line  he  represented 
is  one  of  the  most  distinguished  in  the  ('ountry. 
His  father  was  one  of  the  old  Connecticut  country 
merchants,  who  by  early  purchases  of  Western  lands 
aiUled  to  a  handsome  fortune  acquired  in  trade. 
The  subject  of  this  sketch  was  fitted  for  college 
in  Doctor  Hall's  famous  old  school  at  Ellington, 
Connecticut,  and  was  graduated  at  Yale  with  the 
class  of  1839.  During  his  college  life  his  musi- 
cal talents  maile  him  of  service  in  the  worship 
of  the  College  C'hapel,  where  he  played  the  flute, 
and  shared  the  honors  of  the  choir  leadership 
with  his  ever  fontUy  remembered  friend,  Richard 
Storrs  Willis.  .Among  his  classmates  were  num- 
bered such  men  as  Eli  W.  Blake,  Charles  Astor 
Bristed,  Senator  Dawes,  of  Massachusetts,  Governor 
R.  D.  Hubbard,  of  Connecticut,  Professor  J.  D. 
Whitney,  of  Harvard,  and  I'rofessor  I'rancis  Whar- 
ton, of  Kenyon  College.  .After  the  death  of  Mr. 
Hatlell's  father  in  1842,  the  care  of  a  large  landed 
and  personal  estate  devolved  upon  the  son,  who 
remained  at  Norfolk  for  nearly  thirty  years,  the 
leading  citizen  of  the  town  and  one  of  the  last 
sunivors  of  the  old  New  l^ngland  tyiie  of  country 
s(iuirearchs,  says  the  New  York  "  Evening  I'ost." 
An  ardent  ])atriot,  he  was  a  member  of  the  Peace 
Congress,  and  when  the  Civil  War  came  he  was  a 
staunch  supporter  of  President  Lincoln,  spending 
his  time  and  money  freely  for  the  good  cause. 
Unofficially  he  was  one  of  (Jovernor  Buckingham's 
most  trusted  advisers,  and  was  earnestly  requested 


>5S 


MKN    OF 


U)(;rkss. 


by  the  Governor  to  assume  the  Colonelcy  of  a  regi- 
ment, an  offer  which  he  was  obliged  to  decline, 
owing  to  family  affairs.  Mr.  Battell  was  in  politics 
without  being  a  politician.  He  was  the  Representa- 
tive of  his  town  in  the  State  Legislature  in  1852-58, 
'60  and  1880,  and  was  elected  Comptroller  in  1866, 
an  office  which  he  resigned  soon  after  taking  it, 
owing  to  conscientious  scruples.  The  list  of  his 
benevolences  is  almost  unlimited.  In  connection 
with  his  sister.  Miss  Anna  Battell,  he  founded  and 
maintained  at  Norfork  the  Robbins  School,  a  classi- 
cal preparatory  school  for  children  wishing  to  pre- 
pare for  college.  No  boy  or  girl  desiring  a  higher 
education  ever  appealed  to  Mr.  Battell  in  vain.  He 
was  greatly  interested  in  church  bells,  and  made  a 
number  of  discoveries  in  their  tones  which  puzzled 
even  so  eminent  a  master  of  acoustics  as  the 
recently  deceased  Helmholtz.  His  services  as  an 
expert  on  bells  were  frequently  called  upon  by 
intending  purchasers,  and  he  invariably  gave  them 
without  charge.  He  frequently  gave  bells  to 
churches,  and  also  gave  a  model  chime  to  his  own 


ROBBINS    BATTELL. 


fiimily,  consisting  of  the  Battell  Chapel,  the  found- 
ing and  endowment  of  the  Battell  Professorship  of 
Music,  thus  establishing  a  new  department  at  the 
College,  the  additions  to  the  library  fund,  and  the 
founding  of  a  number  of  scholarships  by  his  three 
sisters ;  and  more  recently  he  gave,  in  conjunction 
with  Mrs.  Eldridge,  a  sister,  the  money  required 
for  the  enlargement  of  Battell  Chapel.  For  twenty 
years  previous  to  his  death,  Mr.  Battell  resided  for 
the  most  part  in  New  York  city,  where  he  had  an 
office  in  Wall  street,  and  conducted  the  business 
connected  with  his  own  and  several  large  trust 
estates.  Although  Mr.  Battell  did  not  regard  him- 
self as  a  financier,  yet  he  succeeded  so  well  that 
one  of  New  York's  ablest  financiers  said  of  him 
that  there  was  "  no  safer  or  better  investor  in  New 
York  than  Robbins  Battell."  He  was  several  times 
chosen  as  the  town's  Representative  in  the  State 
Assembly,  and  once  as  the  Senator  from  the  dis- 
trict. He  was  a  Colonel  in  the  Litchfield  County 
Militia,  one  of  the  Trustees  of  the  State  Hospital 
for  the  Insane,  for  eighteen  years  one  of  the  cor- 
porate members  of  the  Ainerican  Board,  as  well  as 
President  of  the  Connecticut  Historical  Society, 
and  member  of  various  other  prominent  organiza- 
tions. In  the  memorial  discourse  delivered  by  the 
Reverend  John  DePeu,  this  rare  testimonial  appears  : 
"  He  was  not  simply  a  godly  man  ;  he  was  a  Chris- 
tian man,  a  church  man,  believing  in  the  church 
and  serving  the  church.  .  .  .  He  was  faithful, 
too,  to  his  fatherland.  Through  and  through  a 
New  Englander,  he  was  thoroughly  .American,  his 
interest  covering  the  whole  country,  as  he  cultivated 
the  soil.  East  and  West,  North  and  South."  His 
death  occurred  at  Norfolk,  Connecticut,  January 
26,  1895.  It  would  be  impossible  to  quote  in  the 
limited  space  allowed  us  from  the  scores  of  lauda- 
tory letters  received  at  the  time.  Words  of  con- 
dolence and  recognition  of  his  rare  character  were 
both  spoken  and  written  by  many  of  the  most  emi- 
nent men  in  the  country.  Mr.  Battell  was  married 
on  .August  15,  1849,  to  Miss  Ellen  R.  Mills,  of 
Newark,  New  Jersey,  who  died  March  19,  185  t. 
A  daughter,    Mrs.  Carl  Stoeckel,   survives  him. 


church  at  Norfolk,  to  Yale  University,  Williams 
College,  Northfield  College,  and  other  institutions. 
He  was  largely  instrumental  in  securing  for  Yale 
the  gifts  presented  by  the  various  members  of  his 


BENTON,  Herbert  Elmore,  Commissioner  of 
the  School  Fund  of  the  State  of  Connecticut,  was 
born  in  the  town  of  Morris,  Litchfield  county,  Con- 
necticut, July  31,  1849,  the  son  of  Daniel  L.  and 
Sarah  M.  (Starr)  Benton,  whose  ancestors  were 
among  the  earliest  settlers  of  the  State.     He    re- 


MIN    <^|-    I'ROCkKSS. 


359 


ceived  his  early  education  at  C.ciK-ral  Russell's 
Military  School  at  New  Haven,  entered  the  Aca- 
demic Department  of  Vale  in   iSfiS,  and  graduated 


HERBERT    E.    BENTON, 

from  the  \'ale  Law  School  in  1875.  During  his 
college  course  he  was  one  of  the  editors  of  the 
"  Vale  Courant,"  thus  beginning  a  career  in  jour- 
nalism which  he  followed  for  ten  years  after  gradu- 
ation. From  1880  to  1885  he  occupied  the  position 
of  editor-in  chief  of  the  New  Haven  "  Daily  Palla- 
dium." A  serious  affection  of  the  eyes  compelled 
him  to  abandon  the  editorial  chair  in  the  latter 
year,  when  he  accepted  an  ajipointment  to  the 
clerkship  of  the  Court  of  Common  Pleas  for  New 
Haven  County.  He  remained  in  this  position  until 
January,  189J,  when  he  resigned  it,  and  devoted 
himself  to  the  practice  of  the  law  until  July,  1895, 
when  he  was  elected  to  the  office  of  Commissioner 
of  the  School  Fund  of  the  State  of  Connecticut.  In 
|)olitics  Mr.  Iknton  is  an  ardent  Republican.  He 
has  frequently  represented  his  party  in  State  and 
Congressional  District  Conventions,  and  in  1890 
was  chosen  Chairman  of  the  Connecticut  Repub- 
lican State  Committee,  to  which  jiosition  he  was 
twice  reiilected,  finally  resigning  it  in  1895  to 
accept  of  the  School  Fund  Commissionership.  For 
a  long  time  Mr.  Benton  was  closely  identified  with 


1880  to  1892  conlinuously  a  lUfmher  of  the  New 
Haven  City  Oovernincnt,  serving  two  years  .is 
Councilman,  four  years  as  Alderman,  and  six  years 
as  Police  Commissioner.  Frou)  1894  to  1S97  Mr. 
llenton  was  President  of  the  Republican  lA-agiic  of 
New  Haven,  one  of  the  leading  political  orgnni?..!- 
tions  of  Connecticut. 


(IIANDI.KR,  Jnsi  111  W'li.iiAM,  Postmaster,  and 
judge  of  the  Horough  Court  of  Sufford  .Springs,  was 
born  in  Forrest  (Irecn,  Nailsworth,  ( Jloiicestcrshirc, 
Fngland,  April  2,  1837,  son  of  Deacon  James  and 
jane  (Stafford)  Chandler,  and  came  to  this  coun- 
try with  his  ])arents  in  1S46.  Heaccpiired  his  early 
education  in  the  common  schools,  making  the  best 
possible  use  of  the  advantages  which  they  afforded. 
His  training  for  active  life  was  received  as  clerk  and 
teller  in  the  Stafford  Hank,  from  1856  to  1869. 
Since  1869  he  has  been  engaged  in  the  real  estate 
and  insurance  business,  and  was  also  a  bookkeeper 
for  a  number  of  years,  which  with  the  atlded  care  of 
a  farm  has  kept  him  a  very  busy  man.  He  has 
ofticiated  as  a  Notary  Public  since  18O0,  and  w.is  a 


J.  W.    CHANDLER. 


'lYial  Justice  from  1872  until  the  Horough  Court  was 
established  in  1889,  since  which  time  he  has  sensed 
New   Haven  municipal   affairs,  having   been   from     as  Judge  of  that  Court.     In  Januar)-,  189S,  he  was 


36o 


mi;n  t)i 


appointed  by  the  rresident  and  confirmed  by  the 
Senate  as  Postmaster  of  Stafford  Sprinjis.  He  has  also 
sen-ed  as  Chairman  of  the  Republican  Town  Com- 
mittee and  Registrar  of  Electors  since  1872,  and  as 
Countv  Commissioner  from  1882  to  1885,  to  which 
latter  office  he  was  again  appointed  in  1895,  for  a 
term  of  four  years.  Mr.  Chandler  is  a  Charter 
Member  of  Wasson  Lodge  of  Odd  Fellows,  also  a 
Charter  Member  of  Stafford  Grange,  Patrons  of 
Husbandry.  He  was  married  in  i860  to  Martha 
i:ilis,  daughter  of  Willis  Ellis,  of  Stafft)nl  ;  ihey  have 
no  children  living. 


CURTISS,  Jamks  .Anson,  Wholesale  Grocer,  of 
Meriden,  was  born  in  Cheshire,  Connecticut,  Feb- 
ruary 23,  T846,  son  of  John  L.  and  Ellen  M. 
(Matthews)  Curtiss.  His  ancestors  were  sturdy, 
self-reliant  Connecticut  folk,  his  grandfather  being 
James  Heard  Curtiss,  of  Cheshire,  his  great-grand- 
father Davis  Curtiss,  while  his  mother  was  the 
daughter  of  Captain  .Anson  Matthews,  of  Southing- 
ton,  Connecticut,  a  noted  luittDii  manufacturer.      He 


J.    A.    CURTISS. 


received  his  early  education  in  the  common  schools 
of  Cheshire,  but  like  many  a  self-made  man  before 
him  began  practical  life  when  yet  a  boy,  at  the  age  of 


'ROGRI';SS. 

fifteen  going  to  work  in  his  father's  store  at  Iowa 
City,  Iowa,  and  thence  turning  to  Kankakee  City, 
Illinois,  where  he  was  a  clerk  in  a  grocery  store  until 
his  nineteenth  year.  Returning  to  his  native  State 
to  look  after  some  business  interests  of  his  grand- 
mother, he  gave  hostages  to  fortune  by  marrying  at 
Plainville,  Connecticut,  just  as  he  had  attained  his 
majority,  continuing  his  work  as  grocery  clerk. 
Industrious,  active,  and  intent  on  advancing  his 
interests,  in  two  years  he  had  changed  from  employee 
to  employer,  beginning  business  for  himself  by 
opening  a  general  store  at  South  Meriden.  Three 
years  after  he  came  to  Meriden  to  start  what  was 
then  known  as  the  Old  Original  Cash  Grocery,  at  1 7 
Colony  street.  Success  was  in  the  air  from  the  out- 
set ;  the  business  prospered,  and  the  store  became 
widely  known  as  one  in  which  a  strictly  cash  busi- 
ness was  transacted  and  the  best  goods  furnished. 
For  a  dozen  years  this  cash  grocery  was  continued. 
Meaawhiie  its  proprietor  had  even  taken  outside 
business  and  speculation  :  he  became  a  dealer  in 
horses,  buying  in  the  West  and  bringing  them  East 
in  person,  and  he  bought  and  sold  real  estate.  And 
as  a  result  of  this  additional  enterprise  he  made 
money,  and  is  now  one  of  the  best-known  business 
men  in  Meriden.  He  is  the  owner  of  fifteen  houses 
in  Meriden,  and  a  half  owner  of  a  brick  block  on 
Main  street  of  that  city.  He  now  carries  on  a 
prosperous  wholesale  grocery  located  at  102  West 
Main  street.  By  the  exercise  of  sound  discretion 
and  excellent  tact  he  has  been  singularly  fortunate 
in  his  business  ventures,  and  has  amassed  a  compe- 
tency. Mr.  Curtiss  is  a  large  holder  of  real-estate 
property  in  Meriden,  and  has  been  among  the 
leaders  in  erecting  substantial  business  blocks  and 
otherwise  improving  his  holdings.  He  is  also  Presi- 
dent, and  owner  of  thirty-nine  thousand  dollars  of 
the  forty  thousand  dollars  capital  stock,  of  the  Con- 
verse Publishing  Company,  and  is  frequently  called 
upon  to  settle  estates  in  the  Probate  Court.  These 
facts  tell  the  story  of  the  rise  into  influence  and 
prosperity  of  a  typical  self-made  business  man, 
unpretentious,  able,  and  honest,  who  without  fear  or 
favor  has  pushed  to  the  fore.  In  social  and  religious 
life  Mr.  Curtiss  has  also  been  active.  He  has  been 
for  twenty-eight  years  a  Royal  Arch  Mason,  and 
for  sixteen  years  Trustee  of  the  First  Methodist 
Episcopal  Church,  of  which  he  is  a  member.  He 
was  married  November  6,  1867,  to  Hester  Ann 
Morgan,  of  Plainville,  Connecticut ;  they  have  one 
daughter:  Bertha  Ellen  Curtiss,  born  November 
18,  1S76. 


MKN    ol"    I'ROCRKSS. 


361 


DI'.MING,  I.utiL's  I'akmkniis,  Kx-Judgc  of  ihc 
Court  of  Common  I'leas,  New  Haven,  was  bom  in 
West  Stockbriilge,  Massachusetts,  March  10,  1S36, 
and  is  the  son  of  John  Carlton  and  Polly  ( Slautcr) 
Deming.  He  comes  of  sterling  stock,  his  ancestors 
having  an  honorable  record  in  the  stirring  early 
days  of  American  history.  His  grandfather  was 
Sylvanus  Slauter,  his  great-grandfather  K|)hraini 
Slauter,  a  soldier  and  pensioner  of  the  Revolution- 
ary War ;  the  latter  son  of  Gilbert  Slauter,  also  in 
that  war,  meeting  his  death  at  the  battle  of  Saratoga. 
His  father,  John  Carlton  Deming,  was  a  son  of  John 
Carlton  Deming,  a  descendant  in  direct  line  from 
John  Deming,  one  of  the  nineteen  persons  to  whom, 
in  1662,  Charles  the  Second  granted  the  charter  of 
Connecticut.  The  descendant  of  such  forbears. 
Judge  Deming  received  his  education  in  one  of  the 
Massachusetts  country  school-houses,  the  kind 
concerning  which  the  poet  Whiltier  has  made  one 
of  his  most  charming  lyrics.  The  idyl  of  the 
"  little  red  school-house,"  from  whose  doors  so 
many  representative  Americans  in  their  youth  "  went 
storming  out  "  to  ]ilay,  has  often  appeared  in  liter- 
ature, and  is  a  sympathetic  subject.  When  he 
was  fourteen  years  of  age  his  education,  so  far  as 
formal  school  was  concerned,  ended,  and  it  was 
in  a  Massachusetts  grocery  store  that  his  post- 
graduate course  began.  Continuing  this  [jractical 
work  and  experience,  he  was  at  seventeen  ap])rcn- 
ticed  to  a  firm  of  fresco  and  ornamental  ])aintcrs 
in  Springfield,  Massachusetts;  but  in  1857,  his 
physical  condition  being  dubious,  he  followed  his 
parents  to  New  Haven,  Connecticut,  and  soon 
thereafter  went  to  sea  in  quest  of  health.  For 
seven  years  he  was  master  of  a  sailing  vessel,  during 
the  period  in  which  our  Civil  \Var  took  jilace. 
Here  was  indeed  an  unconventional  and  varied 
experience  for  a  potential  lawyer ;  but  doubtless  it 
was  very  valuably  conducing  to  the  breadth  of  view, 
self-reliance,  wide  knowledge  of  men  and  things,  as 
well  as  giving  him  bodily  stamina.  In  1875  Judge 
Deming  began  legal  study  at  the  Yale  Law  School, 
and  was  graduated  in  1877,  receiving  the  coveted 
Townsend  prize  for  the  best  oration,  and  on  his 
admission  to  the  Bar  began  the  practice  of  law  in 
New  Haven  with  the  Honorable  \Vm.  C.  Case,  the 
noted  Hartford  lawyer,  with  whom  he  had  an  asso- 
ciation of  fifteen  years.  In  1877  he  was  appointed 
by  Governor  Andrews  chairman  of  a  commission 
to  investigate  complaints  which  had  been  made  in 
regard  to  convict  labor  and  its  interference  with 
free  labor.     As  chairman  of  that  committee,  Judge 


Deming  acted  in  concert  with  a  like  conuniltcc 
from  .Massachusetts  and  several  other  States.  It  was 
during  this  investigation  that  he  visited  the  States' 
prisons,  penitentiaries,  and  reformatories  of  nearly 
all  the   Slates,  and  in    his    re])ort  recommended  a 


r> 


LUCIUS    P.     DEMING. 

law  limiting  contract  labor  in  ]]risons,  which  law 
was  adopted  and  is  still  continued  on  the  statute 
books  of  Connecticut.  Very  soon  after  his  admis- 
sion to  the  bar  he  was  appointed  to  the  position 
of  .Assistant  Prosecuting  .Attorney  in  the  city  of 
New  Haven ;  later  he  was  appointed  .Assistant 
Judge  of  the  City  Court  of  New  Haven,  then  Judge 
of  the  same  Court,  and  afterwards  Judge  of  the 
Court  of  Common  Pleas  for  New  Haven  County, 
which  last  position  he  held  for  six  years,  when  a 
change  of  parties  in  the  State  gave  his  position  to 
a  Democrat.  These  honorable  and  import;int  posi- 
tions are  an  index  of  Judge  Deming's  standing  in 
his  profession  and  in  the  community.  He  has 
also  held  a  large  number  of  positions  in  fraternal 
and  beneficial  societies,  and  is  looked  upon  as  an 
authority  in  secret  society  matters  in  his  own  State, 
and  after  filling  every  subordinate  post  in  the  Order 
of  Odd  Fellows  was  elected  and  sened  ais  Grand 
Master  of  that  Order,  serving  a  term,  too,  as  a  re])- 
resenlative  to  the  Sovereign  Grand  Ix)dgc  of  Odd 
Fellows.     He   has  had  equal  prominence  in  pair!- 


362 

,  iiic-heredilary  societies.  In  tlie  organization  of  the 
patriotic  society  of  the  Sons  of  tlie  American  Revohi- 
tion  he  was  a  leading  factor,  was  first  President  of 
the  Connecticut  Society,  and  first  President-General 
of  the  National  Society ;  to  which  must  be  added 
that  he  is  the  present  Supreme  Warden  of  the  New 
Kngland  Order  of  Protection,  and  was  for  six  years 
Grand  Warden  of  Connecticut.  In  fact,  it  would 
almost  be  easier  to  name  the  similar  social  organ- 
izations of  which  Judge  Oeming  is  not  a  member 
than  to  enumerate  those  which  claim  him  of  their 
membership.  One  himself  claiming  such  con- 
nection would  run  small  risk  of  taking  Judge  Dem- 
ing  bv  the  hand  and  calling  him  brother.  Looking 
lo  another  aspect  of  his  life,  it  may  be  remarked 
that  few  men  have  had  and  used  such  opportunities 
for  travel  as  he  ;  he  is  familiar  with  his  own  coun- 
try to  a  degree  exceptional  with  Americans,  and 
has  also  travelled  extensively  in  foreign  lands. 
Thus,  although  his  formal  schooling  ceased  when 
he  was  but  a  lad,  he  has  steadily  been  a  pupil  in 
the  great  school  of  life,  and  with  results  of  which 
he  may  justly  be  proud.  Latin  and  mathematics 
took  the  place  of  cards  and  story- telling  with  him 
during  the  idle  hours  of  sailor  life,  and  since  those 
days  not  a  moment  has  been  wasted ;  his  time  has 
been  fully  and  wisely  occupied  in  present  business 
or  in  preparation  for  new  responsibilities.  Judge 
Deming  is,  too,  an  orator ;  his  reputation  as  a  plat- 
form speaker  has  gone  far  beyond  his  own  State, 
and  from  all  over  New  England  come  invitations 
to  deliver  addresses.  He  is  to-day  one  of  New 
Haven's  ablest  and  most  respected  sons,  a  man  of 
place  and  power.  In  1858  he  was  married  to 
Laura  Eliza  Russell,  whodied  in  1872,  leaving  three 
children :  Lucius  Parmenius,  Jr.,  Hattie  Lovilla, 
and  Laura  Maude.  He  was  a  second  time  married 
in  1874,  to  Eleanor  M.  Parmelee,  by  whom  he 
had  one  child  :  Almira  Parmelee  Deming. 


MEN    Ol"    PROGRESS. 


Dr.  Fuller,  settled  there  in  17 14.  Dr.  Fuller's 
maternal  grandfather  was  a  King,  —  another  honor- 
able New  England  name,  —  and  descended  from  Will- 
iam   King,  of  Uxborough,  in  Devonshire,  England, 


FULLER,  Horace  Smith,  Physician,  of  Hart- 
ford, is  the  son  of  Joseph  Fuller  and  of  Cornelia 
(Smith)  Fuller.  He  was  born  in  the  town  of  Suf- 
field,  Connecticut,  noted  for  its  educational  facilities 
and  cultured  social  life.  The  ancestor  of  all  the 
Suffield  Fullers  was  Joseph,  who  was  the  son  of 
Joseph  Fuller,  of  Ipswich,  Massachusetts,  and  grand- 
son of  John  Fuller,  whose  name  appears  in  the  rec- 
ords of  that  town  as  far  back  as  1634.  In  1690 
Joseph  Fuller  purchased  proprietary  grants  in  Suf- 
field, and  his  son  Joseph,  great-great-grandfather  of 


H.    S.    FULLER. 

whose  son,  James  King,  settled  in  Ipswich  in  1672, 
and  moved  to  Suffield  in  1678.  His  grandson. 
Ensign  William  King,  Dr.  Fuller's  great-grandfather, 
was  a  patriot  who  figured  in  the  Lexington  Alarm. 
Dr.  Fuller's  mother  also  came  of  excellent  stock. 
She  was  the  daughter  of  Colonel  Horace  Smith,  of 
Amherst,  Massachusetts,  an  abolitionist  of  note,  he 
being  descended  from  the  Hadley  Smiths.  With 
this  ancestry  behind  him,  it  is  evident  that  the  sub- 
ject of  this  sketch  had  a  favorable  hereditary  influ- 
ence to  help  him  in  the  battle  of  life.  To  this 
advantage  —  and  it  is  always  one  to  reckon  with  — 
Dr.  Fuller  has  added  his  own  gifts  and  energies, 
with  the  result  that  he  is  to-day  in  the  forefront  of 
his  noble  and  beneficent  profession ;  a  leader 
among  the  medical  men  of  his  community.  He 
got  his  education  in  the  common  schools  and  then 
in  the  Suffield  Literary  Institute,  an  educational 
centre  long  known  in  the  State  for  its  high  standard 
and  good  work.  Dr.  Fuller  was  the  salutatorian  of 
the  class  of  1854.  Thence  he  went  to  Amherst, 
securing  the  degree  of  B.A.  in  1858.  Here,  too,  his 
studious  habits  and  intellectual  abilitv  were  notice- 


MKN    OF    I'ROC.RKSS. 


363 


able.  Then  lollowed  several  years  of  school  teach- 
ing in  Williamsburg,  Massachusetts,  in  Kentucky,  and 
as  a  ])roof  of  the  appreciation  in  which  he  was  held 
in  the  Literary  Institute  of  which  he  was  a  graduate. 
By  this  time  he  felt  that  his  life  work  should  be 
medicine,  and  accordingly  went  to  Harvard  to  take 
a  course  at  the  medical  school  of  that  ancient  and 
fiimous  organization  ;  later  supplementing  this  train- 
ing with  a  course  at  the  New  York  College  of  Physi- 
cians and  Surgeons,  where  he  was  graduated  in  1865. 
Hut  the  war  interfered  with  his  plans.  March  of 
that  year  found  him  Acting  .Assistant  Surgeon  of  the 
I'nited  States  Army,  stationed  at  Fort  Schuyler,  New 
\ork  Harbor,  where  he  continued  on  duty  until  the 
close  of  the  war,  in  .August,  1865.  Ur.  Fuller's  record 
in  the  service  was  honorable,  and  the  practical 
experience  thus  gained  stood  him  in  good  stead  in 
building  up  his  large  and  influential  practice  in  times 
of  peace.  .Almost  directly  after  leaving  the  army  he 
came  to  Hartford  (in  October,  1865)  and  established 
himself  as  a  doctor,  winning  the  esteem  and  confi- 
dence of  the  citizens,  until  to-day  he  is  one  of  its 
noteworthy  figures  in  active  and  successful  practice, 
and  \alued  by  every  one  both  as  a  man  and  physician. 
Of  (luiet,  unobtrusive  character,  he  makes  the  im- 
pression of  solid  acquirements,  good  judgment,  and 
his  personal  history  during  the  thirty  years  and  more 
of  his  Hartford  residence  bears  this  out.  He  has 
taken  a  prominent  part  in  city  life  in  many  direc- 
tions, from  1877  to  1884  serving  as  Coroner  and 
Chairman  of  the  Health  Committee,  and  since  the 
later  date  Medical  Examiner  under  the  law  then 
passed.  For  more  than  twenty  years  he  has  been 
\'isiting  Physician  at  the  Hartford  Hospital.  He  has 
also  been  President  of  the  County  Medical  Society, 
a  member  of  the  Board  of  State  Medical  IC.xaminers 
since  its  inception,  and  for  four  years  its  President. 
During  Governor  Andrews'  administration  he  wms,  in 
1879-80,  Surgeon  General  on  the  Governor's  staff: 
and  from  1873  ^o  1885  a  member  of  the  Board  of 
ITnited  States  Pension  Examiners.  Of  organizations 
in  his  own  profession  Dr.  Fuller  is  a  member  of  the 
City,  County,  and  State  Medical  societies,  and  of  the 
American  Medical  .Association  ;  and  is  also  a  member 
of  the  Hartford  Archsological  Society.  From  col- 
lege days  he  has  been  connected  with  the  Green 
Letter  Secret  Society,  .Alpha  Delta  Phi,  and  Phi  ]5eta 
Kappa,  the  latter  indicating  his  scholarship.  This 
commentary  of  positions  and  places  of  trust  within 
and  without  his  profession  is  but  a  suggestion  of 
Dr.  Fuller's  life  of  varied,  fruitful  activity.  He  is,  in 
the  best  sense,  one  of  the  men  of  light  and  leading 


in  Hartford,  and  his  repuiation  extends  far  beyond 
the  limits  of  that  city.  .Ml  his  interest  and  energy 
have  been  concentrated  on  medical  work,  leaving 
him  scant  time  for  writing  or  publication,  though 
occasionally  a  valuable  pajicr  has  come  from  his  pen. 
Hut  the  work  of  his  hand  has  in  itself  published  his 
name  as  a  skilful  and  authoritative  ])hysician. 


Fl  I/MAIKK  1:,  Wai.ii-.k,  Newspaper  Editor 
anil  Proprietor,  New  lA)ndon,  was  born  in  Provi- 
dence, Rhotle  Island,  Jtme  29,  1851.  He  is  the 
son  of  Michael  and  Mary  ('I'umelty)  Fit/mauricc. 
Mr.  l''itzmaurice  jxished  his  way  to  the  front  by  dint 
of  sheer  pluck,  hard  work,  and  natural  force.  He 
had  got  some  schooling  in  the  public  schools  of  New 
London,  but  at  the  age  of  twelve  began  an  appren- 
ticeship on  the  "  Evening  Star  "of  that  city,  and 
later  was  a  compositor  on  the  "  Elm  City  Press,"  of 
New  Haven.  Then  came  positions  as  coni])ositor, 
finally  foreman,  on  the  New  London  "  livening 
Telegram,"  and  another  step  up  to  the  city  editor- 
ship.     In   1885   he  was  one  of  the  founders  of  the 


WALTER    FITZMAURICE. 


"  Morning  Telegraph,"  of  which  he  is  now  sole 
manager  and  proprietor.  These  (;icts  tells  a  char- 
acteristically .American  story  :  from  boy  to  man  we 
see  Mr.  Htzmaurice    learning   every  stage    of  the 


164 


MEN  OF  rR(H;Ri;ss. 


newspaper  business  from  the  humblest  to  the  high- 
est, until  he  earns  his  well-deser\ed  reward,  ^^■ith 
the  e.\cei)tion  of  one  year  in  New  Haven,  above 
indicated,  he  has  lived  in  New  London  since  he  was 
six  months  old.  It  is  a  lesson  in  steady  industry 
and  talent  that  develops  in  the  rough  school  of  life 
with  the  best  results.  \'arious  outside  positions  and 
honors  have  come  to  him,  betokening  his  standing 
in  the  community.  From  1885  to  1889  he  was 
Inspector  of  Customs,  and  from  189 1-5  a  Repre- 
sentative in  the  General  Assembly.  He  has  been 
Captain  and  Aide-de-Camp,  Major  and  Brigade 
Commissary  of  the  Connecticut  National  Guard 
during  the  time  between  December,  1893,  and 
January,  1897.  In  business  and  social  relations  he 
is  a  Trustee  of  the  Manner's  Savings  Bank,  Corpo- 
rator of  the  New  London  Memorial  Hospital  Associ- 
ation, and  since  1883  Secretary  of  the  New  London 
Board  of  Trade.  He  was  in  1894-5  President  of 
that  worthy  organization,  the  Catholic  Total  Absti- 
nence Union  of  Connecticut,  and  has  been  for  six- 
teen years  an  officer  of  the  l-nion,  representing  it  at 
the  National  Conventions  of  Scranton,  Cleveland, 
St.  Louis,  Boston,  and  Pittsburgh.  Mr.  Fitzmaurice 
has  not  cared  to  enter  actively  into  politics.  He  is 
a  Democrat.  He  was  married  June  4,  1873,  to 
Elizabeth  Hogue,  and  they  have  six  children  living. 
Walter  Fitzmaurice  stands  high  in  his  community, 
and  should  so  stand,  for  he  is  in  the  best  sense  of 
the  term  a  self-made  man  —  the  kind  of  man  it  is 
the  special  pride  of  our  land  to  foster  and  produce. 


the   Red  Men  ;  the  New  England  Order  of  Protec- 
tion :  and  the  Arcanum  Club  of  Norwich,  Connect- 


HALL,  Stephen  H.,  Postmaster  at  Norwich,  Con- 
necticut, was  born  in  Waterford,  New  York,  Janu- 
ary 3,  1849,  son  of  Henry  M.  and  Betsy  (Van  Voor- 
hees)  Hall.  His  paternal  grandfather  was  Alpheus 
Hall,  and  his  grandmother  was  Sophia  (Cooley) 
Hall.  His  maternal  grandfather  was  Jeremiah  Van 
Voorhees,  and  his  grandmother  was  Ann  (La  Sellee) 
Van  Voorhees.  After  leaving  school  at  an  early  age 
he  learned  a  mechanic's  trade,  in  which  he  con- 
tinued until  1888,  and  later  became  manager  of 
B.  Shoninger's  piano  business.  He  has  been  a 
Democrat  all  his  life,  but  since  the  Chicago  Con- 
vention has  sided  with  the  gold  wing  of  his  party. 
He  was  a  member  of  the  Connecticut  Senate  1887- 
9,  and  ran  for  Congress  in  1888,  coming  the  nearest 
to  election  of  any  Democrat  in  the  third  district  in 
a  Presidential  year  since  1852.  He  is  a  member  of 
the  Odd  Fellows  in  all  its  branches ;  the  Knights  of 
Pythias  ;  the  Ancient  Order  of  United  Workmen  ; 


STEPHEN    H.    HALL. 

icut.  He  was  married  November  2,  1878,  to 
Caroline  E.  Blatkwell,  of  East  Wareham,  Massachu- 
setts.    They  have  one  daughter :  Maud   K.  Hall. 


HEUBLEIN,  Gilbert  F.,  head  of  the  firm  of  G. 
F.  Heublein  &  Brother,  Hartford,  was  born  in  Suhl, 
Germany,  December  28,  1849,  son  of  Andrew  and 
Elena  (Meissner)  Heublein.  He  was  educated  in 
the  public  schools  and  German  school  of  Hartford, 
and  in  1870  he  entered  business  with  his  fether, 
under  the  firm  name  of  Andrew  Heublein  &  Son.  In 
1875,  with  his  brother,  Louis  Heublein,  he  succeeded 
to  the  business,  and  the  firm  has  since  been  known 
as  G.  F.  Heublein  &  Brother.  The  firm  are  im- 
porters and  exporters  of  fine  wines,  liquors,  and 
cigars,  olive  oil,  bay  rum,  and  witch-hazel,  and  are 
proprietors  of  the  well-known  Club  Cocktails,  Club 
Punch,  and  Apple  and  Honey  Calisaya  Bitters,  and 
they  have  a  bonded  manufacturers'  w-arehouse  for 
export,  and  do  a  large  business  with  every  country 
in  the  world.  In  1891  they  built  the  Heublein 
Hotel  in  Hartford,  w-hich  is  one  of  the  finest- 
equipped  hotels  in  New  England,  finished  in  oak 
and  carpeted  with  Persian  rugs  throughout.     Heub- 


MEN    OF    I'RCX'.RKSS. 


365 


lein's  Cafe  has  long  been  famous  in  Hartford,  ami 
is  patronized  by  the  Trinity  College  students  and 
the  best  class  of  customers  in  the  city.  In  politics 
Mr.  Heublein  is  a  Democrat  with  indepenileiu 
tendencies.  He  is  a  member  of  the  Hartford  and 
Country  Clubs  of  Hartford  and  the  Athletic  Club  of 
New  York.  He  was  married  December  2,  1876,  to 
Louise  M.,  daughter  of  the  late  Louis  Gindlach,  of 
Hartford.     'I'hev  have  two  children  :  .Mice  IL,  born 


G.    F.    HEUBLEIN. 

October  20,  18 78,  and  Artliur  C.  Heublein,  born 
September  18,  1880.  Mrs.  Heublein  was  educated 
at  the  Hartford  High  School,  and  finished  her  educa- 
tion in  Ciermany.  'J'heir  daughter  Alice  is  now  in 
Herlin,  (lermany,  where  she  has  for  two  years  been 
studying  music  at  a  private  school. 


MAI.rr>\',  W'li.HURT  Stkvf.n's,  was  born  in  North- 
ford,  Connecticut,  November  3,  1866,  son  of  E. 
Chapman  and  Hannah  Hoadley  Maltby.  He  received 
his  early  education  at  Birmingham,  Connecticut,  and 
Lebanon,  New  Hampshire,  High  Schools.  Very 
early  in  life  he  showed  remarkable  skill  in  devis- 
ing and  using  mechanical  contrivances.  Physically 
gifted,  it  was  with  ease  that  he  acquired  a  nice  use  of 
foot,  hand,  and  eye,  beyond  the  most  arduous  efforts 
of  the  vast  majority  of  men.     Few  have  equalletl. 


none  have  surpassed,  him  in  the  filling  of  ihc 
bicycle.  No  womler  that  when  as  a  bicyclist  he 
visited,  in  1SS6-7,  Australia,  India,  Circal  Hriuiin, 
and  other  lands,  exhibiting  his  wonderful  feats  on  the 
wheel,  he  won  laurels  of  which  he  has  reason  indeed 
to  be  proud.  1  lis  brochure,  "  Trick  Cycling  in  Many 
l-anils,"  is  as  interesting  as  a  novel,  and  written  with 
much  literary  finish.  It  must  have  been  exceed- 
ingly pleasing  to  him,  on  his  return  to  Kinninghani 
from  his  long  trip  to  foreign  countries,  to  have  been 
welcomed  home  as  a  compiering  hero.  ,\  paper  of 
that  town  thus  describes  the  ovation  given  him  by 
his  admiring  ami  enthusiastic  friends  :  "  .Xs  the  train 
stopped  and  the  face  of  Mr.  Maltby  appeared  upon 
the  platform  a  cheer  arose  in  the  throng  that  had 
gathered  that  startled  the  other  occupants  of  the 
train.  'I'he  crowd  fairly  conveyed  him  to  the  car- 
riage in  wailing,  where,  joined  by  Warden  Heardsley 
and  others,  a  procession  was  formed,  headed  by  the 
Ixho  Brass  Band.  Red  fire  and  Roman  candles 
gave  brilliancy  to  the  occasion,  and  when  the  bridge 
was  crossed  the  enthusiasm  of  the  crowd  and  the 
blaze  along  the  principal  streets,  of  bonfires,  rockets, 
and  red  fire,  have  seldom  been  excelled  in  this  local- 
ity.    Mr.    Maltby  has   now   practically   abandoned 


W.    S.    MALTBY. 


fancy  cycling,  for  as  a  busy  member  of  the  Maltby- 
Henley  Com|)any,  of  20  Warren  street,  New  York, 


;r,6 


MKN    OF    PROGRESS. 


agents  for  the  Keating  bicycle,  he  has  little  time 
to  devote  thereto.  Before  his  association  with  his 
present  firm  he  was  for  several  years  connected 
with  the  Keating  agency  at  i  Park  place,  New 
York  city.  Without  a  question  the  popularity  of 
the  bicycle  he  represents  is  largely  owing  to  his 
reputation  as  a  rider  and  energy  as  a  business 
man. 

MA\,  Calvin  Si.oank,  Physician,  of  New  Wnk 
city,  was  born  in  Naugatuck,  Connecticut,  June  i, 
1848,  and  is  the  son  of  James  W.  and  .Abigail  I'. 
(Hotchkiss)  May.  He  is  in  the  eighth  generation 
from  John  May,  who,  settling  in  Roxbury,  Mass.,  in 
1634,  was  the  brother  of  Dorothy  May,  wife  of  the 
famous  Governor  Bradford  of  the  "Mayflower;" 
and  in  the  fourth  generation  from  Alexander  Sloane, 
I.ieutenant-Colonel  in  the  Continental  Army,  New 
\ork  troops  ;  also  in  the  fourth  generation  from  Capt. 
Gideon  Hotchkiss,  of  the  Connecticut  Continental 
troops.  He  is,  too,  the  grandson  of  Mayor  Orrin 
1  lotchkiss,  of  Prospect,  Connecticut,  who  served  in 


CALVIN    S.    MAY. 


passing  then  to  the  High  School  of  that  place,  and 
thence  going  to  the  Commercial  College  in  New 
Haven,  his  year  of  graduation  there   being    1S68. 
By  this    time  young   May   felt    his    vocation  to  be 
that  of  medicine  ;   wherefore  he  entered   the  Yale 
Medical  School  and  won  his  M.D.  in  1S73.    During 
the  year  following  he  served   as  House  Surgeon  at 
the  New  Haven  Hospital,  in  itself  a  testimonial  to 
his  ability.     Further  posts  of  honor  and  usefulness 
followed.     From    1874    to    1877    he  was  Assistant 
Physician    at    the    Connecticut     Hospital    for    the 
Insane  at  Middletown,  and  for   1877  Acting  Super- 
intendent.   Continuing  in  this  important  and  difficult 
branch  of  medical  work,  he  was  for  the   next  four 
years  (until  1S81)  Superintendent  of  the  State  Hos- 
]3ital  for  the  Insane  at  Danvers,  Massachusetts.    After 
an  interim  of  three  years  Dr.  May  gave  up  this  work, 
and  in  1884  came  to  New  York  city  for  the  general 
practice  of  his  profession,    establishing   himself  at 
205  West  57th    street.     His  success  there  has  been 
steady  and  marked.      For  twelve  years  past  he  has 
spent  the  summers  at  Saratoga  Springs,  New  York, 
as  Resident  Physician    of  that    great    hostelry,  the 
United  States  Hotel.     His  clientele,  whether  in  this 
watering  place  or  in  the  metropolis,  is  select  and 
influential.       Dr.    May   also    holds    membership    in 
various  social  and  patriotic-hereditary  organizations, 
being  a  Fellow  of  the  New  York  Academy  of  Medi- 
cine ;    a   member  of  the  Medical   Society  of  New 
York  ;  the  New  England  Society  of  New  York  city; 
and  of  the  Connecticut  Society  of  the  .Sons  of  the 
Revolution.     He   is   a  loyal    and   able    son  of  his 
native  New  England,  one  of  the  many  whom    the 
Nutmeg  State  has  nurtured   and   then  sent  out  to 
win  success  in  the  great  city.     Dr.  May  was  married 
February  23,  1877,  to  Rebecca  P.,  daughter  of  the 
Hon.  .\ndre  Gushing,  of  St.  John,  New  Brunswick. 
Tiiey  have  one  child  :   Eleanor  Cushint?  Mav. 


the  War  of  1812.  This  is  an  ancestry  honorable 
and  distingidshed,  of  which  Dr.  May  can  justly  be 
proud.  The  subject  of  this  sketch  received  his 
early  education  in  the  public  schools  of  Naugatuck, 


MORGAN,  jAiMES  T.,  General  Manager  of  the 
Morgan  Silver  Plate  Company,  Winsted,  was  born 
at  Haddam  Neck,  Connecticut,  July  24,  1839.  His 
father  was  engaged  in  the  blacksmithing  business, 
and  the  son  was  made  familiar  with  the  trade  in  his 
youth,  meanwhile  attending  the  common  schools 
until  seventeen  years  old.  He  then  entered  the 
employ  of  L.  Boardman  &  Sons,  manufacturers  of 
silver-plated  ware  at  Haddam,  and  after  learning  the 
trade  was  advanced  to  the  position  of  Superintend- 
ent of  one  of  their  establishments,  continuing  as 
such  until   1870.     In  1871    he  acquired  an  interest 


MEN    OF   PROGRESS. 


367 


in  the  Strong  Manufacturing  Comiwny  of  Winstcd, 
becoming  a  member  of  its  Board  of  Directors  tiie 
same  year,  and  in  1874  was  appointed  Sui)crintend- 
ent   of    the    Hardware    Department.      Selling   his 


in  Pennsylvania,  and  the  names  of  some  of  them  are 
jirominent  in  the  history  of  the  early  struggles  of 
the  settlers  with  the  Indians  in  that  part  of  our 
country.  On  his  mother's  side  Mr.  Wagner  is 
descended  from  the  three  Harrison  brothers  who 
came  from  England,  one  settling  in  Virginia,  one 
in  New  Jersey,  and  one  in  Connecticut.  Two  of 
tlie  descendants  of  the  Virginia  bramh  have  been 
Presidents  of  the  I'nited  St.ites.  Mr.  Wagner  ob- 
tained his  early  education  in  the  public  schools  of 
l.ilchfield,  and  in  the  l.itilifield  .Academy  ;  he  is  a 
graduate  of  the  Sheffield  Scientific  School  of  the 
class  of  1874,  and  of  the  Vale  I.aw  School  of  the 
class  of  1S76.  Immediately  u|)on  graduation,  asso- 
ciated with  John  \V.  .\lling,  he  commenced  the 
practice  of  his  profession  in  the  city  of  New  Haven. 
He  continued  actively  engaged  in  the  practice  of 
law  in  New  Haven  until  1890,  when  he  formed 
a  i)artnershiii  with  Ex-Governor  Thomas  M.  Waller, 
who  had  just  comjileted  his  term  of  United  States 
Consul-Cuneral  in  England,  and  with  William  W. 
Cook,  the  author  of  "  Cook  on  Stock  and  Stockhold- 
ers." The  firm  of  Waller,  Cook  \-  Wagner  established 
their  office  at  15  Wall  street,  New  \'ork  city,  devot- 
ing most  of  their  attention  to  the  organization  and 


J.    T.  MORGAN. 

interest  in  that  concern  in  18S7,  he  organized  the 
Morgan  Silver  Plate  Company,  for  the  purpose  of 
manufacturing  undertakers'  supplies,  and  under  his 
able  management  this  enterprise  has  proved  exceed- 
ingly successful.  Mr.  Morgan  is  also  one  of  the 
best-known  poultry  breeders  in  Litchfield  county, 
and  was  the  originator  an<l  manufacturer  of  the 
celebrated  Phosphorated  Poultry  Food.  He  is  con- 
nected with  the  Independent  Order  of  Odd  Fellows, 
the  Royal  An  anum,  the  .\ncient  Order  of  I'nited 
Workmen,  and  the  New  luigland  Order  of  Protec- 
tion. He  is  a  member  of  the  First  Congregational 
Church  of  Winsted,  and  as  a  business  man  and 
citizen  he  is  held  in  high  regard  by  the  entire 
comnumily.  Politically  he  is  a  Republican.  Mr. 
Morgan  was  married  in  1865  to  Miss  Ellen  \'. 
Mitchell,  of  Moodus,  Connerticut ;  they  have  two 
sons. 


WAGNER,  S.  Hai?rison,  son  of  Daniel  W.  and  s.  Harrison  wagner. 
Melinda  L.  (Harrison)  Wagner,  was  born  in  Litch- 
field, Connecticut,  June   18,  1849.       His  ancestors  reorganization  of  railroad  and  industrial  corporations, 
on  his  father's  side  were  among  the  earliest  settlers  Mr.  Cook  retiring  in  1894,  the  firm  is  continued  at 


368 


MEN    OF   PROGRESS. 


the  same  place,  under  the  name  of  Waller  &  Wagner, 
in  the  same  sjjecial  law  business.  The  firm  is  inter- 
ested financially  in  various  railroad  and  other  cor- 
porations. Mr.  Wagner  is  a  Director  in  street  rail- 
ways in  Connecticut,  Massachusetts,  Maine,  and 
New  \ork.  Previous  to  theformation  of  his  firm 
in  New  York,  Mr.  Wagner  was  active  in  politics  in 
Connecticut,  on  the  Democratic  side.  He  has 
never,  however,  held  any  office  except  for  a  while 
in  connection  with  the  City  (Government  of  New 
Haven.  Mr.  Wagner  is  a  Mason  of  the  famous 
Hiram  No.  i  Lodge  of  New  Haven.  He  married 
Estallah  S.  Converse  in  1873.  Their  only  child, 
Harrison  C..  Wagner,  a  graduate  of  Yale  of  the 
class  of  1S95,  is  now  a  member  of  the  Yale  Law 
School. 

I'l'X'K,  Ih.NKV  F.,  Brass  Manufacturer  and  Ex- 
Mayor  of  New  Haven,  was  born  in  New  Britain, 
March  31,  1828,  son  of  Elnathan  and  Mary 
(Dewey)  Peck,  and  is  descended  from  some  of  the 
country's  earliest  settlers,  Joseph  Peck,  his  forbear, 
having  come  to  America  in   1638.     Mr.  Peck  was 


educated  in  the  common  schools  of  his  native  town 
and  at  the  New  Britain  Academy,  an  institution  of 
high  standing  in  the  educational  field,  and  one 
yielding  the  best  of  advantages  to  its  students;  but 


at  the  early  age  of  seventeen  he  was  forced  to  give 
up  his  studies,  and  he  straightway  embarked  on  his 
active  business  career  by  taking  a  jilace  in  his 
father's  workshop,  Mr.  Peck,  Sr.,  being  then 
engaged  in  the  manufacture  and  sale  of  hardware 
goods.  In  1859  this  branch  of  trade  was  given  up 
for  the  more  ])rofitable  manufacture  of  brass  mate- 
rials used  in  connection  with  water,  gas,  and  steam, 
in  New  Britain.  The  business  was  removed  to 
New  Haven  in  1862,  and  in  the  same  year  Mr. 
Henry  F.  Peck  joined  his  father  there,  and  became 
a  member  of  the  firm,  his  brother,  J.  ^L  Peck,  being 
admitted  to  partnership  a  year  later  and  the  business 
carried  on  under  the  firm  name  of  E.  Peck  &  Sons. 
The  senior  member  of  the  firm,  Mr.  Elnathan  Peck, 
dying  in  1865,  the  business  was  organized  a  year 
later  under  the  general  joint-stock  act,  with  a  capital 
of  thirty-five  thousand  dollars,  Henry  F.  Peck  being 
chosen  President  and  his  brother,  L  ^L  Peck,  Treas- 
urer. The  enterprise  has  met  with  most  unusual  and 
gratifying  success,  having  increased  in  scope  and 
importance  until  now  it  is  one  of  the  most  important 
organizations  in  the  State,  and  is  capitalized  at  seven 
hundred  and  fifty  thousand  dollars.  Mr.  Peck's  politi- 
cal sympathies  are  strongly  and  staunchly  Republican. 
He  has  voted  for  every  Republican  nominee  for  Presi- 
dent from  Abraham  Lincoln  to  McKinley,  inclusive. 
In  i8S7-'88  he  was  a  member  of  the  Board  of  Coun- 
cilmen  of  New  Haven,  holding  the  office  of  Presi- 
ident  the  later  year.  In  i8  79-'8o  he  served  as 
Alderman,  and  in  18S0  was  elected  member  of  the 
Board  of  Education,  each  office  extending  over  a 
term  of  three  years,  and  each  of  which  he  filled 
three  times.  In  1888  he  was  elected  Mayor  of 
New  Haven,  two  years  being  the  term  of  his  office. 
He  is  a  member  of  the  Republican  League,  the 
Young  Men's  Republican  Club,  the  Admiral  Foote 
Post,  Grand  Army  of  the  Republic,  and  the  Plym- 
outh Congregational  Church.  He  is  also  President 
of  the  New  Haven  Cooperative  Savings  Fund  and 
Loan  Association.  He  enlisted  in  the  army  under 
the  call  for  nine  months'  men  in  1862,  and  partici- 
]5ated  in  the  battles  of  Fredericksburg  and  Chan- 
cellorsville,  at  which  latter  place  he  was  taken 
prisoner  and  sent  to  Richmond.  He  was  shortly 
after  paroled  and  sent  to  parole  camp  at  .Annapolis, 
Maryland,  where  he  was  obliged  to  enter  the  hos- 
pital. On  his  recovery  he  was  mustered  out  with 
his  regiment,  and  at  once  devoted  himself  to  his 
business  interests.  He  was  married  June  4,  1S51, 
to  Elizabeth  A.  Cornwell.  They  have  three  chil- 
dren ;  Nellie  C,  Chas.  M.,  and  Delia  Stanley  Peck. 


MKN    OK    I'KOGRKSS. 


369 


COMSTOCK,  Anthony,  Secretary  and  Cliitf 
Special  Agent,  since  1S73,  of  the  New  York  Society 
for  the  Suiipression  of  Vice,  New  York  city,  and  for 
twenty-five  years  an  Insi>ector  of  the  Postoffice 
Department  of  the  I'nited  States,  was  born  in  New 
Canaan,  Connecticut,  March  7,  1844,  son  of  'rhonias 
A.  and  Polly  Ann  (Lockwood)  Comstock.  He 
comes  of  sturdy  New  Mngland  ancestry  on  both  sides 
of  the  line.  His  grandfather  was  Siimuel  Comstock, 
the  latter  son  of  Abijah  Comstock,  son  of  Moses 
Comstock.  Samuel  Comstock  married  Catharine, 
daughter  of  Jonathan  Clock.  The  family  still  i)re- 
serves  three  commissions  signed  by  Governor 
Jonathan  Trumbull,  appointing  Samuel  Comstock 
resjjcctively  Ensign,  Captain,  and  then  Major. 
Jonathan  Clock,  his  wife's  father,  was  a  brave  Revo- 
lutionary soldier  and  twice  enlisted  iluring  the 
struggle.  It  is  related  of  him  that  he  was  at  work 
in  a  field  on  his  farm,  when  the  news  of  some  liattle 
was  received.  He  immediately  stop|)eil  his  work 
and  said  :  "  My  country  needs  me,  I  must  go,"  and 
forthwith  enlisted  for  the  War.  It  was  that  same 
patriotic  imi)ulse  which  came  to  that  other  Connecti- 
cut hero,  Israel  Putnam,  and  it  was  much  the  same 
sort  of  inspiration  that  three  generations  later  came 
to  his  not  less  courageous  descendant,  Anthony 
Comstock,  as  he  started  in  the  battle  against  vice. 
On  the  maternal  side  Anthony  Comstock  is  descend- 
ed from  Rev.  Thomas  Hanford,  who  tied  from  the 
persecutions  in  England  and  ilied  in  1693.  His 
wife,  Mary  Front,  died  in  1730,  at  the  age  of  one 
hundred  and  five.  Their  daughter,  Elizabeth,  mar- 
ried Edmund  Warren,  Edmund  married  Deborah 
Bouton,  and  their  daughter,  Deborah,  married  John 
Raymond.  Deborah  Raymond,  their  daughter, 
married  Samuel  Lockwood,  the  grandfather  of  the 
subject  of  this  sketch.  Young  Comstock  received 
a  common  school  education,  finishing  with  a  year  at 
Wyckoff's  Academy,  New  Canaan,  and  one  year  at 
the  High  School  at  New  Britain,  Connecticut.  He 
is  a  farmer's  son  and  the  first  fifteen  years  of  his  life 
spent  on  the  farm  served  to  build  up  the  sturdy 
frame  that  had  been  his  inheritance.  His  first  out- 
side employment  was  in  the  cotmtry  store  of  J .  C.  & 
George  Randle  of  Winnipauk,  Connecticut.  This 
was  at  the  beginning  of  the  War.  His  elder  brother, 
Samuel,  had  enlisted  lor  the  War  and  was  fatally 
wounded  at  Gettysburg.  Anthony  Comstock  volun- 
teered to  fill  the  vacancy  caused  by  his  death,  and 
enlisted  December  30,  1S63,  to  serve  for  three  years 
in  Company  H,  Seventeenth  Connecticut  Volunteers, 
Enos   Kellogg,    Captain,    William    Noble,    Colonel. 


He  served  with  honor  us  all  will  believe  who  know 
the  fighting  blotxl  that  is  in  the  man,  and  was  mus- 
tered oui  with  his  regiment  July  19,  1865.  On  his 
return  from  the  War  he  found  work  (or  one  year  in 
the  grocery  store  of  Charles  Oaks  of  New  Hnvcn. 
I'or  six  months  he  was  the  outdoor  Superintendent 
at  the  ICdiicational  Institute  at  IvOokout  Mountain, 
Tennessee.  In  1S67  he  returneil  North  and  came 
to  New  N'ork,  where  he  found  employment  as  porter 
and  shipping  clerk  for  Aniidon,  Liw  &  Company. 
The  next  position  was  that  of  stock  clerk  anil 
salesman  with  J.  I!.  Spelman  iV  Son,  wholesale 
notion   house.     From    there    he   went    as  general 


ANTHONY  COMSTOCK. 

salesman  for  tlie  wholesale  drygoods  house  of  Coch- 
ran, McLean  &  Company.  In  the  first  year  with 
this  house,  he  sold  about  one  hundreil  thousand 
dollars'  worth  of  goods  ;  the  young  salesman  was 
ambitious  to  become  a  successful  merchant,  and 
a  typical  self-made  man.  A  prosperous  business 
career  seemed  opening  before  him,  when  an  inci- 
dent happened  which  changed  the  whole  tenor  of 
his  life.  A  loved  associate  and  room-mate  had  been 
lured  to  shame  and  destruction  by  means  of  foul 
literature  that  had  come  into  his  possession.  Mr. 
Comstock's  heart  was  moved  and  he  determined, 
God  helping  him,  that  he  would  devote  his  life,  if  it 
was  needed,  in  carrying  out  a  reform  that  should 


370 


MEN    OF    PROGRESS. 


help  to  keep  pure  the  Hves  of  the  young  men  and 
young  women.  How  well  he  has  succeeded  in  his 
endeavor  the  world  knows.  On  March  2,  1897,  a 
meeting  was  held  in  Carnegie  Music  Hall,  New 
York  city,  to  celebrate  the  twenty-fifth  anniversary 
of  the  beginning  of  the  work  by  Anthony  Comstock, 
Secretary  of  the  New  York  Society  for  the  Suppres- 
sion of  Vice.  We  quote  here  from  the  address  of 
Morris  K.  Je.ssup,  the  honored  Vice-President  of 
the  Society  :  "  I  remember  two  or  three  years  before 
the  organization  of  this  Society,  when,  as  President 
at  that  time  of  the  Young  Men's  Christian  Associ- 
ation, a  letter  was  received  from  a  Mr.  Comstock 
who  was  then  unknown,  stating  that  he  had  for 
some  little  time  been  fighting  this  evil,  naming  the 
arrests  he  had  made  —  a  few  of  them  in  a  quiet 
private  way  —  and  giving  as  a  reason  why  he  was 
interested  in  this  matter,  the  fact  that  he  had  seen 
in  his  association  with  the  young  men  around  him  the 
evils  of  it  to  such  an  extent  that  his  whole  soul  was 
aroused  with  interest ;  and  that  the  work  loomed  up 
so  greatly  before  him  that  it  was  impossible  for  him 
longer  to  contend  with  the  evil  unaided.  I  remem- 
ber my  reading  that  letter  and  going  down  to  see 
Mr.  Comstock,  who  was  then  a  clerk  in  the  house 
of  Cochran,  McT.ean  &  Company,  drygoods  mer- 
chants, on  the  corner  of  Grand  street  and  Broad- 
way, and  I  remember  perfectly  well  the  impression 
that  he  made  upon  me  at  the  time.  I  felt 
that  it  was  not  Mr.  Comstock  speaking  to  me 
so  much  as  it  was  God  himself  calling  to  action. 
Mr.  Comstock  impressed  me  so  greatly  with  his 
earnestness,  with  his  fidelity,  with  his  whole-hearted- 
ness,  that  I  made  up  my  mind  that  what  little  I 
could  do  to  aid  in  fighting  this  sin,  I  would  do  it. 
It  was  out  of  that  interview  that  Mr.  Comstock  was 
brought  into  relation  with  the  Young  Men's  Christian 
Association,  and  through  and  by  the  good  offices  of 
that  Association,  and  by  its  influence,  an  act  of  in- 
corporation was  passed  at  Albany,  incorporating  this 
Society.  My  heart  is  full  about  this  matter,  and  if 
I  should  utter  all  that  is  in  my  heart  to  say,  there 
would  scarcely  be  time  for  anyone  else  to  speak. 
All  I  can  say  to  you  is  that  after  twenty-five  years  of 
experience  with  this  Society  and  its  work,  and  be- 
ing somewhat  in  touch  with  it,  during  this  time  I 
have  learned  to  love  this  man  Comstock.  I  believe 
he  is  one  of  the  bravest  men  that  God  ever  raised 
up  for  any  work.  He  has  fought  a  great  fight, 
almost  alone  ;  he  has  suffered  calumny ;  he  has  been 
opposed  by  individuals  and  by  the  press  in  a  great 
measure  :  he  has  not  always  received  the  kindness 


and  courtesy  from  the  courts  of  justice  that  he 
ought  to ;  he  has  been  assaulted  by  these  scoundrels 
that  were  carrying  on  this  nefarious  vice.  He  has 
been  stabbed  in  the  street  nearly  unto  death,  and 
yet  God  has  cared  for  him.  His  grace  has  been 
beneath  and  around  him;  His  hand  has  defended 
him  and  he  is  with  us  to-day,  a  brave  Christian 
Soldier."  The  affectionale  praise  and  loyal  support 
of  such  men  as  Morris  K.  Jessup,  William  E.  Dodge, 
Samuel  Colgate  and  other  noble  men  who  have  been 
associated  with  Mr.  Comstock  in  this  Society,  is 
well  worth  the  years  of  calumny  and  opposition  that 
have  been  endured.  The  expenses  of  the  Society 
have  been  borne  entirely  by  private  contributions ; 
and  although  Mr.  Comstock  in  his  capacity  of  Post 
Office  Inspector  has  been  a  most  important  public 
officer,  he  has  never  received  one  dollar  of  the  pub- 
lic moneys,  but  has  donated  to  the  treasury  of  the 
Society  all  amounts  received  by  him  as  witness  fees, 
as  well  as  the  proceeds  of  his  lectures.  In  the 
twenty-third  annual  report  of  the  Society,  published 
in  1897,  the  work  since  the  beginning  is  conven- 
iently tabulated.  During  this  period  twenty-one 
hundred  and  fifty-two  arrests  have  been  made,  and 
fifteen  hundred  and  ninety-five  convictions  obtained. 
During  the  same  period  there  have  been  seized, 
confiscated  and  destroyed,  eight  hundred  and  sixty- 
six  thousand  eight  hundred  and  twenty-five  obscene 
pictures  and  photographs  and  fifty-nine  hundred 
and  twelve  negatives  for  making  the  same  ;  sixty- 
three  thousand  one  hundred  and  forty-nine  pounds 
of  books  and  sheet  stock,  and  twenty-seven  thousand 
four  hundred  and  twenty-four  pounds  of  stereotype 
plates,  three  hundred  and  eighty-four  engraved  steel 
and  copper  plates  and  eight  hundred  and  fifty-seven 
woodcuts  for  printing  and  illustrating  these  books,  one 
million  five  hundred  and  eighty-two  thousand  seven 
hundred  and  eighteen  circulars,  catalogues,  songs  and 
poems  ;  one  hundred  and  twenty-one  thousand  nine 
hundred  and  thirteen  letters  and  packages  ;  one  mil- 
lion three  hundred  and  thirty-five  thousand  three  hun- 
dred and  ninety-two  names  and  Postoffice  addresses 
for  the  sending  of  circulars,  etc. ;  three  million  two 
hundred  and  nine  thousand  eight  hundred  and  ninety- 
one  lottery  tickets  ;  and  two  million  and  fifty-three 
thousand  green  goods  circulars ;  besides  a  large 
amount  of  obscene  articles,  gambling  paraphernalia 
amounting  in  the  aggregate  to  several  tons  may  be 
added  to  the  above.  These  figures  are  an  eloquent 
testimonial  of  the  importance  of  Mr.  Comstock'swork. 
He  may  sometimes  have  erred  in  the  overwhelming 
zeal  of  his  cause,  vet  friends  and  enemies  alike  con- 


MEN    OK    PROC.RESS. 


37' 


cede  liis  lionesty,  energy,  anil  heroic,  unswerving 
courage.  The  world  is  belter  and  purer,  and  our 
children  will  be  belter  citizens  because  Anthony 
Comstock  has  lived.  It  was  through  his  influence 
largely  that  Congress  passed  law  jtrohibiling  obscene 
literature  from  the  mails  and  the  Ami- Lottery  Liws 
are  also  largely  due  to  his  agitation.  Mr.  Comstock 
is  a  member  of  the  First  Presbyterian  Church  of 
Summit,  New  Jersey.  He  belongs  to  the  Royal 
Arcanum,  Summit  Council  1042  of  Summit,  New 
Jersey,  and  to  the  McPherson-Doane  Post  Grand 
Army  of  the  Republic,  of  Brooklyn.  He  was  mar- 
ried January  25,  1871,  to  Margaret  Hamilton.  One 
daughter,  Lillie,  born  in  1872,  died  in  infancy,  and 
another,  named  .Adele  Randolph  Comstock,  is  living. 


ELTON,  JaiMks  Samuel,  Senator  and  Manufac- 
turer, Waterbury,  was  born  in  VValerbury,  Nov- 
ember 7,  1838.  Some  one  has  said  that  it  is  a 
serious  thing  to  come  after  noble  ancestors,  a  grave 
and  solemn  jirivilege.  When  an  investigator  shall 
search  in  the  field  of  ancestry  for  the  origin  of 
James  S.  Elton,  it  will  be  found  that  in  him  is 
centered  the  life  and  influence  of  most  excellent 
men.  Waterbury  holds  a  uniciue  position  among 
Connecticut  towns,  owing  to  the  homogeneity  of  its 
thirty-one  founders.  From  two  of  the  number,  Mr. 
Elton  is  descended.  Dr.  Daniel  Porter  and  John 
Hopkins.  The  descendants  of  John  Hopkins,  it  is 
quite  safe  to  say,  stand  among  the  families  of  our 
land  today  without  a  peer  for  their  high  average  of 
worth  and  ability,  both  intellectual  and  moral. 
The  same  investigator  will  find  among  Mr.  Elton's 
forefathers  si.\  of  the  founders  of  New  Haven,  in- 
cluding Captain  Nathaniel  Merriman  and  John 
Punderson,  one  of  the  seven  pillars  of  the  First 
Church  of  Christ  in  that  town  :  also  William  Andrews, 
who  built  the  first  meeting-house  in  New  Ha\en 
Colony,  the  aged  and  honorable  Deacon  John 
Punderson  "  of  the  early  record."  .\  search  in 
Farmington  and  in  Wallingford  will  likewise  be 
rewarded  by  evidence  of  his  descent  from  Stej)hen 
Heart,  John  Bronson,  Anthony  Hawkins,  Deacon 
John  Hall,  Dr.  John  Hull  and  other  men  in  good 
and  regular  standing  in  the  colonies  while,  as  early 
as  166 [,  his  fifth  story  great-grandfather,  Roger 
.Mien,  was  'I'reasurer  of  New  Haven  Colony.  His 
descent  in  the  Elton  line  is  given  in  the  history  of 
Litchfield  county,  as,  from  John  Elton,  who  came 
early  to  this  coimtry  from  Bristol,  luigland,  and 
settled  in  Middletown,    his    son    Ebenezer,   Eben- 


e/.er,  Jr.,  Dr.  John  Elton  (who  was  Surgeon  in  the 
War  of  the  Revolution),  Dr.  Siuiuicl  Elton.'  His 
father  was  the  late  John  Prince  Elton,  upon  whose 
death,  on  November  10,  1S64,  a  public  meeting 
of  citizens  was  called,  to  pay  a  tribute  of  respect  to 
his  memory,  and,  on  the  day  of  whose  funeral,  which 
look  |>lace  on  Sunday  afternoon  at  the  hour  at 
which  public  worship  was  then  usually  held,  all  the 
Protestant  Churches  of  the  city  were  closed,  as  by  a 
common  impulse,  to  give  the  members  of  the  <tin- 
gregations  opjiortunity  to  attend  the  funeral  services. 
His  mother  was  Olive  Margaret,  the  daughter  of 
t'ai)tain  Moses   Hall.     John  P.   Elton  was  the  first 


J.  S.   ELTON- 

one  to  propose  to  Mr.  l.iiuoln,  through  Senator 
Howard  of  .Michigan,  a  form  of  bond  with  a  rale  of 
interest  that  should  be  so  simple  to  figure  that  a 
person  could  tell  each  day  just  what  his  bond  was 
earning  him.  From  his  suggestion  came  the  seven 
and  three-tenths  per  cent  bond  that  was  so  popular. 
At  the  early  age  of  twenty-six  years,  James  S.  Elton 
came  into  the  inheritance  of  a  fine  estate,  with  the 
large  business  interests  attached  to  it.  With  wise 
lorethought,  his  father  had,  in  a  measure,  prepared 
him  for  the  grave  responsibilities  that,  thus  early  in 
his  career,  came  to  him.  Mr.  John  P.  Elton,  after 
the  education  of  his  son,  at  the  Reverend  C.  \V. 
Everest's  School,  in  Hamden,  and  at  General  Rus- 

'  HiliIor>'  of  the  Town  niid  Cily  of  Walerbiiry  (189/O. 


)72 


MEN   OF    PROGRESS. 


.ell's  Military  School  at  New  Haven,  continued  that 
education  by  introducing  him  to  the  profound  bene- 
fits of  manual  labor  in  one  of  the  mills  in  which  he 
was   interested.     The   practical   side  of    life   was, 
thereby,  not  entirely  unknown  to  Mr.  Elton  in  his 
youth.     While  it  cannot  be  said  of  him  that  he  is  a 
self-made  man,  for  he  is  one  of  the  very  few  men 
now  at  the   front  in  Waterbury  who  were  born  to 
the  abundance  of  things  necessary  to  man,  it  may 
be  said  that  he  is  to  a  notable  degree  a  self-con- 
trolled man  ;  that  no  degree  of  success  in  his  under- 
takings, or  of  prosperity,  throws  him  from  the  rare 
poise  on  which  his  being  is  centered.     His  fellow 
men  know   to  what  degree  he  may  be    depended 
upon,  and  just  where  to  find  him,  and  he  will,  per- 
haps, not  be  offended,  if  it  is  incidentally  remarked, 
that,  in  their  estimate  of  him,  he  is  usually  found  in 
the  right  place.     Beneath  a  pleasing  and  most  con- 
ciliatory exterior,  he  holds   himself   sternly  to   the 
right  as  it   stands   revealed  to   him.     The   various 
offices  to  which  Mr.  Elton   has  been  elected  abun- 
dantly testify  to  the  range  of  his  ability  as  an  actor  in 
the  business  world,  and  his  value  in  the  undertak- 
ings that  work  together  for  the  good  of  man.     Of 
the    number   may   be  mentioned   his  twenty-three 
years'  presidency  of  the  Waterbury  Brass  Company, 
dating  from    1874  to  the    present  time,    an  oflfice 
which   the    History  of   Waterbury   says,    "  He   has 
held   with  much   wisdom    and  efficiency."     He  is 
President  of  the  Waterbury  National  Bank,  of  which 
his  father  was  the  second  president,  of  the  Detroit 
&   Lake  Superior  Copper  Company,  and  the  Lake 
Superior  Smelting  Company.     He  is  a  Director  in 
the   Waterbury   Savings    Bank,  the  Oak\ille  Com- 
pany, the  Coe  Brass  Manufacturing  Company,  the 
Benedict  &  Burnham  Manufacturing  Company,  and 
of  the  Blake  &  Johnson  Company  and  of  several 
other  business  corporations.     In  the  field  occupied 
by  the  church  and  other  benevolent  and  charitable 
institutions  Mr.  Elton's  position  is  both  assured  and 
honorable   to   a  degree   not  easily   attained.     The 
History   of    Waterbury   says   of   him:   "He    is   an 
officer  and  active  member  of  St.  John's  Episcopal 
Church,  the  Managing  Trustee  of  the  Hall  Church 
Home  fund,  a  Director  in  St.  Margaret's  Diocesan 
School,   and    in   the  Waterbury   Hospital,   and   an 
efficient  supporter  of  the  charitable  and  semi-char- 
itable   institutions    and   undertakings   of   the  city. 
His  mother,  Mrs.  Olive    M.   Elton,  was   for  many 
years  known  as  a  person  whose  ready  benevolence 
and  wise  sympathy  could  be   counted  on  with  cer- 
tainty and  Mr.  Elton  has  largely  inherited  her  char- 


acter, and  assmned  her  responsibilities."  In  1881, 
Mr.  Elton  was  elected  State  Senator,  and  served 
with  ability  in  the  General  Assembly  in  1882  and 
1883.  He  is  also  a  member  of  the  Board  of  Agents 
of  the  Bronson  Library  of  Waterbury.  On  October 
28,  1863,  Mr.  Elton  married  Charlotte,  daughter  of 
Hiram  Steele,  of  East  Bloomfield,  New  York.  They 
have  one  son,  John  Prince  Elton,  who  was  born 
June  30,  1S65. 

FYLER,  Okas.mus  Roman,  Ex-Postmaster,  Tor- 
rington,  was  born  in  Torrington,  January  17,  1840, 
son  of  Harlow  and  Sibyl   R.  (Tolles)   Fyler.     The 


O,    R.  FYLER. 

family  originally  came  from  England,  Lieutenant 
Walter  Fyler  having  been  the  first  emigrant  of  the 
name  to  come  here,  and  settled  in  Dorchester, 
Massachusetts,  as  early  as  1630.  He  removed  with 
the  colony  from  Boston  to  Windsor  in  1635,  his 
house  being  within  the  Palisade.  He  was  deputy 
to  the  General  Court  in  1647  and  again  from  1661 
to  1663.  From  Lieutenant  U'alter,  Mr.  Fyler's 
family  line  is  traced  down  through  five  generations 
to  Captain  Stephen  Fyler  who  was  a  soldier  in  the 
War  of  the  Revolution  and  who  took  part  in  the 
Siege  of  New  York.  Mr.  Fyler  received  his  early 
education  in  the  district  school  of  his  native  town, 
going  however  to  Wilbraham,  Massachusetts,  for  a 


MIN    ol     I'KOCRKSS. 


373 


more  extended  course  of  study  and  graduating  from 
the  Wesleyan  Academy  there  in  due  time  and  with 
honor.  His  first  business  experience  was  gained  in 
a  flour  and  grain  store,  the  same  being  carried  on 
under  the  name  of  O.  R.  Fyler  &  Company,  a  con- 
nection that  lasted  but  about  two  years.  In  iS66 
Mr.  Fyler  was  appointed  by  President  Andrew 
Johnson  to  the  office  of  Postmaster  of  'lorrington. 
and  he  had  the  jileasure  and  gratification  of  receiv- 
ing two  appointments  from  President  Grant  for  the 
same  position  ;  one  from  President  Hayes  and  still 
another  from  James  A.  Garfield,  his  commission 
being  one  of  the  few  to  bear  the  signature  of  the 
martyred  President.  During  the  nineteen  years  of 
his  Postmastersiiip  the  town  of  Torrington  increased 
largely  in  population  and  the  responsibilities  of  the 
office  grew  in  proportion.  When  Mr.  Fyler  with- 
drew, the  Torrington  office  was  recognized  as  one 
of  the  best  managed  in  the  state.  Farming  opera- 
tions occupied  his  attention  for  the  next  few  years 
and  on  July  i,  1886,  he  was  ajipointed  Insurance 
Commissioner  by  Governor  Harrison,  receiving  a 
reappointment  by  Governor  Lounsbury  and  continu- 
ing in  office  under  Governor  Bulkeley.  His  first 
official  act  was  to  place  the  Charter  Oak  Life  Insur- 
ance Company  of  Hartford  in  the  hands  of  a  receiver 
and  his  course  was  universally  commended.  The 
Continental  Life  Lisurance  Company  being  known 
to  be  weak  but  having  contrived  to  pass  previous 
examination,  could  not  escape  Mr.  Fyler's  vigilance 
and  he  bent  all  his  energies  to  a  most  thorough 
investigation  of  its  affairs,  discovering  that  a  more 
serious  condition  prevailed  than  had  ever  been 
supposed.  He  therefore  saw  that  the  Company 
was  placed  in  the  hands  of  competent  receivers. 
The  town  of  Torrington  is  indebted  to  Mr.  Fyler 
for  its  fine  system  of  water  works  which  it  owes 
largely  to  his  active  efforts  and  public-spirited  in- 
terest. Mr.  Fyler  was  elected  Chairman  of  the 
Republican  State  Committee  in  1S96,  during  the 
McKinley  camjjaign.  He  was  also  one  of  the  chief 
and  prominent  i)romoters  of  the  I'^lectric  Road  run- 
ning between  Torrington  and  Winsted.  The  first 
meeting  was  called  at  the  town  hall,  November  1 6, 
1896,  for  the  purpose  of  arousing  public  sentiment 
for  the  building  of  the  road  aforesaid  and  greatly 
through  Mr.  Fyler's  energetic  labor  and  perseverance 
the  charter  was  procured.  His  appointment  to  the 
office  of  Railroad  Commissioner  by  Governor  Cooke 
for  a  term  of  four  years  took  place  on  July  i,  1897. 
Mr.  Fyler  is  a  member  of  the  Loyal  Legion  of 
Washington,   1).  C.      He  is  an  ardent    Republican 


and  an  active  worker  in  his  jwrty's  cause.  His  first 
Presidential  vote  was  cast  for  Abraham  Lincoln 
while  Mr.  Fyler  wjls  in  a  hospital  at  Winchester, 
Virginia,  the  state  having  sent  commissioners  to 
collect  the  soldiers'  vole.  He  was  a  delegate  to  the 
National  Convention  at  which  James  G.  HIaine  was 
nominated  for  the  presidency.  He  was  married 
nccember  14,  1865,  to  Mary  E.  V'aill,  of  Tor- 
rington, and  they  have  one  daughter,  (Jertrudc  H. 
Fyler,  who  is  the  wife  of  Edward  H.  Hotchkiss  of 
Torrington. 

GALLAUDET,    Pktkr    Wai.mce,    Itankcr  and 
Broker  of  New  York  city,  was  born   in   Hartford, 


p.    W.  GALLAUDET. 

Connecticut,  March  10,  1826,  son  of  Reverend 
Thomas  H.  Gallaudet,  I).  D.,  and  S(>|>hia  Fowler  of 
Guilford,  Connecticut.  His  gran<lfather,  I'eter 
Wallace  Gallaudet,  was  a  French  Hugxienot,  who 
came  to  .America  from  France  and  settled  in  Wash- 
ington, District  of  t'olumbia,  and  whose  son,  the 
Reverend  Thomas  H.  Gallaudet,  settled  in  Hartford, 
Connecticut.  The  subject  of  this  sketch  was  edu- 
cated in  Hartford,  first  by  a  teacher  in  his  father's 
house,  and  afterwards  in  the  ILnrtford  Grammar 
School  under  the  Principalship  of  Professor  Wright. 
Heie  he  was  fitted  for  college  but  entered  on  a 
business  training  at  fifteen  years  of  age,  from  which 


374 


MEN    OF   PROGRESS. 


time  until  twenty-one  he  was  a  clerk  in  a  store  in 
Hartford.  On  coming  of  age  he  went  to  New  York 
and  became  a  clerk  in  Wall  street,  with  the  house 
of  Pond,  Oilman  &  Mack,  brokers.  In  1857  he 
went  into  business  for  himself  as  a  banker  and 
broker,  and  he  has  remained  in  the  same  office,  at 
the  head  of  Wall  street,  for  over  forty  years.  Mr. 
Claliaudet  is  a  member  of  the  Huguenot  Society  of 
.America,  and  the  New  England  Society  of  New 
York,  also  of  the  New  York  and  the  Down  Town 
clubs.  He  was  married  June  20,  1849,  to  Margaret 
Elizabeth  Robinson,  of  Hartford.  They  have  had 
four  children:  Kate  Elizabeth,  born  January  27, 
1852,  died  August  31,  1S52;  Alice  Isabelle,  born 
Septembers,  1854;  Thomas  Hopkins,  born  Novem- 
ber 23,  1857,  and  Fanny  Marguerite,  born  July  15, 
I S69,  died  August  8,  1870;  also  an  adopted  daughter, 
Cora  MayGallaudet,  who  died  in  Bergen  Point,  New 
Jersey,  August  1895. 


Cleveland,  Collector  of  Customs  for  the  District  of 
Fairfield,  Connecticut.  It  was  during  this  period 
that  a  movement  was  begun  for  the  consolidation 
of  the  New  Haven  and  Bridgeport  Custom  Houses. 
Mr.  Goddard  strongly  opposed  the  consolidation 
and  was  successful  in  defeating  it.  The  increase  in 
the  value  and  number  of  imports  at  the  local  port 
fully  justified  his  position.  He  was  also  responsible 
for  the  application  of  the  Immediate  Transportation 
Act  to  the  port  of  Bridgeport,  under  whose  provi- 
sions dutiable  goods  are  now  brought  in  bond 
directly  to  the  city.  His  appointment  in  1893, 
during  President  Cleveland's  second  administration, 


GODDARD,    Walter,    Collector    of    Customs, 
ISridgeport,  was  born  in  London,  England,  February 
2,  1836.     He  comes  of  an  old  English  family  and 
received  his  education  in  the  English  schools.     At 
the  age  of  twenty-two  he  left  the  old  country  and  on 
July  4,  1858,  started  for  America.     He  soon  found 
his   way  to  Bridgeport,  where   he  took  a  position 
with  the  old  drygoods  firm  of  Hall  &  Read.      He 
next  moved  to  Easton,  Connecticut,  where  for  some 
time  he  conducted  a  general  store.     But  he  found 
Easton  less  to  his  liking  and  in   1862   he   was  back 
again  in  Bridgeport,  and  engaged  in  the  dry  and 
fancy  goods  business  at  Main   street  and  Fairfield 
avenue.     Mr.  Goddard  was  elected  Justice  of  the 
Peace  in  1870  and  was   afterwards  repeatedly  re- 
elected.    In  the  same  year  he  was  appointed  Town 
Health   Officer.     During  his   several  terms  in  this 
office  marked  improvements  were  made  in  the  sani- 
tary condition  of  the  city,  and  special  attention  was 
given  to  the  city  water  and   the  slaughter  houses. 
In  1873  he  was  elected  to  the  Common  Council  and 
served  faithfully  on  some  of  the  important  commit- 
tees.    He    has   also   served   as  Town  Auditor  and 
Member  of  the  Board  of  Relief,  and  for  four  years 
was  a  member  of  the  School  Committee.     During 
his  tenure  of  the  office  many  improvements  in  the 
schools   were  made,    singing   was  introduced,  and 
courses   of  examinations  adopted.     It  was  natural 
that  so  efficient  an  official  should  be  promoted  to 
higher   honors.       Always   a   loyal    Democrat,    Mr. 
Goddard    in    1886    was   appointed    by    President 


WALTER    GODDARD 

was  the  logical  sequence  of  his  previous  good 
record.  His  second  official  term  has  been  marked 
in  a  no  less  degree  by  efficient,  conscientious  ser- 
vice. During  the  erection  of  the  new  post-office 
and  custom  house  in  1888-90  he  acted  as  disburs- 
ing agent  of  all  funds  under  appointment  from  the 
national  officials.  He  also  served  with  great  effi- 
ciency as  City  and  Town  Assessor  for  three  years. 
Mr.  Goddard  was  one  of  the  prime  movers  in  the 
municipal  celebration  of  July  3-4,  1888,  and  secured 
the  presence  of  the  United  States  Steamship  Atlanta. 
On  other  occasions  his  influence  has  also  secured 
the  despatch  of  naval  vessels  to  the  port,  and 
through  his  efforts  the   Marine  Hospital  service  was 


Mi;\    Oh     I'ROORESS. 


375 


established.  Mr.  Godclard  is  a  large  holder  of 
Bridgeport  realty.  He  is  a  firm  believer  in  the 
future  growth  of  the  city  and  with  the  courage  of 
his  convictions  has  spent  large  sums  of  money  in 
the  development  of  the  East  End  and  the  section 
north  of  Old  Mill  Green.  In  his  politics  he  has 
always  been  a  Democrat  and  for  a  number  of  years 
represented  Fairfield  county  in  the  Democratic  State 
Finance  Committee.  For  some  time  he  was  local 
editor  and  manager  of  the  Bridgeport  Independent. 
He  is  a  member  of  the  Seaside  Club,  the  Bridgeport 
Yacht  Club,  the  Democratic  Club,  the  Church  Club 
of  Connecticut,  and  an  honorary  member  of  the 
Second  Connecticut  Light  Battery  .Association.  He 
is  a  Mason  of  forty  years'  standing,  a  member  of  St. 
John's  Lodge  No.  3,  Free  and  Accepted  Masons. 
He  takes  an  active  interest  in  the  Bridgeport  Board 
of  Trade  and  has  served  on  many  of  its  important 
committees.  He  is  a  vestryman  of  Trinity  Protest- 
ant Episcopal  Church  and  has  been  a  generous  sup- 
porter of  both  his  own  church  and  St.  Luke's 
Church,  at  the  East  End.  His  aid  is  ever  ready  for 
every  worthy  object.  Mr.  Goddard  was  married  to 
Miss  Emma  I'arr,  an  English  lady,  in  1S56;  and 
secondh'  to  Miss  Kate  Gray,  on  February  17,  1874, 
a  descendant  of  the  Booth  family  which  settled  in 
Stratford  about  1635.  They  have  four  sons  and  a 
(lauij;hter  now  living. 


GOODRICH,  EuzuR  Shi.imax,  Railway  Presi- 
dent, was  born  in  Wethersfield,  Connecticut,  Decem- 
ber 28,  1834.  His  parents  were  Elizur  and  jerusha 
\V.  (Stillman)  Goodrich,  the  former  of  whom  was 
descended  in  direct  succession  through  five  gener- 
ations from  William  Goodrich,  who  was  born  in 
England  and  came  to  this  country  about  the  year 
1635  and  settled  in  Wethersfield.  His  name  first 
appears  in  the  Colonial  records  in  1648,  the  occa- 
sion being  the  event  of  his  marriage  to  Miss  Sarah 
Marvin  of  Hartford,  Connecticut.  Their  descend- 
ant, the  subject  of  this  sketch,  was  educated  at  the 
public  schools  in  Wethersfield  and  at  the  Williston 
Seminary  at  Easthampton,  Massachusetts,  but  when 
still  a  boy  began  his  active  business  career  in  the 
office  of  the  Chief  Engineer  of  the  Hartford,  Provi- 
dence &  Fishkill  Railroad,  a  portion  of  which  was 
at  the  time  in  course  of  construction.  He  remained 
in  the  employ  of  that  company  in  various  capacities 
for  about  ten  years  and  only  left  it  when  the  oppor- 
tunity presented  for  him  to  take  charge  of  the 
Hartford  &  Wethersfield    Horse   Railway,  now  the 


Hartford  Street  Railway  Com|)nny,  which  l>egan 
operation  in  1S63.  He  was  made  President  of  the 
road  during  the  following  year  and  "  through  the 
long  fight  which  was  finally  crownc<l  with  success, 
he  was  the  direct  manager  of  the  business,"  says  a 
newspai)er  i)aragrapli  which  we  take  the  liberty  of 
quoting.  ••  With  the  growth  of  the  road  the  duties 
of  President  became  more  and  more  arduous  and 
he  is  today  at  the  head  of  a  system  in  which  is  in- 
vested millions  of  dollars  of  capital  and  which  is 
considered  by  railroad  authorities  one  of  the  best, 
if  not  absolutely  the  best,  in  the  country.  While 
holding  the  reins  of  this  great  enterprise  he  ha.s  also 


E    S.  GOODRICH. 

been  at  tiie  head  of  the  Hartford  &  New  \ork 
Transportation  Company  which  operates  the  lines 
of  steamers  between  Hartford  an<l  New  Vork  and 
all  the  freight  and  tow  boats  on  the  river."  In  .May 
1885  he  was  elected  its  President  and  has  acted  in 
that  capacity  ever  since.  .Mlhough  taking  a  keen 
interest  in  all  public  affairs  Mr.  Goodrich  has  never 
cared  to  become  the  recipient  of  political  favor. 
He  is  an  active  supporter  of  the  Republi<-an  party 
and  what  offices  he  has  held  have  been  in  the  shape 
of  honors  thrust  upon  him  at  the  hands  of  that 
party.  In  1895  he  represented  Wethersfield  in  the 
Legislature,  being  a  member  of  the  Committee  on 
Incorporations  and  also  a  member  of  the  Judiciary 


576 


MEN    OF   I'ROGRESS. 


Committee.  He  was  elected  Senator  from  the 
Second  District,  Legislature  of  1897,  and  Chairman 
during  that  session  of  the  Committee  on  Cities  and 
Boroughs.  He  was  elected  to  this  latter  office  by 
a  very  large  majority,  this  following  a  practically 
unanimous  nomination.  Mr.  Goodrich  is  a  man  of 
great  natural  ability  and  unflagging  energy.  He  has 
won  his  way  through  sheer  native  pluck  and  force 
of  purpose  and  is  an  admirable  illustration  of  that 
essentially  American  creation  (and  no  better  can  be 
conceived  when  it  is  indeed  good)  the  "self-made 
man."  He  was  married  on  October  19,  1859,  to 
Miss  Mary  A.  Hanmer.  They  have  two  children  : 
James  R.  and  Mabel  E.  Goodrich. 


(JR.WES,     Frederick     Chauncey,     Physician, 
Bridgeport,    was   born    in     liainbridge,    Chenango 


F.    C.  GRAVES. 

county,  New  York,  January  30,  1863,  son  of  Gaylord 
S.  and  Harriet  E.  (Pattys)  Graves.  He  comes  of 
English  ancestors  who  settled  in  Massachusetts  in 
1637.  His  father  was  a  successful  merchant  in 
Bainbridge  for  over  forty  years.  Dr.  Graves  received 
his  preliminary  education  at  Bainbridge  Academy 
and  at  Colgate  University.  Then  he  was  engaged 
in  teaching  for  the  year  previous  to  beginning  the 
study  of  medicine,  toward  which  he  had  a  natural 


leaning.  In  1888  he  was  graduated  with  high 
honors  from  the  Medical  Department  of  the  Uni- 
versity of  the  City  of  New  York  and  immediately 
secured  the  appointment  of  house  physician  in  the 
Bridgeport  Hospital  where  he  remained  for  a  year. 
Then  he  began  practice  with  an  office  of  his  own. 
He  is  President  of  the  Bridgeport  Medical  Associ- 
ation, has  been  Visiting  Physician  to  the  Bridgeport 
Hospital  since  1894,  and  is  Physical  Examiner  for 
the  gymnasium  of  the  Young  Men's  Christian  Asso- 
ciation. He  is  a  member  of  the  First  Methodist 
Episcopal  Church  of  Bridgeport  and  is  one  of  the 
Official  Board.  Dr.  Graves  has  won  his  way  by 
energy  and  perseverance  united  with  native  talent. 
He  has  membership  in  the  Board  of  Trade,  of  the 
Bridgeport  Yacht  Club,  in  the  Pequonnock  Lodge 
of  Odd  Fellows,  in  the  Ancient  Order  of  United 
Workmen,  in  the  New  England  Order  of  Protection, 
in  Tima  Lodge  of  Heptasophs  and  in  the  Knights 
Ancient  Essenic  Order.  He  is  a  Republican  but 
has  never  sought  political  preferment.  He  married 
Fannie  Elizabeth,  daughter  of  Dr.  S.  J.  Damon  of 
Bridgeport,  September  15,  1892.  They  have  two 
children ;  Frederick  Taylor  and  George  Willis 
Graves. 

HICKOX,  George  Augustus,  Lawyer  and  Editor, 
of  Litchfield,  Connecticut,  was  born  in  Washington, 
of  the  same  state,  June  11,  1S30.  His  parents 
were  Ithiel  and  Frances  (Griswold)  Hickox,  the  lat- 
ter being  a  lineal  descendant  of  John  Eliot  "  the 
.Apostle  to  the  Indians"  who  in  1661-63  did  noble 
missionary  work  among  the  tribes  under  the 
auspices  of  the  Missionary  Society  of  Cambridge 
University,  England,  and  whose  translation  of  the 
Bible  into  the  Indian  language  bears  his  name. 
George  A.  Hickox  received  his  early  education  at 
the  common  school  of  his  native  place  and  at  the 
academy  familiarly  known  as  "The  Gunnery,"  an 
institution  of  considerable  note  established  by  the 
late  Fred.  W.  Gunn  of  Washington,  Connecticut. 
Having  completed  the  course  of  study  there  he 
repaired  to  Hartford  where  he  entered  Trinity  Col- 
lege and  graduated  with  credit,  in  the  class  of  1851. 
His  next  move  was  to  Ballston,  New  York,  but  after 
spending  a  year  at  the  Law  School  in  that  place  he 
went  to  New  Haven  and  took  the  course  at  the 
Y'ale  Law  Department,  completing  his  legal  training 
by  entering  into  the  employ  of  Hollister  &  Beeman, 
a  well-known  law  firm  in  Litchfield.  He  was  ad- 
mitted to  the  Bar  in  1854  and  at  once  commenced 
to  practice  in  the  same  town.     Twelve  years  later 


MRN    OF    I'ROORKSS. 


377 


he  was  made  editor  of  the  Litchfield  Enquirer,  a 
position  he  held  for  twenty-five  years  -  from  July 
1866  to  July  1S91.  He  was  a  memljer  of  the  Con- 
necticut Legislature  from  Litchfield  in  1S62  and 
1SS9,  and,  though  a  Democrat  liefore  the  war,  he- 
came  Republican  in  his  synijiathies  thereafter,  and 
for  the  last  dozen  years  or  more  past  has  been  an 
Independent  in  his  political  views.  Mr.  Hickox  is 
a  member  of  the  I'hi  ISeta  Kappa  Society  in  Trinity 
College  and  also  of  the  Beta  Beta  Society,  a  secret 
organization  of  that  university,  wliich  afterward  be- 
came a  branch  of  the  I'si  Upsilon  Society.  He  was 
married  on   .April  22,  1856,  to  Mary  C.  Brisbane, 


GEO.   A     HICKOX. 

then  of  ("harleston.  South  Carolina.  'I'hey  have 
two  children  :  William  I'risbane  and  Frances  Eliot 
Hicko.x. 

HOOKER,  Jniix,  Lawyer,  Reporter  of  judicial 
Decisions,  one  of  Hartford's  most  honored  and 
eminent  men,  was  born  .Ajuil  19,  1S16,  at  Farming- 
ton,  Connecticut.  No  man  in  the  state  has  a 
more  distinguished  ancestry.  His  father,  Edward 
Hooker,  a  Vale  graduate  of  the  class  of  1805,  and 
who  for  several  years  kept  a  private  classical  school 
at  Farmington,  was  the  fifth  in  direct  descent  from 
the  Reverend  'I'homas  Hooker,  the  famous  founder 
of  the    Hartford  colony  and  first   minister   of  the 


historic  First  (now  Centre)  Church  o(  ILirtford. 
Intermediate  ancestors  were  Samuel  Hooker,  second 
minister  at  Farmington;  Judge  John  Hooker,  a 
lawyer  of  that  town,  and  Colonel  Noadiah  Hooker, 
a  revolutionary  officer,  also  of  Parniingion  John 
Hooker's  mother  was  ICIiza  Daggett  of  New  Haven, 
through  whom  he  is  second  cousin  of  Covcmor 
Roger  S.  Italdwinof  Connecticut,  William  M.  Evarts 
of  New  York,  and  Senator  Hoar  of  .Massachusetts. 
The  Hooker  name  is  10  Hartford  what  that  of  John 
Winthrop  is  to  Boston.  John  Hooker  pursued  his 
studies  at  the  public  school  and  the  academy  of  his 
native  town,  kept  by  Simeon  Hart,  a  noted  teacher, 
and  went  to  Yale  College  at  the  age  of  sixteen. 
In  his  fitting  for  Yale  he  had  been  greatly  aided  by 
tiie  private  tutoring  of  his  father.  After  two  years 
studying  at  New  Haven  Mr.  Hooker  fell  ill  of 
typhoid  fever,  and  after  a  long  sickness  tried  to 
make  u])  the  lost  time  by  hard  work,  which  brought 
on  an  affection  of  the  eyes  necessitating  the  aban- 
donment of  his  college  course.  In  pursuit  of  health 
he  went  on  two  sea-voyages  to  the  Mediterranean 
and  to  China,  shii)ping  as  a  common  sailor  before 
the  mast.  Near  the  West  India  Islands,  on  his 
return  from  Cliina,  his  vessel  was  captured  by  a 
Portuguese  jiirate.  This  hardy  experience  broadened 
his  knowledge  of  life  and  restored  him  physically, 
so  that,  aUhough  a  man  of  slight,  delicate  physique, 
he  is  today,  at  the  age  of  eighty- one,  remarkably 
well  preserved  and  active.  Returning  to  his  home 
he  studied  law  and  was  admitted  to  the  Hartford 
County  Bar  in  1841,  o])cning  an  office  in  Farming- 
ton,  and  marrying  on  .August  5  of  the  same  year, 
Isabella,  youngest  daughter  of  the  famous  divine. 
Dr.  Lyman  Beecher,  and  sister  of  the  Reverend 
Henry  Ward  Beecher  and  .Mrs.  Harriet  Beecher 
Stowe.  Mr.  Hooker  remained  as  a  practicing  law- 
yer in  the  village  of  his  birth  for  ten  years,  removing 
to  Hartford  in  1851  to  continue  the  same  work. 
Just  before,  in  1850,  he  had  represented  F"arming- 
ton  in  the  Legislature.  He  soon  took  a  ]iosition  in 
the  legal  profession  as  a  man  of  sound  judgment, 
utmost  honor  and  thorough  knowledge  of  the  law. 
Tliis  general  opinion  was  crystallized  when  in 
January  185S,  he  was  appointed  by  the  judges  of 
the  Supreme  Court  of  the  State,  Reporter  of  the 
Court,  w-hich  imjjortant  and  difficult  office  he  held 
for  thirty-six  consecutive  years,  retiring  by  his  own 
request  on  January  i,  1894.  Since  that  time  he  ha.s 
been  leading  a  life  of  (juiet,  ])Ieasant  retirement, 
looking  back  upon  a  long  and  useful  career,  sur- 
rounded by  every  comfort  and  beloved  by  the  com- 


378 


MEN    OF    PROGRESS. 


niunity.  In  his  early  clays  in  Hartford  Mr.  Hooker, 
in  conjunction  with  the  Hon.  Francis  (Gillette,  his 
lirother-in-law,  bought  a  lar>»e  tract  of  land  on  Asy- 
lum Hill  known  as  "Nook  Farm,"  from  having  what 
is  now  Park  River  on  three  sides  of  it,  and  this 
property  was  gradually  sold  off  in  house  lots  until, 
through  the  growth  that  followed,  that  section  of  the 
city  became  one  of  the  most  attractive  in  Hartford. 
1 1  was  on  Forest  street,  a  part  of  this  original  piece 
of  land,  a  very  beautiful  wooded  street  running  off 
from  the  stately  Farmington  avenue,  that  the  Hook- 
ers built  their  fine  house,  charmingly  situated  in 
large  grounds,  and  for  years  dispensed  a  generous, 


JOHN   HOOKER. 

gracious  hospitality.  This  jilace  became  one  of  the 
notable  Hartford  homes.  Here,  too,  came  to  live 
Charles  Dudley  Warner,  Harriet  Beecher  Stowe, 
Mrs.  Gillette,  Mr.  Hooker's  sister,  Thomas  C. 
Perkins  and  his  wife,  who  was  Mrs.  Hooker's  sister, 
and  just  around  the  corner  a  little  later,  Mark 
Twain.  The  association  of  these  people  made  a 
rarely  delightful  social  and  literary  atmosphere  and 
the  Hookers  were  the  nucleus  of  the  whole  subse- 
quent development.  Distinguished  folk  from  every 
whither  came  frequently  into  this  circle,  which  was 
one  of  the  most  unique  and  charming  in  New  Eng- 
land. Mr.  Hooker  did  his  full  share  in  the  enter- 
tainment of  the  family  friends.     He  is  equally  known 


for  his  probity  and  his  wit,  and  his  quick  turns  of 
repartee    are  famous  all   over    the    state.     He    has 
taken  a  deep  interest  in  the  philanthropic  and  social 
movements  of  the  day,  particularly  that  of  woman 
suffrage,  in  which  his  wife  has  been  so  prominent  a 
worker.     It  is  through  their  persistent  efforts  that 
the  Connecticut  state  law  has  been  modified,  so  as 
to   protect    the    property   rights   of   women.      Mr. 
Hooker  was  reared  in  the  Calvinistic  theology,  and 
was  for  a  long  time  a  deacon  in  the  Park  Congrega- 
tional Church,  under  the  pastorate  of  the  Reverend 
Dr.  Burton,  an  intimate  personal  friend.     Of  late 
years   he    has    broken    away    from    many    of    the 
dogmas   of   that    theology    and    has    become    what 
is    known    as   a   liberal   Christian.      Greatly   inter- 
ested in  the  new  ethical  and  psychological  thought 
of  the  time,  he  has  given  a  great  deal   of   careful 
study  to  the  phenomena  of   spiritualism,  and  is  a 
believer  in  its  truth  and  value.     He  has  also  been  a 
strong  advocate   of   the    restriction   of   the    liquor 
traffic.     In  politics  be  began  mature  life  as  an  aboli- 
tionist and  voted  with  the  Liberty  Party,  and  has  in 
later  years  been    a  Republican,  though  he  is  not  a 
partisan.     In    1891    the    Hookers   celebrated  their 
Golden  Wedding  and  it  was  made  the  occasion  of  a 
general  tribute  to  the  honored  family  names.      All 
Hartford    was     bidden   and    attended,    while    dis- 
tinguished guests  from  other  places  came  in  good 
numbers.     The  newspapers  made  much  of  it.     The 
esteem  in  which  the  Hookers  are  held  in  Connecti- 
cut was  plainly  indicated  by  this  unique  gathering. 
John  Hooker  is  in  Hartford  a  synonym  for  honesty 
and  his  genial  social  qualities  are  everywhere  recog- 
nized.    As  Reporter  of  Judicial  Decisions  he  has 
had  a  wide  familiarity  with  the  judges  of  the  Con- 
necticut courts  and  with  the  legal  profession  through- 
out the  state.     He  twice  declined  a  seat  upon  the 
Supreme  Court  which  was  urged  upon  him  by  the 
profession  and  by  the  judges.     The  Hookers  have 
had  four  children  :  of  these,  Edward  Beecher  Hooker, 
a  prominent  physician  of  Hartford,  and  Alice,  wife 
of  John  C.  Day,  a  retired  lawyer  of  the  same  city,  are 
living;    Mary,    wife    of    Henry    E.    Burton,   now  of 
Middletown,  Connecticut,  died  in  1886,  and  Thomas 
Hooker  in  infancy. 


HVDK,  Wii.i.iA.M  W.Ai.ix.i,  Mayor  of  Hartford  in 
1892-94,  was  born  in  Tolland,  Connecticut,  March 
2S>  '854>  son  of  Alvan  Pinney  and  Frances  Eliza- 
beth (Waldo)  Hyde.  His  ancestors  on  both  sides 
were    members   of   some    of    the  best  known  New 


MEN    OF    PROGRESS. 


379 


1  ■.nglaiul  families.  ( )n  his  mother's  side  he  is  de- 
scended from  Killer  W'ilHam  Hrewster,  and  from  the 
Averys  and  Eldritlges  of  Groton  who  were  ])romi- 
nent  in  the  Revohitionary  War.  His  maternal 
grandfather  was  Judge  I.oren  P.  Waldo  of  the 
Superior  Court  of  Connecticut.  Judge  Waldo  held 
many  political  offices,  state  and  national,  and  was 
one  of  the  most  influential  men  of  his  time.  On 
his  father's  side  Mr.  Hyde  is  descended  from  Wil- 
liam Hyde  of  Norwich  and  the  Hyde  family  of  Staf- 
ford. Mr.  Hyde  received  iiis  early  education  in 
the  common  schools  of  Tolland  and  Hartford, 
where  he  was  graduated  from  the  Hartford  Public 


WM.    WALDO   HYDE. 

High  School  in  1872.  He  received  his  diploma  as 
Bachelor  of  Arts  at  Vale  in  1S76,  counting  among 
his  classmates  an  unusual  number  of  men  who  have 
worked  their  way  to  higli  jiositions  in  tiie  world. 
After  studying  law  in  Boston  he  was  admitted  to 
the  Rar  in  1878,  and  entered  the  office  of  Waldo, 
Hubbard  &  Hyde  in  Hartford.  The  members  of 
this  long  established  firm  then  were  Judge  Waldo, 
Governor  Richard  1).  Hubbard  and  tlie  Hon.  .\lvan 
P.  Hyde.  On  the  death  of  Judge  Waldo,  Mr. 
Hyde  in  1881  became  a  member  of  the  firm  then 
known  as  Hubbard,  1  lyde  &  Gross.  When  Governor 
Hubbard  died  in  1884,  the  firm  name  was  changed 
to  Hyde,  Gross  &  Hyde,  and  at  the  death  of  the 


elder  Mr.  Hyde  in  1894  to  Gross,  Hyde  &  Ship- 
man.  'l"he  senior  inend)er  is  Charles  E.  Gross  and 
the  junior  member  Arthur  I,.  Shipman.  'Ihc  jircs- 
tige  of  the  firm  has  increased  through  nil  these 
years  of  the  Hyde  mcmbershi])  (ill  the  fAniily  name 
stands  among  the  first  in  the  legal  profession  as  in 
good  citizenshii)  in  the  state.  Mr.  Hyde  has  always 
been  interested  in  public  affairs,  upholding  fear- 
lessly what  he  believed  to  be  for  the  best  good  of 
Ihe  community.  The  value  of  his  advice  in  school 
matters  has  been  recognized  by  making  him  School 
Visitor,  and  for  six  years  he  was  Acting  S<:hool  Visi- 
tor, a  position  entailing  much  labor  and  reipiiring 
keen  perception  and  careful  judgment.  In  politics 
he  has  always  been  an  ardent  Democrat  but  has 
held  few  purely  political  offices.  In  1892  he  was 
chosen  Mayor,  a  jwsition  for  which  he  was  particu- 
larly well-fitted.  And  since  that  time  his  advice 
frequently  has  been  sought  in  public  as  well  as  pri- 
vate matters.  He  is  a  member  of  the  Society  of 
Mayflower  Descendants  ;  of  the  Society  of  the  Colo- 
nial Wars ;  Society  of  the  Sons  of  the  American 
Revolution  ;  of  the  Masonic  Fraternity  in  all  degrees 
to  the  Thirty-second ;  of  the  Hartford  Club,  of 
Hartford  ;  of  the  University,  Reform  and  the  Dem- 
ocratic clubs,  all  of  New  Vork  city.  He  married 
Helen  Eliza  Watson,  a  classmate  in  the  Hartford 
High  School,  December  i,  1877.  Their  children 
are:  Elizabeth  and  .\lvan  Waldo  Hvde. 


Ill  NT,  CnARLiiS  Kn.i.OGG,  Electrician,  Winsted, 
was  born  in  Huntsville,  Connecticut,  October  8. 
1845,  son  of  Chauncey  L.  and  Rutheda  (Peck) 
Hunt.  He  is  a  descendant  of  \\'illiam  Hunt  of 
Norkshirc,  I'.ngland,  who  came  over  to  New  England, 
in  1635,  with  Reverend  Peter  Pulkley  and  others, 
and  settled  at  Concord,  Massachusetts,  and  died 
in  Marlboro,  Massachusetts,  in  1667.  His  grand- 
father was  .Amos  Hunt  and  his  great-great-grand- 
father was  Russell  Hunt,  who  settled  Huntsville,  in 
Litchfield  comity,  and,  w^ith  his  four  .sons,  carricil  on 
the  manufacture  of  iron  anchors  for  the  United 
States  Navy.  Voung  Hunt  received  only  such  edu- 
cation as  was  afforded  by  the  common  schools. 
Vet  his  training  for  active  life  was  varied  and  con- 
sisted of  employment,  first  in  a  country  store,  then 
as  a  telegraph  operator,  and  finally  as  an  eni])loyee 
of  the  Housatonic  Railroad.  He  early  turned  his 
attention  to  electrical  work,  and  for  the  last  seven- 
teen years  he  has  been  interested  in  the  telejihone 
business.      His    business    interests   are   at    present 


38o 


MEN    OF    I'ROGRESS. 


principally  insurance  and  electrical  work.  He  takes 
an  active  interest  in  politics  and  is  Chairman  of  tlie 
Republican  Town  Committee.  He  represented  the 
town  in  the  Legislature  of  189J  with  great  credit  to 
himself  and    his  constituents.     He    is   the  present 


C.   K.   HUNT. 

Treasurer  of  the  Clifton  Club  of  Winsted.  He  was 
married  November  26,  1S73,  to  Elizabeth  L.  Beach, 
of  North  Canaan.  They  have  two  children  :  Henry 
and  Sarah  Beach  Hunt. 


HUNTINGTO.V,  Chari.ks  Perit,  Sugar  Mer- 
chant, New  York  city,  was  born  in  Norwich,  Con- 
necticut, son  of  Charles  W.  and  Julia  Sarah  (Spier) 
Huntington.  The  Hunlingtons  are  among  the  most 
prominent  of  the  families  of  New  England  and  their 
genealogical  record  contains  many  honored  and 
distinguished  names.  Yet  no  member  of  this  old 
family  has  won  a  higher  position  in  the  commercial 
world  than  Charles  P.  Huntington.  He  received 
his  education  in  his  native  town,  attending  the  Nor- 
wich Free  Academy.  But  at  an  early  age  the  edu- 
cation of  the  school-room  was  abandoned  for  the 
more  practical  training  of  the  counting-room.  His 
first  experience  was  in  a  wholesale  grocery  house. 
In  1857  he  found  employment  as  an  errand  boy 
with  the  firm  of  Spencer  &  Porter,  sugar  merchants. 


at  106  Front  street.  New  York  city.  Beginning 
thus  at  the  lowest  round  of  the  ladder  he  has  risen 
througli  his  ability  and  intelligent  efforts  to  be  the 
largest  merchant  in  the  sugar  jobbing  trade  in  the 
country.  No  sugar  merchant  in  tlie  United  States 
has  a  higher  credit  rating  in  the  Commercial  Agen- 
cies, and  none  has  more  truly  deserved  the  success 
which  he  has  attained.  During  the  forty  years  that 
he  lias  devoted  to  the  sugar  business,  his  office  has 
remained  at  the  same  location.  There  are  few 
more  marked  examples  of  business  fidelity  and  well- 
directed  energy.  Mr.  Huntington  has  never  mar- 
ried, but  after  business  hours  finds  congenial  com- 
panionship in  the  society  of  his  club  friends.  He 
is  a  member  of  the  Metropolitan,  Union  League 
and    Down  Town    clubs.     He  has    never  accepted 


CHAS.  P.  HUNTINGTON 


public  office  and  takes  no  active  interest  in  political 
matters,  but  has  preferred  to  devote  his  time  to  the 
management  of  his  business  and  private  affairs. 


HOWARD,  James  Leland,  Hartford,  Connecti- 
cut, President  of  the  manufacturing  corporation 
which  bears  his  name,  son  of  Rev.  Leland  and  Lucy 
Mason  Howard,  was  born  at  Windsor,  Vermont, 
January  19,  18 18.  Having  completed  an  academic 
education,  he  began  his  business  career  as  a  clerk 


MF-;N    OI'    I'KOCRKSS. 


3«' 


in  New  ^'ork  city.  In  1S5S  he  came  to  Hartford 
where  he  entered  a  partnership  engaged  in  nianii- 
facturiiii;  saddlery  hardware  ;  a  few  years  afterwards 
he  bought  out  his  partner's  interest  and  continued 
the  business  under  the  firm  name  of  Janies  L. 
Howard  &  Company.  Subse(|uently  the  business 
was  changed  to  the  manufacturing  of  articles  and 
materials  used  in  the  construction  and  eijuipment 
of  railway  cars,  in  which  business  the  firm  became 
widely  and  favorably  known  in  railroatl  circles 
throughout  the  United  States.  In  1876  the  jiart- 
nership  was  changed  into  an  incorporated  company 
of    the  same  name,  with  its  founder  as  President. 


JAMES    L.    HOWARD. 

His  business  foresight  has  led  him  to  engage  in 
other  notable  enterprises,  all  of  which  have  profited 
by  his  executive  ability  and  sound  judgment.  At 
the  present  time  he  is  President  of  the  Hartford 
City  Gas  Light  Company  ;  a  Director  of  the  Phceni.v 
National  Bank ;  the  Travelers  Insurance  Company, 
since  its  organization ;  the  Hartford  County  Insur- 
ance Company ;  the  Retreat  for  the  Insane ;  the 
Farmington  River  Power  Company,  and  several 
important  manufacturing  companies ;  and  formerly 
was  a  Director  of  the  New  York  &  New  England 
Railroad  Company.  He  has  served  in  various 
public  offices  of  trust  and  responsibility,  such  as 
Councilman,    .Mdernian,    member    of    the    School 


Itoard.  and  of  the  Building  Committee  wiiich  erected 
the  fine  High  School  lluilding  ;  and  his^clection  as 
l.ieutcnant-dovernor  in  1K.S7  wa.s  a__fitting  recog- 
nition of  his  adn)inislrative  tact  and  familiarity  with 
parliamentary  rules  and  usages.  Originally  a  Whig 
in  politics  he  joined  the  Republican  party  at  its 
formation  and  ever  since  has  been  a  loyal  supporter 
of  its  princip.les.  Mr.  Howard  is  one  of  tiic  prom- 
inent liaptists  of  the  stale  and  for  niany  years  has 
been  a  deacon"of  the  l-'irst  Baptist  C!hurch  of  Hart- 
ford ;  was  President  of  the  Connecticut  Baptist 
Convention,  from  1871  to  1876,  .ind  is  at  present  a 
Trustee  and  member  of  its  ICxecutive  Committee  ; 
he  was  one  of  the  organizers  and  for  some  time 
President  of  the  Baptist  Social  Union ;  has  been 
President  of  the  Board  of  Trustees  of  the  Con- 
necticut Literary  Institute ;  was  President  of  the 
.American  Baptist  Publication  Society  from  1873  to 
1877  and  of  the  American  Baptist  Home  Mission 
Society  from  1881  to  1884;  and  has  been  for  .sev- 
eral years  a  Trustee  of  Brown  University,  which 
institution  conferred  on  him  the  honorary  degree 
of  A.  M.  Few  men  are  better  known  or  more 
respected  in  the  capital  city  and  the  state.  His 
tall,  erect  figure,  firm  step  and  handsome  face  give 
no  indication  that  the  weight  of  increasing  years  has 
become  burdensome.  A  man  of  his  years,  so  well 
preserved,  so  i)hysically  and  mentally  active,  is 
rarely  seen.  On  June  i,  1S42,  he  married  Miss 
.Anna  Cilbert  of  Hartford,  daughter  of  the  late  Hon. 
Joseph  B.  Gilbert.  They  have  had  five  children, 
three  of  wliom  are  living,  their  daughter  .Mice  being 
the  wife  of  the  Hon.  K.  li.  Bennett  of  Hartford. 


IVES,  Amos.  Mayor  of  Meriden,  was  born  in 
Meriden,  January  18,  1839,  son  of  Jotham  and 
Mary  R.  (Way)  Ives.  His  father  was  the  son  of 
Jesse  Ives,  who  was  born  in  Cheshire,  Connecticut, 
son  of  Zachariah  Ives.  His  mother  was  born  in 
.Meriden,  the  daughter  of  John  Way,  who  served  in 
the  Revolutionary  War,  as  did  several  of  his  ances- 
tors on  the  paternal  side.  His  early  education  was 
acquired  in  the  district  school  until  the  age  of  sixteen, 
after  which  he  attended  for  two  terms  the  Cheshire 
Academy  Until  he  was  twenty-four  years  old  he 
was  a  tiller  of  the  soil.  In  June  1870  he  com- 
menced a  retail  coal  trade,  which  he  has  developed 
and  continued  to  the  present  time.  In  December 
1893,  Mr.  Ives  was  elected  Mayor  of  the  city 
of  Meriden,  and  served  a  term  of  one  year.  In 
October  1895,  he   was   elected  a  member   of   the 


382 


MKN    OF   PROGRESS. 


Board  of  Assessors  of  the  town  of  Meriden,  and  in 
October  1896  was  elected  one  of  the  Board  of 
Selectmen.  On  December  21,  1S97,  he  was  again 
elected  Mayor  of  the  city  of  Meriden,  this  time  for 
a  term   of    two   years.     PoHtically  Mr.   Ives   is   a 


AMOS    IVES. 

Democrat.  He  was  made  a  member  of  Hancock 
Lodge  of  Odd  Fellows  in  1870,  and  held  member- 
ship in  that  lodge  for  ten  years.  About  that  time 
he  joined  Meridian  Lodge  of  Masons,  and  he  is  still 
a  member  of  the  Royal  Arch  Degree  of  that  order. 
He  was  married  November  17,  186^,  to  Rhoda  E. 
Smith,  of  Cheshire,  Connecticut.  'Lhey  have  two 
sons:  Wilbur  B.,  born  December  10,  1873,  B.nd 
Cleveland  A  Ives,  born  August  8,  1878.  The 
former  has  assisted  in  his  father's  office  for  the  last 
six  years;  the  latter  is  a  graduate  of  the  Meriden 
High  School  and  is  now  a  student  at  Wesleyan 
University. 

JOHNSON,  Franklin  Ru.ssel,  Secretary  and 
Manager  of  the  S.  O.  &  C.  Co.,  Ansonia,  was  born 
in  Ansonia,  October  24,  1  866,  son  of  David  T.  and 
Sarah  (l.indley)  Johnson.  He  is  of  the  eighth 
generation  in  descent  from  Colonel  Ebenezer  lohn- 
son,  born  in  1645,  whose  family  was  one  of  the 
twelve  that  petitioned  the  General  Court  to  change 
the  name  of  Paugasuck  to  Derby.     He  acquired  his 


education  in  the  Ansonia  High  School,  and  at  the 
Collegiate  and  Commercial  Institute  of  New  Haven, 
from  which  institution  he  graduated  in  June  1881. 
His  training  for  active  life  was  received  in  various 
large  manufacturing  concerns  in  .\nsoniaand  Bridge- 
port, Connecticut.  In  May  1892.  at  the  formation 
of  the  Ansonia  O.  &  C.  Co.,  he  became  one  of 
the  original  members  of  the  concern,  and  later  was 
elected  as  Director  and  Secretary.  Shortly  after 
the  death  of  the  late  George  O.  Schnelbe,  which 
occurred  in  October  1895,  Mr.  Johnson  was  asked 
by  the  Directors  of  the  S.  O.  &  C.  Co.  to  assume 
the  management  of  that  concern  and  take  charge 
of  that  i)lant,  which  is  the  largest  eyelet  mill  in 
the  world.  He  was  soon  elected  Director  and 
Secretary  of  this  company,  in  which  capacity  he  has 
continued  to  the  present  time.     He  is  also  a  stock- 


FKANKLIN   R.   JOHNSON. 

holder  and  director  of  the  Birmingham  Brass  Com- 
pany, Shelton,  Connecticut.  Mr.  Johnson  is  a 
member  of  the  Masonic  fraternity,  also  of  the 
.Ansonia  Club  and  the  Ansonia  Board  of  Trade. 
He  is  a  Republican  in  politics,  and  is  unmarried. 


KELLOGG.  John  Prf.scoit,  Lawyer,  Waterbury, 
was  born  in  Waterbury,  Connecticut,  March  31, 
i860,  son   of   Stephen    Wright   and  Lucia  Hosmer 


MKN    OK    I'ROCRKSS. 


38: 


(An(lr(.u>")  Kcllom;.  liis  ancestry  is  clistingiiislicd. 
He  is  the  great-grandson  of  Stephen  'I'itus  Hosmcr, 
Chief  Justice  of  the  Connecticut  Supreme  Court 
(iSig-33),  and  great-great-grandson  of  Tiliis 
Hosmer  who  was  a  member  of  the  Continental 
Congresses  1775-79,  delegate  to  the  Convention 
adopting  the  Declaration  of  Independence,  and 
Judge  of  the  Maritime  Court  of  Ap])eals,  first  United 
States  Su])renie  Court.  He  is  also  great-great- 
grandson  of  Major-Ceneral  Samuel  Holden  I'arsons, 
President  of  the  Connecticut  Society  of  Cincinnati 
and  first  Ihiited  States  Judge  of  Northwest  Terri- 
tory.    His  father  also  has  long  been  well  known  in 


JOHN    P.    KELLOGG. 

the  front  rank  of  Connecticut  lawyers.  It  will  be 
seen  that  Mr.  Kellogg's  clioice  of  the  legal  profes- 
sion was,  by  the  law  of  iieredity,  eminently  fitting. 
He  received  his  preliminary  education  in  the  Higli 
School  and  I^nglish  and  Classical  School  of  Water- 
bury,  and  tlien  entered  Yale  I'niversity,  taking  his 
A.  K  in  1882,  and  an  LL.  li.  at  the  Law  School  in 
1884.  He  was  admitted  to  the  Bar  at  Waterbury 
in  tliat  year,  and  lias  practiced  there  since,  rising 
steadily  and  rapidly  until  he  is  one  of  the  best 
known  young  lawyers  in  the  state.  His  positions  of 
trust  ha\e  been  many  and  important.  He  was  Prose- 
cuting .\ttorney  of  the  Police  Court  of  Waterbury 
1891-93,  Prosecuting  .Attorney  of  the  District  Court 


1893-96,  City  Altorncy  1896,  wiiiih  post  he  now 
holds,  Town  .Vtloriicy  1891-95,311(1  Assistant  Slate's 
.Attorney  for  New  Haven  County  1897.  From  1889 
to  1S91  he  was  a  Councilman  in  the  City  (lOvernnKMit 
and  was  niade  Chairman  of  the  Kepiil)lican  Town 
Committee  in  1895.  He  has  been  also  active  in  the 
military  life,  being  Ca])tain  and  .Aide-deCamj), 
iSrigade  Staff,  Connecticut  National  Ciuard  from 
1890  to  1892,  and  Captain,  Commanding  Company 
.A,  .Second  Regiment,  Connecticut  National  (tuard 
from  1892  to  1893.  Socially  Mr.  Kellogg  is  popular 
and  jirominent.  He  is  a  niember  of  Masonic  and 
Odd  Fellow  lodges,  of  the  Waterbury  Club,  Scroll 
and  Key  Society  of  Yale  College,  the  University 
Club  of  New  York,  the  Sons  of  the  .American  Revo- 
lution and  the  Society  of  Colonial  Wars  This 
enumeration  of  his  activities,  legal,  civic,  military  and 
social,  gives  a  clear  idea  of  the  influential  position 
Mr.  Kellogg  has  taken  among  the  younger  men  of 
his  city  and  state.  Of  good  family  and  education, 
he  has  by  his  own  work  and  ability  added  to  the 
opportunities  which  were  his,  so  that  his  reputation 
is  bright  and  his  standing  well  assured  today.  He 
married  June  i,  1892,  Clara  Mason,  of  Hridgeport, 
Connecticut,  daughter  of  Colonel  F.  .A.  Mason,  a 
well-known  citizen  of  that  city.  They  have  one  child  : 
Fredrika  Mason  Kellogg,  born  January  23,  1894. 


KI;NI)RICK,  Ckkknk,  Lawyer  and  .Mayor  of 
Waterbury  in  1S83-85,  was  born  in  Waterbury,  May 
51,  1S51,  son  of  John  and  Marian  (Marr)  Kendrick. 
His  grandfather,  the  Hon.  Creene  Kendrick,  was  a 
leading  man  in  politics  and  in  the  inilustries  of  the 
state  for  half  a  century.  He  served  several  terms 
in  the  Senate  and  in  the  House,  was  Speaker  three 
times,  President  of  the  Senate,  Lieutenant-Ciovernor 
in  185  T,  anil  Whig  candidate  for  Ciovernor.  He 
also  hekl  leading  offices  in  town,  city  and  county. 
He  was  the  head  of  Rogers  &  Urother  of  Waterbury, 
one  of  the  ]>romotersof  the  Naugatuck  Railroad  and 
was  connected  with  various  leading  concerns  and 
enterprises  in  the  community.  Mr.  Kendrick's  father 
was  a  lawyer  ami  the  first  judge  of  the  Waterbury 
District  Court.  He  was  also  Mayor  for  several  terms. 
Representative  and  cor])oration  <'ounsel,  besides 
filling  ollur  public  offices.  Mr.  Kendrick  obtained 
his  early  education  in  the  private  school  of  Profes- 
sor Homer  F.  Bassett.  now  Librarian  of  the  Pronson 
Library,  Waterbury.  .After  attending  the  Water- 
bury High  School  he  fitted  for  college  at  Round 
Hill  Seminary,  Northami)ton,  Massachusetts.   IJegin- 


384 


MEN   OF   PROGRESS. 


ning  the  study  of  Latin  at  the  age  of  nine  and  of 
Greek  at  the  age  of  eleven  he  has  kept  up  the  study 
of  the  classics  and  is  today  a  recognized  authority 
in  them.  lie  was  graduated  at  Yale  with  high 
honors  in  1S72,  taking  the  Clark  and  Berkeley 
scholarships.  He  was  elected  a  member  of  the 
.American  Oriental  and  of  the  American  Philological 
societies  by  reason  ot  his  proficiency  in  the  ancient 
languages.  The  year  succeeding  his  graduation  he 
passed  a  post-graduate  course  after  which  he 
entered  the  Vale  Law  School  in  1873,  was  gradu- 
ated two  years  later,  taking  the  Roman  and  com- 
mon law  prizes  and  the  Junior  Jewell  prize,  and  was 


GREENE    KENDRICK. 

immediately  admitted  to  practice.  Possessed  of  a 
remarkable  memory,  he  has  had  the  advantage  of 
travel  in  foreign  countries.  While  still  a  student  at 
Yale  he  was  in  Paris  at  the  time  of  the  Commune. 
In  England  he  met  such  men  as  Tyndall,  Huxley, 
Darwin,  Bryce,  Jevons,  Ruskin  and  Froude.  In 
his  practice  his  specialty  has  been  corporation  law. 
From  1877  to  1880  he  was  corporation  counsel  and 
is  at  present  Town's  .Attorney.  With  all  his  duties 
he  takes  much  time  for  classical  investigation,  art 
studies  and  historical  inquiry,  so  that  he  may  be  a 
"full  and  ready  man."  He  has  traveled  in  every 
state  in  the  Union  and  all  over  the  continent.  His 
study  during  personal  visits  of  Rome  in  the  light  of 


modern  excavations  and  discoveries,  is  wide-reach- 
ing. From  1876  to  1888  he  was  a  member  of  the 
Waterbury  Board  of  Education  and  the  Board  of 
Visitors.  Under  appointments  from  Governors  Inger- 
soll,  Hubbard,  Andrews  and  Bigelow,  he  was  auditor 
of  the  State  Institutions  of  Connecticut  from  1875 
to  1885.  From  1887  to  1892  he  had  an  office  and 
practiced  in  New  Yoik.  He  was  attorney  in  the 
litigation  over  the  will  of  Gertrude  Hart,  which  he 
drafted.  He  has  also  had  much  experience  in  rail- 
road and  patent  litigation,  and  in  jury  cases  has  lost 
but  one  in  twenty-five  years  ;  in  that  one  the  Supreme 
Court  has  ordered  a  new  trial.  In  politics  he  is  a  con- 
servative Democrat.  He  was  City  Clerk  from  1874 
to  1880,  member  of  the  General  Assembly  in  1876, 
1877  and  1878,  Mayor  of  Waterbury  from  1883  to 
1S85  and  delegate  to  two  Democratic  National 
Conventions.  In  1877  he  declined  the  nomination 
for  Lieutenant-Governor  on  the  ticket  headed  by 
Richard  D.  Hubbard  and  he  also  declined  a  nomi- 
nation for  Congressman  in  1896  at  the  Convention 
over  which  he  presided.  He  is  a  Thirty-second 
degree  Mason,  a  Knight  Templar  and  a  Shriner, 
and  as  a  Knight  of  Pythias  he  is  a  past  chancellor, 
a  member  of  the  Grand  Lodge,  and  Chief  Tribune 
of  the  Grand  Tribunal  Domain  of  Connecticut.  He 
married  Flora  M.,  daughter  of  Edgar  Lockwood  of 
New  Haven,  November  19,  1896. 


KNIGHT,  CiEORGE  Henry,  Physician  and  Super- 
intendent of  the  Connecticut  School  for  Imbeciles, 
of  Lakeville,  Connecticut,  was  born  at  that  place  on 
November  24,  1855,  son  of  Henry  Martin  and  Mary 
Fitch  (Phelps  1  Knight,  the  former  being  a  well- 
known  and  much  respected  physician  and  for  many 
years  the  head  of  the  institution  of  which  the  son 
now  has  charge.  The  family  is  one  of  the  best  and 
most  reputable  in  the  state  and  in  ancestry  goes 
back  to  the  sturdiest  of  English  stock,  the  sort  of 
forebears  which  is  the  pride  of  the  genuine  New 
Englander  to  derive  from.  George  H.  Knight  was 
educated  in  the  local  schools  and  then  went  to 
Yale,  where  he  remained  two  years  in  the  class  of 
1877.  He  studied  medicine  at  New  York,  and  then 
accepted  the  Superintendency  of  the  State  Institute 
for  Feeble  Minded  in  Minnesota.  In  1S80,  upon 
his  father's  death.  Dr.  George  H.  Knight  assumed 
control  of  the  Retreat,  which  he  has  since  conducted 
with  marked  success.  It  is  a  progressive  institution 
in  which  the  best  and  most  enlightened  methods 
are  used  and  it  deserves  the  reputation  which  under 


MKN    ()!•■    I"K0(;RKSS. 


385 


management  of  the  Knit;hts,  father  ami  son,  it  has 
acquired.  The  fine  buildings  and  attractive  grounds 
beautifully  situated  in  the  lovely  village  of  Lnke- 
ville,  arc  but  an  outward  suggestion  of  the  noble 
and  necessary  work  done  within  the  walls.  Dr. 
Cieorge  Knight  is  beloved  by  the  community  for  his 
winning  social  (jualities  and  his  devoted  labor.  His 
work  has  been  his  life  ;  he  has  not  sought  outside 
position,  nor  connected  himself  with  other  organi- 
zations. In  ]K)litics  he  is  a  Republican.  On  Sep- 
tember 10,  1S79,  he  married  Kate  Brannon  of  New 


GEO.   H.   KNIGHT. 


York  city,  a  charming  woman  whose  social  graces 
are  recognized  wherever  she  goes.  They  have  one 
child  :  (lertrude  Knight. 


LUSK,  William  Thompso.v,  Physician  and  Medi- 
cal Professor,  New  York  city,  was  born  at  Norwich, 
Connecticut,  May  23,  1838.  His  father  was  Syl- 
vester Graham  Lusk,  born  at  Enfield,  Connecticut, 
1805,  a  merchant  of  the  firm  of  Lusk,  Lathrop  & 
Company,  who  married  January  i,  1833,  Elizabeth 
Freeman  Adams  of  Norwich,  Connecticut.  He 
died  in  his  thirty-sixth  year  in  Montevideo  in  1840, 
at  which  place  he  had  just  arrived  on  an  ocean  trip 
for  his  health.     William  T.   I.usk  in  bovhood  went 


to  school  at  Norwich,  Connecticut.  In  the  winter 
of  1853-5.}  he  attended  .Anton's  Crammar  School 
in  Murray  street,  New  York,  then  filled  for  college 
at  Russell's  Military  School  at  New  Haven,  Con- 
necticut. He  wa.s  at  \'ale  College  in  the  year 
■''^SS-S^  (cla.ss  of  '59)  but  left  at  the  end  of  his 
Freshman  year  on  account  of  weak  eyes.  I^tcr  in 
1S72  he  was  enrolled  with  his  class  by  the  action  of 
the  corporation  and  then  received  an  honorary 
A.  iM.  from  Yale.  In  1894  the  honorary  <legrec  of 
1. 1. .  1).  was  also  conferred  upon  him  by  Yale  Uni- 
versity. After  leaving  Yale  College  Mr.  I.usk  spent 
about  a  year  in  business,  at  the  end  of  which  time, 
his  eyes  still  troubling  him,  he  went  abroad  to 
(Geneva  to  be  treated  by  Maunoir,  a  celebrated 
occulistof  that  time.  His  early  ambition  was  in  the 
line  of  chemistry,  and  he  began  in  1858  to  study 
medicine  at  Heidelberg.  He  studied  two  years  in 
Heidelberg  and  one  year  in  Berlin,  coming  home  to 
America  in  1861  to  enter  the  army.  He  entered 
the  Seventy  ninth  Highlanders  Regiment  New  York 
Yolunteers,  enlisting  as  a  private  in  the  ranks, 
refusing  at  this  time  the  offer  of  Governor  Bucking- 
ham of  Connecticut  to  give  him  a  staff  commission, 
since  accepting  it  would  have  meant  delay,  and  he 
wished  assured  active  and  immediate  service.  The 
following  is  quoted  from  the  "  In  Memoriam  "  re- 
jiort  of  the  Military  Order  of  the  Loyal  Legion  of 
the  United  States,  of  which  he  was  a  member. 
"Joining  the  Seventy-ninth  Regiment,  New  York 
Volunteer  Infantry,  in  June  1861,  he  took  part  in 
the  first  battle  of  Bull  Run,  though  not  mustered 
into  service.  He  was  commissioned  Second  Lieu- 
tenant in  the  same  regiment  September  19,  1S61, 
with  rank  from  .August  3;  Captain,  February  24, 
1862,  with  rank  from  January  19,  1862.  Resigned 
February  28,  1863,  to  take  command  of  a  regiment 
being  raised  in  New  York  city,  at  the  request  of 
Governor  Morgan.  Before  the  regiment  was  re- 
cruited he  joined  the  staff  of  General  Daniel  Tyler, 
and  was  commissioned  Assistant  .Adjutant-General 
with  rank  of  Captain  June  26,  1863.  Resigned 
Se])tember  17,  1863.  Wiiile  in  the  service  of  the 
Ignited  States  he  took  part  in  the  battles  at  Black- 
burn's Ford,  first  Bull  Run,  Port  Royal,  Secession- 
ville-on-James  Island,  second  Bull  Run,  Chantilly, 
South  Mountain,  .Antietam,  Fredericksburg,  and  a 
multitude  of  minor  engagements."  He  joined  this 
commandery  (Military  Order  of  the  I.X)yal  Legion 
of  the  United  .States  —  headquarters  commandery 
of  the  state  of  New  York),  October  5,  1886,  and 
George  Washington   Post  No.   103,  Department  of 


386 


MEN    OF    PROGRESS. 


New  York,  Grand  Army  of  the  Republic,  March  17, 
1887.  At  the  first  battle  of  iiiiU  Run,  William  T. 
Lusk  is  said  to  have  carried  his  wounded  captain 
off  the  field  going  backwards  so  as  not  to  be  shot 
himself  in  the  back  should  a  bullet  have  struck  him. 
He  was  in  the  battle  of  Manassas,  of  which  he 
writes :  "  I  made  the  charge  armed  with  a  ramrod 
which  I  picked  up  on  the  way  thither.  I  acknowl- 
edge that  I  found  the  work  hotter  than  I  antici- 
pated." In  the  Rebellion  Record,  General  Isaac  I. 
Stevens  in  his  official  report  of  the  battle  of  James 
Island,  South  Carolina,  in  June  1862,  writes:  "My 
Assistant  Adjutant-General,  Captain  Hazard  Stevens, 


WILLIAM   T.   LUSK. 

was  in  all  parts  of  the  field  carrying  my  orders  and 
bringing  me  information,  to  the  great  exposure  of 
his  life,  as  was  Aide  Captain  William  T.  Lusk."  And 
at  the  battle  of  Antietam  in  September  1862,  as 
Acting  Assistant  Adjutant-General  of  Colonel  Christ's 
brigade,  his  name  is  recorded  in  the  same  volume, 
among  those  mentioned  for  "  gallant  and  meritori- 
ous conduct  in  the  field  and  for  efficiency  in  their 
departments."  He  served  as  staff-officer  on  Gen- 
eral Isaac  I.  Stevens'  staff  for  a  considerable  period 
of  time  preceding  the  latter's  death  in  the  summer 
of  1862.  During  the  service  in  the  army  he  had 
two  horses  shot  under  him,  once  had  his  belt  shot 
off,  and  saw  his  Seventy-ninth   Highland  Regiment 


of  one  thousand  men  reduced  to  two  hundred  and 
thirty  in  number,  yet  never  received  a  wound  him- 
self. He  resigned  (September  17,  1863),  when  his 
troops  were  put  on  the  inactive  list.  He  graduated 
in  medicine  at  Bellevue  Medical  College  in  1864, 
being  valedictorian  of  his  class.  On  May  4,  1864, 
he  was  married  and  went  abroad  for  further  study, 
spending  four  months  in  Edinburgh  under  Sir  James 
Y.  Simpson,  six  months  in  Paris,  four  months  in 
Vienna  and  two  months  in  Prague.  In  Vienna  he 
studied  under  Carl  Braun,  and  in  Prague  under 
Siefert.  During  the  winter  of  1865-66  he  resided 
at  Bridgeport,  Connecticut,  being  associated  there 
with  Dr.  Robert  Hubbard,  from  whom  he  claimed 
to  have  learned  the  art  of  how  to  practice  medi- 
cine. In  1866  he  came  to  New  York  and  settled 
at  47  East  34th  street;  he  was  associated  with  Dr. 
Fordyce  Barker  for  a  number  of  years  after  setding 
in  New  York.  From  1869  to  187  i  he  was  Professor 
of  Physiology  and  Microscopic  Anatomy  at  the 
Long  Island  Hospital  Medical  College.  At  the 
request  of  Dr.  Holmes,  in  the  winter  of  1870-71, 
he  delivered  a  course  of  lectures  in  physiology  at 
the  Harvard  Medical  School.  This  course  was  very 
successful  and  he  expected  an  immediate  appoint- 
ment to  the  chair  of  physiology  at  Harvard.  There 
was,  however,  a  little  delay,  during  which  time  he 
was  offered  the  chair  of  obstetrics  at  Bellevue 
Hospital  Medical  College,  made  vacant  by  the 
death  of  Dr.  George  T.  Elliot.  This  position  he 
accepted  at  once  and  but  a  few  hours  later  came 
the  offer  from  Harvard,  which  of  course  was  de- 
clined. Through  this  incident  New  York  became 
his  permanent  residence,  instead  of  Boston.  In  1S70 
he  was  elected  Visiting  Physician  to  the  Nursery  and 
Child's  Hospital  from  which  he  resigned  November 
27,  1871.  On  November  4,  1870,  he  was  elected 
Visiting  Physician  to  the  Third  Medical  Division  of 
Charity  Hospital,  resigning  the  next  year.  He  was 
then  appointed  Professor  of  Obstetrics  and  the  Dis- 
eases of  Women  and  Children  at  the  Bellevue  Hos- 
pital Medical  College,  which  chair  he  held  until  his 
death.  To  this  may  be  added  his  appointment, 
February  21,  1871,  as  Obstetric  Surgeon  to  Belle- 
vue Hospital.  Dr.  Lusk  was  also  active  on  the 
literary  side  of  his  profession;  from  1871  to  1873  he 
was  co-editor  with  Dr.  James  B.  Hunter  of  the 
New  York  Medical  Journal.  His  other  appoint- 
ments and  titles  as  given  in  "  The  Science  and  Art 
of  Midwifery"  are:  Consulting  Physician  to  the 
Maternity  Hospital  and  to  the  Foundling  Asylum; 
Visiting    Physician    to    the    Emergency   Hospital; 


MK\    OF    PROr.RESS 


387 


Gynoecologist  to  the  Bellevue  and  to  the  St.  Vin- 
cent's Hospital  ;  Honorary  I'cllow  of  the  Edinburgh 
and  the  London  Obstetrical  Societies;  Corrcsiionil- 
ing  Fellow  of  the  (Obstetrical  Societies  of  Paris  and 
I.eipsic  ;  Corresponding  F'ellow  of  the  Paris  Acad- 
emy of  Medicine,  etc.  He  was  also  Consulting 
Physician  to  the  Society  of  the  Lying-in  Hospital 
of  the  city  of  New  York,  and  a  member  of  the  Mili- 
tary Order  of  the  Loyal  Legion  of  the  I'nited  States, 
with  the  title  of  Captain,  Assistant  Adjutant-Cen- 
eral,  United  States  Volunteers.  Still  other  profes- 
sional positions  held  by  Dr.  Lusk  are  :  Vice-Presi- 
dent of  the  New  York  Obstetrical  Society  in  1874- 
75  ;  President  of  the  New  York  State  Medical 
Society  in  1SS9;  President  of  the  Faculty  of  the 
Bellevue  Hospital  Medical  College  from  1889  until 
his  death  ;  and  President  of  the  .American  Cyn?e- 
cological  Society  in  1894.  He  was  one  of  the 
Honorary  Presidents  of  the  Obstetrical  and  C.ynre- 
cological  section  at  the  Tenth  International  Medical 
Congress  held  at  Berlin  in  August  1S90.  He  was 
the  author  of  various  valuable  papers  and  articles. 
His  paper  entitled  "Nature,  Causes,  and  Prevention 
of  Puerperal  Fever,"  read  before  the  Transatlantic 
hiternational  Medical  Congress  in  1876  at  Philaclel- 
phia,  was  one  of  the  first  in  support  of  the  germ 
theory  of  disease  which  then  created  considerable 
interest.  '• 'Ihe  Science  and  Art  of  Midwifery" 
has  been  through  four  editions.  'Phe  last  edition 
published  in  1892,  Dr.  Lusk  regarded  as  practically 
a  new  book,  it  having  been  largely  re-written.  In 
1895  he  appended  a  cha])ter  on  Symphyseotomy. 
It  was  his  intention  during  the  summer  of  1897  to 
revise  the  book  again  and  issue  a  fifth  edition;  the 
work  is  authoritative  and  has  been  translated  into 
French,  Italian,  Spanish  and  Arabic.  Dr.  I.usk's 
career  has  been  one  of  great  usefulness  and  distinc- 
tion ;  it  was  terminated  by  his  death  on  June  12, 
1897.  He  married  on  May  4,  1S64,  Mary  Hart- 
well  Chittenden,  daughter  of  Simeon  B.  Chittenden, 
of  Brooklyn;  she  died  September  13,  1871.  For 
his  second  wife,  on  June  14,  1876,  he  married 
Matilda  M.  Thorn,  of  Poughkeepsie  :  she  died 
March  24,  1892. 


LYM.AN,  IvANHo?;  H.,  General  Foreman  of  the 
New  York,  New  Haven  &  Hartford  Railroad  Shops, 
Falls  Village,  was  born  in  I'.ridgeport,  Connecticut, 
May  13,  1856,  son  of  Samuel  C.  and  Sarah  E. 
(Squire)  Lyman.  .After  receiving  a  common  school 
education,    he    commenced  learning   the  machinist 


tratie,  in  May  1873,31  Falls  Village,  in  the  same 
sho])  of  whicii  he  now  has  charge,  then  operated  L- 
the  Housatonic  Railroail,  and  now  ((introllcd  by  tl 
New  York,  New  Haven  &  llartfonl.  He  was  em- 
ployed in  this  shoi)  until  June  1889,  and  then  went 
to  Hridgei)ort  to  take  the  position  of  Engine  Dis- 
patcher. This  position  he  held  until  January  1892, 
when  the  New  York,  New  Haven  iS:  Hartford  Rail- 
road Company  took  charge  of  the  Housatonic  road, 
and  he  was  promoted  to  General  Foreman  of  the 
shops  at  Falls  Village,  in  which  capacity  he  has  since 
continued.  His  steady  rise  in  his  profession  is  an 
indication    of    his   worth.     Mr.    I.vman   is   a    Free 


1.    H.    LYMAN. 

Mason,  haviig  been  a  member  of  Montgomery 
Lodge,  Lakeville,  Connecticut,  since  March  3, 
1883.       He    is    a    Republican    in    politics,  and    is 

unmarried. 

L.ANF,  JosKPii  GAKKin,  Merchant,  oi  liaruord, 
was  born  in  Plymouth,  Penn.sylvania,  December  20, 
1846,  son  of  William  and  Emeline  M.  (Danforlh) 
Lane.  His  ancestors  came  from  Holland  at  an  early 
period  of  the  settlement  of  the  country.  He  ac- 
quired his  early  education  in  the  common  schools 
and  in  a  two-years  course  at  Antioch  Preparatory 
School,  Yellow  Springs,  Ohio.  At  the  age  of  fifteen 
he  came  to  Hartford,  Connecticut,  and  entered  the 


388 


MKN    OF   I'ROC.RESS. 


employ  of  J.  \\'.  Danforth  &  Company,  wholesale 
grocers  and  licjiior  dealers.  He  was  taken  into  the 
firm  in  1867,  and  in  1875  he  succeeded  to  the  busi- 
ness, in  which  he  has  since  continued.  Mr.  Lane 
is  a  thirty-second  degree  Mason,  a  member  of  St. 


J.   G.   LANE. 

John's  Lodge  and  Washington  Conmiandery,  also  of 
the  Mystic  Shrine  and  the  Scottish  Rite.  He  was 
married  June  2,  1875,  lo  Miss  Isabella  Bissell,  of 
Hartford.  They  have  two  children  :  Emma  B.  and 
Bertha  A.  Lane. 


LINCOLN,  Melvin  Eugene,  Postmaster  of  Wil- 
limantic,  was  born  in  North  Windham,  Connecticut, 
February  23,  1849,  son  of  Lorin  and  Elizabeth 
(Parker)  Lincoln.  His  grandfather  was  James 
Lincoln  and  his  great-grandfather  Jonah  Lincoln. 
On  his  mother's  side  his  grandparents  were  Pardon 
and  Fanny  (Freeman)  Parker,  the  latter  a  daughter 
of  Edwin  Freeman  and  Fanny  (Hanks)  Freeman. 
His  education  was  obtained  in  the  common  school 
and  in  one  term  at  the  Willimantic  High  School. 
He  taught  school  for  one  term,  and  later  worked  on 
the  farm  at  teaming,  and  in  a  gristmill  and  sawmill 
until  he  was  twenty  years  of  age.  He  then  pur- 
chased the  interest  of  J.  H.  Gray  in  the  firm  of 
Burnham  &  Gray,  grocers,  located  nearly  opposite 


the  Linen  Company's  spool  shop  in  Willimantic. 
After  one  and  one  half  years  he  sold  out  his  interest 
and  purchased  the  stock  of  groceries  owned  by 
Snow  &  McNeil,  situated  in  the  old  brick  building 
which  stood  where  the  Hotel  Windham  now  stands. 
In  this  business  he  was  associated  with  his  father 
under  the  firm  name  of  L.  &  M.  E.  Lincoln,  which 
they  successfully  continued  for  four  years,  and  then 
disposed  of  the  business  and  purchased  the  lumber 
and  coal  interests  of  Whiting  Hayden  on  Upper 
Main  street.  This  was  continued  for  seven  years 
when  E.  A.  Smith  of  Norwich  became  associated 
with  them  under  the  firm  name  of  Lincoln,  Smith  & 
Company.  The  firm  purchased  the  lumber  and 
coal  business  of  Silas  H.  Loonier,  and  also  estab- 
lished a  branch  at  Jewett  City,  Connecticut.  They 
thus  continued  for  three  years  three  lumber  and 
coal  yards,  at  which  time  Lorin  Lincoln  retired,  and 
the  firm  became  Lincoln  &  Smith,  the  Hayden  yard 
being  discontinued.     After  two  years  the  interest  of 


M.    EUGENE   LINCOLN. 

E.  A.  Smith  was  purchased  by  M.  E.  Lincoln. 
Soon  afterwards  Charles  L.  Boss  purchased  a  half 
interest  in  the  Willimantic  business,  and  under  the 
firm  name  of  Lincoln  &  Boss  the  business  was  con- 
tinued for  eleven  years.  Mr.  Lincoln  continued  the 
Jewett  City  business  for  ten  years  and  then  disposed 
of  it.     On  February  17,  1895,  he  was  called  to  take 


MKN    OF    TKOCRKSS. 


3«9 


charge  of  the  Willimantic  Postoffice,  having  been 
one  of  the  bondsmen  of  the  late  Joel  \V.  Webl). 
He  entered  ujion  these  duties,  having  secured  a 
temporary  appointment  until  the  assemhiini;  of  the 
next  Congress.  On  May  i,  1S95,  he  sold  his  inter- 
ests in  the  lumber  and  coal  business  to  Charles  L. 
Boss,  and  on  December  iS,  1S95,  he  received  his 
appointment  as  Postmaster  for  four  years.  He  also 
held  tlie  offices  of  Borough  Clerk  in  1S72,  Grand 
Juror  in  1873  and  Constable  in  1S74,  and  has  been 
a  Burgess  and  a  Selectman  for  two  years.  Since 
1886  he  has  been  connected  with  the  Willimantic 
Savings  Institute,  first  as  a  Trustee,  elected  as  a 
Director  in  18S9,  then  Vice-President,  and  in  June 
1897  President,  which  office  he  now  holds.  He  is 
a  member  of  the  Royal  .Arcanum  and  the  .Ancient 
Order  of  United  Workmen.  Mr.  Lincoln  was  mar- 
ried November  23,  187 1,  to  Sarah  A.  Burnham  of 
Willimantic,  Connecticut,  youngest  daughter  of  (".. 
\V.  Burnham  and  Miranda  Smith  Burnham.  Bv 
this  luiion  they  liad  one  child,  I.ouis  ]5urnhani 
Lincoln.  He  was  married  for  the  second  time 
December  19,  1878,  to  Edith  M.  Lincoln  of  North 
Windham,  only  child  of  Frank  M.  and  Mary  Ann 
(Burnham)  Lincoln.  By  his  second  wife  he  had  a 
son,  Frank  Melvin  Lincoln. 


MARIGOLD,  Wii.iiAM  Henry,  Postmaster  of 
Bridgeport,  was  born  in  Waterbury,  Connecticut, 
September  17,  1858,  son  of  William  Henry  and 
Elizabeth  Nettleton  (Abbott)  Marigold.  With  the 
exception  of  two  years  spent  in  Florida  when  a 
boy,  he  lived  in  Waterbury  till  1881.  Then  he 
went  to  New  Haven,  where  he  remained  only  six 
months  before  removing  to  Bridgeport,  which  has 
been  his  home  ever  since.  He  learned  the  trade  of 
a  printer  in  the  office  of  the  Waterbury  American, 
and  was  pressman  of  the  Bridgeport  Farmer  for  five 
years.  He  bought  the  jirinting-ofifice  of  Charles 
Libby  in  1886,  and  the  following  year  organized 
The  Marigold  Printing  Company,  of  which  he  is 
Treasurer  and  Manager.  F^ntering  politics  in  18S9 
he  was  elected  Councilman  from  the  First  Ward. 
In  1890  he  was  elected  Alderman  from  this  ward, 
and  also  was  made  Chairman  of  the  Republican 
Town  Committee.  It  was  in  his  capacity  as  chair- 
man that  he  attracted  the  attention  of  the  state  by 
his  fight  to  compel  the  counting  of  the  alleged 
"specked  ballots"  on  which  the  result  of  the  state 
election  depended.  In  1891  he  was  nominated  and 
elected  Mayor  of    Bridgeport.     He  was  prevented 


by  the  Democratic  majority  in  the  Board  »(  .Mdcr- 
men  (roin  accomplishing  the  reforms  he  attempted, 
although  he  carried  on  the  fight  throughout  the 
entire  year.  He  was  re-elected  by  an  increased 
majority,  and  with  a  Republic  an  majority  in  the 
Common  Council  working  with  him  successfully 
carried  out  the  desires  of  the  best  citi/ens  and  re- 
stored harmony  and  trani|uillily  to  the  dei)arlnients. 
In  1S93  he  was  elected  President  of  the  Bridgeport 
Re|)ublican,  was  re-elected  in  1891  and  1895,  de- 
clining a  re-election  in  1896.  In  1S94  he  was 
electeti  from  the  Fourteenth  District  to  the  Senate, 
where  he   served   on   im|)ortant  committees,  being 


W.    H.    MARIGOLD. 

Chairman  of  the  Committee  on  Cities  and  Boroughs, 
and  also  of  the  Committee  on  Joint  Rules,  and  a 
member  of  the  Committee  on  Senate  Rules  and  Con- 
tingent Expenses.  In  1896  he  was  again  elected 
Senator  and  was  elected  by  the  Senators  to  the  posi- 
tion of  President  pro  tempore  of  the  Senate.  He 
was  also  Chairman  of  the  important  Committee  of 
Finance,  and  Chairman  of  the  Committee  on  Joint 
Rules.  During  the  Presidential  Camjwign  of  1896 
he  was  selected  as  Chairman  of  the  Republican 
Town  Committee,  and  added  to  his  reputation  as  a 
successful  and  sagacious  political  manager.  He 
was  appointed  Postmaster  of  Bridgeport,  November 
17,  1897,  not  taking  office  however  until  January  i. 


390 


MEN   OF    PROGRESS. 


189S.  He  is  a  firm  believer  in,  and  supporter  of 
fraternal  societies.  He  was  Grantl  Master  of  the 
Odd  Fellows  of  Connecticut  in  1893,  and  was  Rep- 
resentative to  the  Sovereign  Grand  Lodge  in  1894 
and  1895  ;  •"  1S95  '^^  ^^'^'^  elected  ('.rand  Treasurer 
of  the  Order  for  the  State,  which  position  he  now 
holds.  He  is  also  a  Knight  Templar,  a  Shriner,  a 
Knight  of  Pythias,  a  Red  Man,  a  Forester,  a  mem- 
ber of  the  United  Workmen,  of  the  Order  of  Hepta- 
sophs,  of  the  Woodmen  of  the  World,  of  the  Royal 
Arcanum,  New  England  Order  of  Protection  and  of 
the  Good  Fellows.  He  is  one  of  the  corporators  of 
the  Odd  Fellows'  Home  of  Connecticut,  and  a 
member  of  the  Board  of  Visitors  of  the  Masonic 
Home,  also  of  Connecticut.  He  is  President  of  the 
Trii)le  Link  Wheel  Club  of  Bridgeport,  and  is  a 
member  of  the  Seaside  Club,  the  Algonquin  Club 
and  the  American  Wheel  Club  of  Bridgeport,  of  the 
United  Service  Club  of  New  York,  of  Camp  Wood- 
bine of  Port  Jefferson,  Long  Island,  and  an  honorary 
member  of  Camp  Riga,  Twin  Lakes,  Connecticut, 
and  many  others  ;  and  is  also  a  Director  of  Lakeview 
Cemetery  Association,  the  Co-operative  Savings 
Society  of  Connecticut  and  other  corporations.  He 
served  five  years  in  Company  A,  Second  Regiment 
Connecticut  National  Guards,  of  Waterbury,  and  is 
now  Brigade-Quartermaster  with  rank  of  Major  on 
the  Staff  of  Brigadier-General  Frost.  He  married 
Miss  Annie  C.  Henderson  of  Waterbury,  July  7, 
1880.  They  have  two  children:  William  H.,  Jr., 
and  Basil  Henderson  Marigold. 


APG.^R,  Allen  Stodd.\rd,  Bank  Vice-President, 
of  New  York  city,  was  born  in  Hartford,  Connecti- 
cut, November  4,  1841.  His  parents  were  John 
Lamerson  and  Mary  Sophia  (Stoddard)  .'Vpgar,  both 
of  whom  sprung  from  notable  stock.  The  paternal 
family  name  is  of  Norman-French  origin,  there  be- 
ing a  Barony  of  that  title  in  Languedoc  as  early  as 
1050,  and  one  of  the  name  is  represented  as  a  cru- 
sader in  1271.  The  American  ancestor,  John  Adam 
Apgar,  arrived  at  Philadelphia  on  the  ship  Christian, 
September  13,  1749,  and  settled  in  the  German 
Valley,  New  Jersey.  The  father  of  the  subject  of 
this  sketch  removed  to  Hartford  in  1839,  his  mar- 
riage occurring  in  May  of  the  following  year.  The 
descent  on  the  maternal  side  is  no  less  interesting 
to  follow,  Mary  Sophia  Stoddard's  ancestor,  John 
Stoddard,  having  been  an  early  settler  of  Wethers- 
field  who  came  from  England  about  1640.  Her 
mother's  forefather,  Thomas  Welles,  was  Governor 


of  Connecticut  1655-5S,  and  her  grandmother, 
Dorothy  Willard,  was  a  descendant  of  Major  Simon 
Willard,  a  distinguished  soldier  and  civilian  of  Colo- 
nial times.  Mr.  Apgar  has  more  than  one  ancestor 
whose  name  figures  conspicuously  in  the  Revolution- 
ary War  and  who  is  connected  with  the  early  history 
of  our  country.  He  received  his  education  in  the 
public  schools  and  High  School  of  his  birthplace, 
and  began  his  active  business  life  as  a  clerk  in  the 
bookstore  of  Hutchison  &  BuUard  in  Hartford  in 
1859.  Subsequently  he  was  employed  by  Geer  & 
Pond,  a  firm  in  the  same  line  of  trade,  and  remained 
with   them    until    September    1863,    when    he    was 


A.    S.    APGAR. 

appointed  Acting  Assistant- Paymaster  in  the  United 
States  Navy,  serving  until  honorably  discharged, 
October  19,  1865.  While  in  the  service  Mr.  Apgar 
was  attached  to  the  United  States  Steamer  Fawn, 
one  of  the  many  gunboats  of  the  Mississippi  Squad- 
ron, under  Admiral  David  D.  Porter,  employed  in 
keeping  open  water  communication  with  the  Army 
Headquarters  in  the  West.  .An  interesting  incident 
is  connected  with  Mr.  Apgar's  service  In  June 
1864,  during  an  engagement  with  General  Shelby's 
forces,  at  Clarendon,  Arkansas,  the  explosion  of  two 
shells  in  the  pilot-house  killed  the  only  pilot  on  the 
vessel,  and  Mr.  Apgar,  who  was  with  the  pilot  and 
happily  escaped  injury,  promptly  took  his  place  at 


MEN    Ul-    I'ROGRKSS. 


391 


the  wheel  during  tlie  remninder  of  the  fight.  The 
incident  is  mentioned  in  the  olticial  rei)ort  of  tlie 
commanding  officer  to  the  Navy  Department. 
After  receiving  his  discharge  from  the  Navy,  he 
returned  to  liis  native  city,  remaining  untd  June  of 
tiie  following  year,  when  he  entered  the  employ  of 
the  Merchants'  Exchange  National  Bank  of  the  City 
of  New  York,  as  a  bookkeeper.  Two  years  later  he 
was  made  discount  and  loan  clerk ;  in  1869  he  was 
advanced  to  assistant  cashier,  the  following  year  was 
appointed  Cashier  and  in  1891  was  elected  \'ice- 
President,  an  office  he  still  holds.  He  has  been  a 
Director  of  the  bank  since  1878.  Mr.  .Apgar  is 
associated  with  various  organizations  of  high  stand- 
ing in  the  mercantile  world.  He  is  Treasurer  and 
Director  of  the  Preferred  .Accident  Insurance  Com- 
pany, a  Director  of  the  Greenwich  Insurance  Com- 
pany, the  North  River  Insurance  Company,  .•Ameri- 
can Union  Life  Insurance  Company,  and  many  in. 
dustrial  corporations.  The  Union  League  and  .Army 
and  Navy  clubs  claim  Mr.  .Ajigar  as  a  member. 
He  is  also  a  member  of  the  Military  Order  of  the 
Loyal  Legion,  New  York  Commandery,  of  which  he 
was  at  one  time  tlie  Treasurer  ;  the  Naval  \'L'terans' 
Association ;  the  New  I'lngland  Society,  and  the 
Ridgefield  Club  of  Ridgeiield,  Connecticut.  In 
politics  he  is  a  Republican.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Apgar 
reside  in  New  York  city  during  the  winter  and  spend 
the  summer  months  at  their  beautiful  country  house, 
"Stonecrest,"  at  Ridgefield,  Connecticut.  The 
farm  is  one  of  the  most  fertile  and  productive  in 
the  vicinity,  and  the  residence  is  a  fine  colonial 
structure  which  stands  upon  an  elevation  and  over- 
looks the  country  for  many  miles. 


ALVORD,  EinviN  Dwighi,  Treasurer  and  Gen- 
eral Manager  of  the  Granite  Mills  Company,  Vernon, 
was  born  in  Bolton,  Connecticut,  July  4,  1862,  son 
of  E.  D.  and  .Abby  J.  (Brown)  .Alvord.  He  is  a 
descendant  of  one  of  two  brothers,  Benjamin  and 
Samuel  Alvord.  who  emigrated  from  England  dur- 
ing the  Colonial  period,  one  settling  in  \Vindsor, 
Connecticut,  and  the  other  in  Northampton,  Mas- 
sachusetts. Edwin  Dwight  Alvord  began  his  edu- 
cation in  the  common  schools  of  Bolton,  later 
attending  the  Rockville  High  School  and  the  Wil- 
liston  Seminary,  Easthampton,  Massachusetts,  and 
his  studies  were  comjileted  at  the  Hannum  Business 
College,  Hartford.  .At  the  age  of  twenty  he  entered 
his  father's  paper  mill  for  the  purjiose  of  learning 
the  business,  two  years  later  becoming  an  overseer 


in  (he  Granite  Mills,  Vernon,  and  after  continuing 
in  that  ca|)a(ity  sonic  six  years  was  advanced  to  his 
present  position  of  Trca-siircr  iinci  General  Manager. 
His  business  ability  and  .sound  judgment  in  all  mai- 
lers relative  to  the  paper  manufaciiiring  industry 
have  rendered  him  a  most  valuable  nci|iiisitiun  to 
the  Granite  Mills  Company,  and  under  his  able 
direction  that  concern  is  carrying  on  a  prosperous 
enterprise.     In  politics  Mr.  .Alvord  is  a  Republican. 


E.   D,   ALVORD 


On  .April  10,  1.SS9,  he  married  Nellie  M.  Talcolt. 
They  have  had  two  children  :  one  of  whom  lived 
but  eleven  days  and  the  other  died  at  four  months. 


BROWN,  Henry  Lewis,  Manufacturer,  and  Presi- 
dent of  The  L.  D.  Brown's  Son  Company,  was  born 
in  Mansfield,  Connecticut,  December  14,  1842,  son 
of  Lewis  Dunham  and  .Asenath  (Royce)  Brown. 
The  paternal  grandparents  were  Selah  and  Eliza- 
l)eth  (Dunham)  Brown,  and  the  mother  was  a 
daughter  of  James  and  Clarissa  (To|)liff)  Royce. 
Henry  Lewis  Brown  was  educated  at  the  com- 
mon and  select  schools,  attending  the  latter  a  few 
winter  terms,  and  at  the  age  of  twelve  years  he 
began  to  work  in  his  father's  factory.  In  1863  he 
was  admitted  to  partnership  in  the  business,  which 
was  then  carried  on  at  Gurleyville  in  the  town  of 


392 


.mf:n  of  progress. 


Mansfield,  and  selling  the  factory  the  same  year  the 
firm  of  L.  D.  Brown  &  Son  purchased  another  at 
Stewartville,  where  they  continued  some  nine  years. 
The  present  plant  in  Middletown  was  erected  by 
them  in  1S72.     After  the  death  of  the  elder  Brown 


H.   L.    BROWN. 

in  1883,  his  son  became  sole  proprietor  of  the 
business,  which  he  conducted  alone  until  1893, 
when  a  stock  company  was  formed  and  incorpo- 
rated under  the  laws  of  Connecticut,  with  Mr. 
Brown  as  its  President.  In  1874  he  was  elected  to 
the  city  council,  was  re-elected  the  following  year, 
and  represented  his  ward  on  the  Board  of  Aldermen 
in  1876.  In  politics  he  is  a  Republican.  He  is  a 
member  of  the  Middletown  Club  and  served  as 
President  for  the  years  1884-85.  On  May  25, 
1864,  he  married  Phila  Harris.  They  have  had  four 
children  :  Delia  M. ;  William  N.,  who  died  at  birth  ; 
Mary  E.,  who  died  aged  five  months;  and  Fannie 
G.  Brown. 

BARNEY,  Danford  Newton,  Treasurer  of  the 
Hartford  Electric  Light  Company,  was  born  in 
Berlin,  Connecticut,  January  10,  1859,  is  the  son 
of  Danford  Newton  and  Sarah  Elizabeth  (Brande- 
gee)  Barney.  He  also  lived  in  boyhood  at  Far- 
mington,  Connecticut,  and  Irvington,  New  York, 
and  was  prepared  for  college  at  the  Hartford  High 


School.  He  then  entered  Yale  where  he  was  grad- 
uated in  1881.  After  graduation  he  spent  two 
years  in  New  Haven,  one  as  a  post-graduate  student 
and  one  in  the  Yale  Law  School.  He  then  engaged 
in  general  business,  residing  part  of  the  time  in 
Farmington  and  part  of  the  time  in  New  York  city. 
Since  1894  he  has  been  treasurer  and  part  owner  of 
the  Hartford  Electric  Light  Company.  He  makes 
his  home  at  Farmington,  having  travelled  in  Switz- 
erland in  1882,  in  Mexico  in  1884,  and  in  Europe 
in  1886.  In  politics  he  is  an  Independent.  Mr. 
Barney  takes  an  active  interest  in  club  life  and  has 
always  been  popular  among  his  associates.  In 
college  he  was  a  member  of  the  Skull  and  Bones 
Society,  and  he  is  now  a  member  of  the  University, 
Century  and  Hamilton  Park  clubs  of  New  York,  the 
Hartford  and  Colonial  of  Hartford,  the  Graduates 
of  New  Haven,  and  the  St.  Marguerite,  Salmon  and 
Princess  Anne  of  Virginia.  He  is  also  a  member 
of   the   Congregational    Church.     Mr.    Barney  was 


D.   NEWTON    BARNEY. 

married  May  22,  1890,  to  Laura  B.  Dunham,  of 
Hartford.  They  have  three  children :  Mary 
Dunham,  Laura  Jeannette  and  Danford  Newton 
Barney,  Jr. 

BOHANNAN,  William  John  Hunter,  Attorney- 
at- Law,  and  Mayor  of  Stamford,  1897,  was  born  at 
Mathews  Court  House,  Virginia,  March    9,    1S65, 


MKN    UV    I'ROC.KKSS. 


393 


son  of  Dr.  John  Gordon  and  I.aura  I.ee  (Daniel) 
Bohannan.  He  first  attended  a  private  school  in 
his  native  tiuvn.  and  in  1879  was  a  student  in 
Kinory  and  Henry  College.  From  that  tnne  until 
1895  he  spent  tiie  most  of  his  time  in  various  <ol- 


W.  J.    H.    BOHANNAN. 

leges  and  universities,  and  thus  acquired  a  fund  of 
knowledge  and  experience  that  few  students  in  any 
profession  are  privileged  to  attain.  P'rom  i8<Si  to 
1884  he  was  a  student  in  Richmond  College,  from 
1884  to  1888  he  attended  the  I'niversity  of  \'irginia, 
in  1892-93  he  took  a  post-graduate  course  at  Johns 
Hopkins  University,  and  in  1893-95  he  was  a  stu- 
dent at  Gccttingen  University  and  the  l^niversity  of 
Berlin,  Germany.  He  was  admitted  to  the  Bar  of 
Virginia  in  1888,  and  in  the  same  year  became  a 
member  of  the  Ohio  Bar.  He  was  admitted  to  the 
Connecticut  Bar  in  1890.  Coming  to  Stamford  he 
early  took  a  place  among  the  leading  young  lawyers 
of  the  city,  and  in  1897  was  elected  Mayor.  In 
politics  he  is  a  Democrat.     He  is  unmarried. 


BRAYTON,  Charles  Erskine,  M.  D.,  Stoning- 
ton,  is  a  native  of  that  town,  and  was  born  February 
II,  i85i,son  of  Atwood  R.  and  Sally  M.  (Davis) 
Brayton.  His  medical  education  was  pursued  at 
the  College  of  Physicians  and  Surgeons,  New  York 


city,  and  since  1873  he  has  practicctl  his  profession 
in  Sionington,  having  accjuired  prominence  in  his 
useful  calling.  In  1881  he  esublishcd  the  drug 
business  carrieil  on  under  the  firm  name  of  Dr.  C. 
K.  Hrayton  &  Company.  From  1885  to  189J  he 
was  a  member  of  the  Board  of  Burgesses  and  of  the 
Health  Committee  of  the  Borough,  and  in  ]>olitics 
is  a  Democrat.  Dr.  Brayton  is  connected  with 
\arious  fraternal  and  other  organizations.  He  is 
Medical  Fxaminer  for  the  Mutual  Life  Insurance 
Company  of  New  York,  the  New  \'ork  Life  Insurance 
Company,  the  Nederland  of  New  York,  and  many 
others  ;  and  is  Medical  Examiner  also  of  the  Royal 
Arcanum,  Knights  of  Columbus,  Royal  Society  of 
Good  Fellows  and  Legion  of  Honor.  He  is  also  a 
member  of  the  .American  Medical  Association,  the 
Connecticut  Medical  Society,  and  the  National 
Association  of  Railroad  Surgeons.  For  fifteen  years 
he  was  Chief  Surgeon  of  the  New  York,  Providence 


CHAS.   E.  BRAYTON. 

&  Boston  Railroad,  now  merged  into  the  New  York, 
New  Haven  &  Hartford  Railroad  Company.  He  is 
a  member  of  the  Connecticut  Society  of  the  Sons 
of  the  American  Revolution,  his  mother,  now  liv- 
ing, aged  eighty-six  years,  being  a  daughter  of 
Samuel  Davis,  a  veteran  of  that  war.  Dr.  Hrayton 
is  a  member  of  the  Second  Congregational  Church, 
and  is  unmarried. 


394 


MEN    OF    PROGRESS. 


BARNES,  John  Holvokk,  Lawyer,  of  Norwich, 
was  born  in  Norwich,  Connecticut,  March  13,  1864, 
son  of  William  W.  and  Nellie  J.  (Holyoke)  Barnes. 
He  acquired  his  early  education  in  the  public 
schools  of  Norwich,  and  received  his  collegiate 
training  at  Baltimore  College,  Baltimore,  Maryland, 
where  he  was  graduated  in  1884.  Subsequently 
studying  for  the  law  as  a  profession,  he  was  ad- 
mitted to  the  Connecticut  Bar  in  1893,  and  entered 
upon  active  practice  in  his  native  city.  At  present 
he  holds  the  position  of  City  Attorney  for  the  city 
of  Norwich,  to  which  oflfice  he  was  appointed  July 
I,  1897.     .Active  in  politics,  he  is  a  member  of  the 


JOHN    H-    BARNES. 

Republican  Town  Committee,  and  also  is  at  the 
present  time  First  Representative  of  the  town  of 
Norwich  to  the  Connecticut  Legislature.  Mr. 
Barnes  is  prominent  in  various  societies  and  organi- 
zations, being  a  member  of  the  Arcanum  Club  of 
Norwich,  the  Masonic  order,  the  Knights  of  Pythias, 
and  the  Putnam  Phalanx  of  Hartford.  He  was 
married  January  24,  1894,  in  Boston,  Massachusetts, 
to  Cora  M.  Bailey. 


BUCK,  John  Ransom,  Lawyer,  of  Hartford,  was 
born  in  East  Glastonbury,  Connecticut,  December 
6,  1836,  son  of  Halsey  and  Sarah  (Wood)  Buck. 


Reared  on  a  farm,  where  he  gained  the  rugged  con- 
stitution which  was  to  stand  him  in  good  stead  in 
future  years,  he  attended  the  common  schools  and 
the  East  Glastonbury  Academy,  an  institution  of 
high  repute.  Then,  in  1854,  he  went  to  Wesleyan 
Academy  in  Wilbraham,  Massachusetts,  where  he 
remained  three  years,  teaching  school  during  the 
winter  months  to  defray  his  expenses.  During  that 
time  and  up  to  1862,  his  good  scholarship  won  for 
him  the  position  of  principal  of  the  academies  and 
graded  schools  in  Manchester,  East  Haddam,  Glas- 
tonbury, and  Bloomfield,  Connecticut.  In  1858  he 
entered  Wesleyan  LTniversity  where  he  remained 
one  year.  In  his  Sophomore  year  he  made  up  his 
mind  to  prepare  himself  for  the  profession  in  which 
he  has  since  attained  such  eminence.  He  imme- 
diately began  the  study  of  law  in  the  office  of  the 
Hon.  Martin  Welles  of  Hartford,  Ex-Speaker  of  the 
Connecticut  House  of  Representatives,  and  the 
Hon  Julius  L.  Strong,  afterward  member  of  Con- 
gress, with  whom  Mr.  Buck  later  formed  a  partner- 
ship for  the  practice  of  law.  He  was  admitted  to 
the  Bar  of  Hartford  county  in  1862.  When  Mr. 
Strong  died,  Mr.  Buck  formed  a  partnership  with 
Judge  Arthur  F.  Eggleston,  a  prominent  member  of 
the  Bar,  now  State's  Attorney,  wiih  whom  he  has 
since  continued  the  practice  of  his  profession,  gain- 
ing much  renown.  One  of  the  organizers  of  the 
State  Bar  Association,  he  was  its  first  Secretary,  a 
position  he  held  from  1862  till  1866.  His  abilities 
were  first  recognized  publicly  when  he  was  elected 
Assistant  Clerk  of  the  Connecticut  House  of  Repre- 
sentatives in  1864.  Two  years  later  he  was  pro- 
moted to  the  position  of  Chief  Clerkship  and  the 
following  session  was  chosen  Clerk  of  the  Senate. 
Meanwhile  his  merit  had  won  him  the  position  of 
President  of  the  Hartford  Common  Council,  in  the 
year  1866,  and  further  that  of  Treasurer  of  Hartford 
county,  in  1868,  an  office  which  he  held  till  1881. 
Then  his  talents  as  a  lawyer  secured  for  him  the 
office  of  City  Attorney  in  1871  and  he  served 
with  credit  in  that  capacity  till  1873.  Wesleyan 
University  conferred  upon  him  the  degree  A.  M. 
honorus  causi,  in  1879  Having  gained  much 
prominence  in  the  Republican  party,  he  was  nom- 
inated for  the  State  Senate  and  was  elected  from  the 
old  First  District,  which  included  New  Britain  with 
Hartford,  in  18S0.  While  a  member  of  that  body 
he  served  on  the  Committees  of  Constitutional 
Amendments  and  on  Incorporations.  As  Chair- 
man of  the  former  committee,  he  reported  the  con- 
stitutional   amendment     which    provided    for   the 


MKN    OV    I'ROGRESS. 


395 


appointment  of  the  judges  of  the  Supreme  Court  of 
Errors  and  of  the  Superior  Court  by  the  Central 
Assembly,  upon  nomination  of  the  Governor,  and 
was  largely  instrumental  in  securing  its  passage. 
The  effect  of  the  amendment  has  been  very  bene- 
ficial and  shows  Mr.  Buck's  farsightedness.  In  that 
session  also,  in  conjunction  with  the  Hon.  Charles 
E.  Mitchell  of  New  Britain,  he  revised  and  simpli- 
fied the  laws  of  the  state  relating  to  joint  stock 
corporations  and  had  much  lo  do  with  the  passage 
of  the  law  wliich  worked  tiiis  great  good  for  tiie 
state.  That  same  year  he  was  taken  nj)  by  his 
party  to  be  candidate  for  tiie  National    House  of 


JOHN    K.   BUCK. 

Representatives  and  was  victorious  in  the  election. 
He  was  made  a  member  of  the  Committee  on 
Indian  Affairs  and  on  the  Revision  of  Laws.  He 
was  again  a  candidate  in  1882  but  was  defeated. 
Successful  however  in  1884,  he  served  on  the  im- 
portant committees  on  Naval  Affairs  in  the  Forty- 
ninth  Congress.  There  he  made  his  work  tell  to 
great  advantage,  and  interesting  himself  in  the 
reconstruction  of  the  new  navy,  he  was  active  in 
securing  the  important  legislation  of  that  session  for 
new  ships. X  He  stood  for  the  next  Congress  but 
was  not  elected.  His  party  would  have  had  him 
serve  again"  in  the  Fifty-first  Congress,  but  he 
declined  and  returned  to  his  law  practice  in  Hart- 


ford, where  he  still  retains  a  high  ]>osilion  in  party 
councils  and  in  the  cstecMU  of  his  fclluw  citi/.cns. 
He  is  a  Trustee  of  Wcsleyan  Acatieiny  at  Wilbra- 
ham,  Mass.ichusetts,  I>ircctor  in  the  National 
Insurance  Company  of  Hartford,  and  in  the  Hart- 
ford County  Mutual  Fire  Insurance  Company  and 
the  State  Hank  of  Hartford.  Mr.  Huck  was  married 
in  1865  lo  Mary  A.  Kccney,  of  Manchester,  Con- 
necticut. They  have  two  children  :  Florence  K. 
Huck,  wife  of  Jacob  H.  C.recn,  and  John  Halsey 
Huck. 

HK.AMAN,  Francis  Nki.son,  l'hysi(  ian,  New 
London,  was  born  in  Helchertown,  .Massachusetts, 
May  18,  1836,  son  of  Nathaniel  Park  and  Lucy  Ann 
(Croker)  Hraman.  His  paternal  ancestors  were 
(i-rman  or  Fleiuisi)  an<l  his  maternal  were  English. 
One  of  his  ancestors,  a  major  in  the  English  army, 
l)articipated  in  the  Rye  House  Plot  for  which  he 
was  twice  incarcerated  in  the  Tower  of  London  and 
twice  released.  Dr.  Braman  is  also  a  descendant  of 
Jolin  Rogers,  the  martyr,  and  his  ancestors  in  this 
country  were  active  in  the  Colonial  and  Revolution- 
ary wars.  The  doctor  studied  in  the  common  and 
academic  schools,  also  finding  ojiportunity  to  in- 
dulge his  taste  for  scientific  study,  under  a  private 
instructor.  His  life  was  spent  on  his  father's  farm 
till  he  was  seventeen  when,  by  the  wish  of  his  father, 
he  entered  the  emi)loy  of  the  Hoston  Duck  Com- 
])any,  anil  spent  nearly  four  years  in  obtaining  a 
practical  knowledge  of  the  art  of  manufacturing 
cotton  duck,  both  mechanical  and  textile.  Being 
naturally  inclined  to  scientific  research,  he  deter- 
mined to  make  the  practice  of  nu-dicine  and  surgery 
his  life  work.  To  this  end  he  took  a  four  years' 
course  of  study  under  such  eminent  specialists  as 
Mott,  the  elder  Flint  and  Fordyce  Baker,  obtaining 
his  degree  at  the  Bellevue  Hospital  Medical  Col- 
lege in  New  York.  Immediately  on  graduation,  in 
1866,  he  began  to  practice  in  Salem,  Connecticut. 
Two  years  later  he  sought  a  wider  field  and  took  up 
his  residence  in  New  I^ondon  where  his  abilities 
have  brought  him  into  the  front  rank  of  Connecti- 
cut physicians  and  surgeons.  Dr.  Braman  is  a 
member  of  the  City,  County  and  State  medical 
societies,  in  all  of  which  he  has  held  the  office  of 
President.  He  is  also  a  member  of  the  .'Xmerican 
Medical  Association.  For  thirteen  years  he  was 
surgeon  of  the  Third  Regiment,  Connecticut  Na- 
tional Guaril.  He  has  been  the  only  ))hysician  in 
charge  of  the  Smith  Memorial  Home  since  its 
inception  ;    also   a  corporate  member  of    the  New 


396 


MEN    OF    PROGRESS. 


London  Memorial  Hospital  and  Chairman  of  the 
Medical  Board.  For  six  years  he  was  a  member  of 
the  Board  of  Education  and  he  has  won  the  regard 
of  the  people  of  New  London,  not  only  by  his  pro- 
fessional work  and  his  fine  social  ciualities,  but  also 
by  his  disinterested  efforts  to  bring  the  schools  of 
the  city  to  their  present  high  standard.  The  doc- 
tor has  always  been  an  active  worker  in  religious 
circles;  he  is  Treasurer  of  the  Second  Congrega- 
tional Church  and  one  of  the  Board  of  Deacons. 
In  politics  he  is  a  Republican.  He  married,  Nov- 
ember 26,  1868,  Jennie  E.,  daughter  of  the  late 
Hubbell    and    Sophronia    (Strickland)   T>oomis,  by 


F.   N.    BRAMAN. 

whom  he  had  two  sons  :  Francis  Loomis  and  Syd- 
ney Royce  Braman.  Mrs.  Braman  died  May  2, 
1895.  On  December  15,  1897,  he  married  for  his 
second  wife,  Miss  Lulu  M.,  daughter  of  Daniel 
Jackson  and  Matilda  (Gawthrop)  Tobias,  of  Chi- 
cago, Illinois. 

BROOKS,  John,  formerly  of  Brooks  Brothers, 
New  York  city,  has  not  been  engaged  in  active 
business  for  many  years.  He  is  the  son  of  Henry 
S.  Brooks  of  Sands  Point,  Long  Island,  and  Lavinia 
Lyon  of  Greenwich,  Fairfield  county,  Connecticut. 
His  ancestors  came  originally  from  Derby,  England. 
He   is  a  great-grandson  of  Benjamin  Brooks,  and 


grandson  of  Dr.  David  Brooks,  physician,  of  Strat- 
ford, Connecticut.  Although  having  lived  for  some 
years  in  the  metropolis,  Mr.  Brooks  has  always 
retained  a  deep  interest  in  his  honorable  Connecti- 
cut lineage,  and  for  sixty-two  years  has  been  a 
member  of  the  New  England  Society.  He  was 
educated  in  a  private  school,  but  at  the  age  of 
fifteen  left  his  studies  and  entered  his  father's 
clothing  store  as  clerk.  The  firm  was  originally 
known  as  Henry  S.  Brooks,  but  on  the  death  of  the 
proprietor  and  founder  his  four  sons  continued  the 
business  under  the  firm  name  of  Brooks  Brothers. 
Henry  S.  Brooks  was  the  son  of  Dr.  David  Brooks, 
before  mentioned,  who  removed  from  Stratford, 
Connecticut,  to  Sands  Point,  Long  Island,  where 
he  continued  the  practice  of  medicine  and  married 
Hannah  Sands.  Towards  the  close  of  the  last 
century  the  family  removed  to  New  York  city, 
where  the  doctor  died  of  yellow  fever  in  1795, 
leaving  a  widow  and  two  sons,  Henry  S.  and 
David,  and  two  daughters.  Henry  S.,  the  founder 
of  the  firm  of  Brooks  Brothers,  commenced  the 
clothing  business  in  the  spring  of  1818,  on  the 
corner  of  Catherine  and  Cherry  streets.  The  locality 
was  then  a  residence  neighborhood,  with  business 
prospects,  on  one  of  the  two  thoroughfares  to 
Brooklyn  by  the  ferries.  The  family  have  been 
continuously  in  one  business  for  over  eighty  years. 
For  ten  or  twelve  years  the  firm  name  was  Henry 
S.  Brooks  Company.  Henry  S.  Brooks  had  five 
sons,  and  as  they  grew  up  to  be  useful  to  him  he 
took  them  into  his  store  as  helpers  and  gave  them 
successively  an  interest  in  the  business ;  Henry 
and  Daniel  H.,  first,  and  then  John,  Elisha  and 
Edward  S.  About  1828-30  the  firm  name  was 
changed  to  H.  &  D.  H.  Brooks  &  Company.  The 
father  died  in  1833,  Henry  died  in  1S50,  Edward 
S.  in  1875,  Elisha  in  1876  and  Daniel  H.  in  1884, 
leaving  John,  the  subject  of  this  sketch,  as  the  sur- 
viving partner,  now  aged  eighty-five.  The  latter's 
son,  John  E.  Brooks  (now  abroad),  was  practicing 
law,  and  changed  his  pursuit  to  become  a  member 
of  the  firm  about  1870.  After  the  death  of  his  two 
uncles  he  became  head  of  the  firm,  and  continued 
in  that  position  for  twenty-two  years,  when  he 
retired  from  business  in  1896,  leaving  the  present 
firm,  consisting  of  Francis  G.  Lloyd,  ^Valter  Brooks 
and  Frederick  Brooks,  to  continue  the  business  as 
Brooks  Brothers.  The  firm  is  known  as  the  leading 
retail  clothing  house  of  .America.  Its  magnificent 
store  at  the  southeast  corner  of  Twenty-second 
street  and  Broadway,  New  York,  is  constantly  filled 


mi:n  ok  i'K()(;rkss. 


397 


with  a  mammoth  stock  of  men's  and  hoys'  clothint; 
of  the  higliest  grade  of  excellence.  The  firm  also 
has  a  large  custom  trade,  and  carries  a  special 
line  of  liveries,  military  and  official  uniforms, 
athletic  goods,  and  choice  furnishings.     Mr.  John 


JOHN    BROOKS. 

Brooks  has  long  been  interested  in  military  matters, 
and  at  one  time  served  as  Major  of  the  Fifty-first 
Regiment  of  the  New  York  State  Militia.  lie  was 
a  member  of  the  Union  League  Club  in  its  early 
days,  and  in  politics  has  always  been  a  Republican, 
starting  as  a  Henry  Clay  Whig.  He  has  for  the 
past  fifty  years  been  a  member  of  the  Episcopalian 
Church.  Mr.  Brooks  was  married  September  15, 
1834,  to  Anna  Eliza  Moseman,  of  Rye,  New  York. 
Nine  children  have  been  born  to  them:  Henry 
Willet  (deceased),  Louisa  Ami,  John  Edward, 
Katherine  Adelia  (deceased),  Daniel  Hamilton  (de- 
ceased), George  Spencer  (deceased),  Adelaide 
Eliza,  Walter  and  Frederick  Brooks.  The  sons 
have  all  been  graduates  of  Yale. 


COLLINGS,  Ai.rRF.n  Barret]-,  Manufacturer, 
Danbury,  was  born  in  Leipsic,  Kent  county,  Dela- 
ware, son  of  (ieorge  W.  and  Mary  (Reeves)  Col- 
lings.  His  education  was  confined  to  the  common 
schools  and  to  such  training  as  may  be  gained  from 


a  busy  life  of  well  directed  industry.  Like  many 
other  successful  business  men  he  started  at  the 
bottom  of  the  ladder,  in  1872  acting  as  an  errand 
boy  with  I',  llorst  »•<:  Company  of  I'hil.vlolphia  ;  in 
the  fall  of  the  same  year  he  connected  himself  with 
I'orter  Penneston  of  the  same  city  to  learn  the 
hatter's  trade.  He  there  servcil  for  five  ami  a  half 
years  and  then  worked  at  llic  bench  in  different 
factories  in  Philadelphia,  Pennsylvania,  and  Newark, 
New  Jersey.  In  1S80  he  came  to  Danbury  and 
entered  the  employ  of  Henry  Crofut.  He  filled 
positions  in  various  factories  in  Danbury  and  ac- 
•  piireil  a  thorough  knowledge  of  the  industry  of  hat 
making.  In  January  1895,  in  connection  with  D. 
Higson  he  formed  the  present  Higson  &  Collins 
C'ompany.  The  business  was  first  located  on  Poh- 
<|iiio(iue  Avenue,  but  the  trade  increased  rajjidly 
anil  in  a  short  time  the  Henry  Crofut  factory  was 
purchased,  where  the  firm  is  now  located.     .Mthough 


A.   B.  COLLINGS. 

the  firm  is  barely  three  years  old  it  has  achieved  a 
marked  business  success  and  is  widely  and  favorably 
known  to  the  trade.  Mr.  Collings'  political  aftilia- 
tious  are  wiih  the  Rejiublicans.  He  was  married 
in  1879  to  ICdith  Taylor.  Seven  chiltlren  have 
been  born  to  them  :  Edith  (deceased),  Elsie  F., 
Eva  W.,  Alfred  B.  (deceased),  Walter  R.,  Francis 
M.  and  Herbert  T.  Collings. 


396 


iMEN    OF    PROGRESS. 


London  Memorial  Hospital  and  Chairman  of  the 
Medical  Board.  For  six  years  he  was  a  member  of 
the  Board  of  Education  and  he  has  won  the  regard 
of  the  people  of  New  London,  not  only  by  his  pro- 
fessional work  and  his  fine  social  qualities,  but  also 
by  his  disinterested  efforts  to  bring  the  schools  of 
the  city  to  their  present  high  standard.  The  doc- 
tor has  always  been  an  active  worker  in  religious 
circles;  he  is  Treasurer  of  the  Second  Congrega- 
tional Church  and  one  of  the  Board  of  Deacons. 
In  politics  he  is  a  Republican.  He  married,  Nov- 
ember 26,  1868,  Jennie  E.,  daughter  of  the  late 
Hubbell   and    Sophronia    (Strickland)   Loomis,  by 


F.   N.    BRAMAN. 

whom  he  had  two  sons  :  Francis  Loomis  and  Syd- 
ney Royce  Braraan.  Mrs.  Braman  died  May  2, 
1895.  On  December  15,  1897,  he  married  for  his 
second  wife,  Miss  Lulu  M.,  daughter  of  Daniel 
Jackson  and  Matilda  (Gawthrop)  Tobias,  of  Chi- 
cago, Illinois. 

BROOKS,  John,  formerly  of  Brooks  Brothers, 
New  York  city,  has  not  been  engaged  in  active 
business  for  many  years.  He  is  the  son  of  Henry 
S.  Brooks  of  Sands  Point,  Long  Island,  and  Lavinia 
Lyon  of  Greenwich,  Fairfield  county,  Connecticut. 
His  ancestors  came  originally  from  Derby,  England. 
He   is  a  great-grandson  of  Benjamin  Brooks,  and 


grandson  of  Dr.  David  Brooks,  physician,  of  Strat- 
ford, Connecticut.  Although  having  lived  for  some 
years  in  the  metropolis,  Mr.  Brooks  has  always 
retained  a  deep  interest  in  his  honorable  Connecti- 
cut lineage,  and  for  sixty-two  years  has  been  a 
member  of  the  New  England  Society.  He  was 
educated  in  a  private  school,  but  at  the  age  of 
fifteen  left  his  studies  and  entered  his  father's 
clothing  store  as  clerk.  The  firm  was  originally 
known  as  Henry  S.  Brooks,  but  on  the  death  of  the 
proprietor  and  founder  his  four  sons  continued  the 
business  under  the  firm  name  of  Brooks  Brothers. 
Henry  S.  Brooks  was  the  son  of  Dr.  David  Brooks, 
before  mentioned,  who  removed  from  Stratford, 
Connecticut,  to  Sands  Point,  Long  Island,  where 
he  continued  the  practice  of  medicine  and  married 
Hannah  Sands.  Towards  the  close  of  the  last 
century  the  family  removed  to  New  York  city, 
where  the  doctor  died  of  yellow  fever  in  1795, 
leaving  a  widow  and  two  sons,  Henry  S.  and 
David,  and  two  daughters.  Henry  S.,  the  founder 
of  the  firm  of  Brooks  Brothers,  commenced  the 
clothing  business  in  the  spring  of  1818,  on  the 
corner  of  Catherine  and  Cherry  streets.  The  locality 
was  then  a  residence  neighborhood,  with  business 
prospects,  on  one  of  the  two  thoroughfares  to 
Brooklyn  by  the  ferries.  The  family  have  been 
continuously  in  one  business  for  over  eighty  years. 
For  ten  or  twelve  years  the  firm  name  was  Henry 
S.  Brooks  Company.  Henry  S.  Brooks  had  five 
sons,  and  as  they  grew  up  to  be  useful  to  him  he 
took  them  into  his  store  as  helpers  and  gave  them 
successively  an  interest  in  the  business ;  Henry 
and  Daniel  H.,  first,  and  then  John,  Ellsha  .and 
Edward  S.  .^bout  1828-30  the  firm  name  was 
changed  to  H.  &  D.  H.  Brooks  &  Company.  The 
father  died  in  1833,  Henry  died  in  1850,  Edward 
S.  in  1875,  Elisha  in  1876  and  Daniel  H.  in  1884, 
leaving  John,  the  subject  of  this  sketch,  as  the  sur- 
viving partner,  now  aged  eighty-five.  The  latter's 
son,  John  E.  Brooks  (now  abroad),  was  practicing 
law,  and  changed  his  pursuit  to  become  a  member 
of  the  firm  about  1870.  After  the  death  of  his  two 
uncles  he  became  head  of  the  firm,  and  continued 
in  that  position  for  twenty-two  years,  when  he 
retired  from  business  in  1896,  leaving  the  present 
firm,  consisting  of  Francis  G.  Lloyd,  Walter  Brooks 
and  Frederick  Brooks,  to  continue  the  business  as 
Brooks  Brothers.  The  firm  is  known  as  the  leading 
retail  clothing  house  of  America.  Its  magnificent 
store  at  the  southeast  corner  of  Twenty-second 
street  and  Broadway,  New  York,  is  constantly  filled 


MKN    t)K    I'ROC.RKSS. 


."97 


with  a  mammoth  stock  of  men's  ami  l)oys'  clothini;  a  Inisy  life  of  well  dirct  leil  industry.  I.ikc  many 
of  the  highest  grade  of  excellence.  The  firm  also  other  successful  business  men  he  started  at  the 
has   a   large   custom    trade,  and   carries   a  special     bottom  of  the  ladder,  in  1872  acting  as  an  errand 


line    of    liveries,    military    and    ofticial    uniforms, 
athletic  goods,  and  choice  furnishings.     Mr.  John 


^ 

^^ 

^f  ■ 

>n 

^>»; 

1 

^^^^ 

r.«^ 

•  j^^^^ 

'^              v^            ^ 

™^i 

^ 

m 

^ 

JOHN    BROOKS. 

Brooks  has  long  been  interested  in  military  matters, 
and  at  one  time  served  as  Major  of  the  Fifty-first 
Regiment  of  the  New  York  State  Militia.  He  was 
a  member  of  the  Union  League  Club  in  its  early 
days,  and  in  politics  has  always  been  a  Republican, 
starting  as  a  Henry  Clay  Whig.  He  has  for  the 
past  fifty  years  been  a  member  of  the  Episcopalian 
Church.  Mr.  Brooks  was  married  September  15, 
1834,  to  Anna  Eliza  Moseman,  of  Rye,  New  York. 
Nine  children  have  been  born  to  them:  Henry 
Willet  (deceased),  Louisa  .Ann,  John  Edward, 
Katherine  Adelia  (deceased),  Daniel  Hamilton  (de- 
ceased), George  Spencer  (deceased),  Adelaide 
Eliza,  Walter  and  Frederick  Brooks.  The  sons 
have  all  been  graduates  of  Yale. 


COLLINGS,  Ai.iREu  Barreit,  Manufacturer, 
Danbury,  was  born  in  Leipsic,  Kent  county,  Dela- 
ware, son  of  George  \V.  and  Mary  (Reeves)  Col- 
lings.  His  education  was  confined  to  the  common 
schools  and  to  such  training  as  may  be  gained  from 


boy  with  \\  Morst  vS:  Company  of  I'hiladelphia  ;  in 
the  fall  of  the  same  year  he  connected  hiujscH  with 
Porter  Penncston  of  the  same  city  to  learn  the 
hatter's  traile.  He  there  serve<l  for  five  an(i  a  half 
years  and  then  worked  at  the  bench  in  different 
factories  in  Philadelphia,  Pennsylvania,  and  Newark, 
New  Jersey.  In  1S80  he  came  to  Danbury  and 
entered  the  employ  of  Henry  Crofut.  He  filled 
l)ositions  in  various  factories  in  Danbury  and  ac- 
<|uired  a  thorough  knowledge  of  the  industry  of  hat 
making.  In  January  1895,  in  connection  with  D. 
Higson  he  formed  the  present  Higson  &  Collins 
Coni|«ny.  The  business  was  first  located  on  Poh- 
iiuioijue  Avenue,  but  the  trade  increased  rajiidly 
and  in  a  short  time  the  Henry  Crofut  factory  was 
purchased,  where  the  firm  is  now  located.     .-Mthough 


A.   B.  COLLINGS- 

the  firm  is  barely  three  years  old  it  has  achieved  a 
marked  business  success  and  is  widely  and  favorably 
known  to  the  trade.  Mr.  Collings'  political  affilia- 
tions are  wiih  the  Republicans.  He  was  married 
in  1879  to  Edith  Taylor.  Seven  children  have 
been  born  to  them :  Edith  (deceased),  Elsie  F., 
ICva  W.,  Alfred  B.  (deceased),  Walter  R.,  Francis 
.M.  and  Herbert  T.  Collings. 


398 


MEN    OF   PROGRESS. 


COE,  Levi  Ei.mouk,  Mayor  of  Meriden  in  1895- 
96-97,  was  born  in  Middletown,  now  Middlefield 
Connecticut,  June  6,  1S28,  fourtli  and  youngest 
child  of  Colonel  Levi  and  Sarah  (Ward)  Coe.  His 
father  was  Colonel  of  the  Sixth  Regiment,  State 
Militia,  and  was  also  foremost  in  civil  affairs.  Mr. 
Coe's  ancestry  dates  back  to  Robert  Coe  of  Staf- 
fordshire, Hlngland,  who  came  to  Watertown,  Massa- 
chusetts, in  1634,  and  to  Wethersfield,  Connecticut, 
in  1635,  removing  later  to  Stamford  and  then  to 
Long  Island.  His  family  included  men  conspic- 
uous in  the  Colonial,  Indian  and  Revolutionary 
wars,  who  also  held  positions  of  trust  in  their  towns 


LEVI    E.  COE. 

in  Middlesex  and  Fairfield  counties.  On  the  ma- 
ternal side,  Mr.  Coe  is  descended  from  William 
Ward,  who  was  born  in  England  and  was  one  of  the 
settlers  of  Middletown.  The  members  of  this  fam- 
ily also  held  high  offices  in  their  communities  in 
Middlesex  county.  On  both  the  maternal  and 
paternal  sides  he  is  connected  with  some  of  the 
most  distinguished  personages  in  the  history  of  the 
Commonwealth.  He  was  educated  in  the  common 
schools  and  in  Post's  and  Chase's  academies. 
From  eighteen  to  twenty-five  years  of  age  he  taught 
school.  In  1853  he  took  up  his  permanent  resi- 
dence in  Meriden,  with  the  growth  and  prosperity 


of  which  enterprising  city  he  has  since  been  closely 
identified.  Elected  Treasurer  of  the  Meriden  Sav- 
ings Bank  in  July  1854,  when  the  assets  were  only 
twenty-five  thousand  dollars,  and  the  salary  of 
Treasurer  was  two  hundred  dollars,  —  the  assets 
are  now  three  and  one  fourth  millions  dollars,  —  he 
has  been  connected  with  that  institution  ever  since, 
either  as  Treasurer,  Director  or  President.  At  the 
same  time  he  was  keeping  books,  making  out  bills, 
and  doing  other  writing  for  outside  parties.  For 
forty  years  he  was  extensively  engaged  in  the  real 
estate  business,  though  never  on  commission.  Tak- 
ing an  interest  in  agricultural  matters  and  pet  stock, 
he  has  been  Secretary  of  the  Farmers'  Club ;  Presi- 
dent of  the  Meriden  Poultry  Association  ;  Secretary, 
Treasurer  and  President  of  the  Meriden  Agricul- 
tural Society,  and  Secretary  and  Treasurer  of  the 
Connecticut  State  Agricultural  Society  and  a  mem- 
ber of  the  State  Board  of  Agriculture.  He  was 
Grand  Juror  in  1837,  Registrar  of  Vital  Statistics  in 
1858-65,  Justice  of  the  Peace  from  1858  to  1881, 
Trial  Justice  for  many  years  before  the  establish- 
ment of  the  City  Court,  first  Clerk  of  that  Court, 
and  Judge  of  the  Court  for  eighteen  years.  Other 
town  offices  he  has  held  are  :  Agent  to  convey  real 
estate,  Registrar  of  Voters,  Town  Clerk,  and  Judge 
of  Probate.  He  was  Water  Commissioner  at  the 
time  of  the  building  of  the  City  Water  Works,  and 
for  several  years  thereafter,  and  was  a  member  of 
the  Board  of  Compensation  for  a  long  period,  till 
he  was  elected  Mayor  in  December  1894,  taking 
office  in  1895.  He  was  re-elected  in  1896  and 
1897.  Judge  Coe  was  appointed  by  the  Secretary 
of  the  Interior,  a  Townsite  Trustee  for  Oklahoma 
City,  Oklahoma ;  has  been  a  Director  of  the  Meri- 
den Bank  (now  Meriden  National  Bank)  since 
1862  ;  is  Treasurer  of  the  Meriden  Park  Company, 
is  one  of  the  incorporators  and  a  Director  of  the 
New  England  Brownstone  Company,  a  Director  of 
the  Meriden  Hospital,  a  Trustee  of  the  Curtis 
Home,  President  of  the  Meriden  Historical  Society, 
and  a  member  of  Connecticut  Historical  Society 
and  of  the  Home  Club.  In  Masonry  he  has  been 
Secretary  and  Treasurer  and  Worshipful  Master  of 
Meridian  Lodge,  No.  77,  Eminent  Commander  of 
St.  Elmo  Commandery  Knights  Templar,  and  rep- 
resentative of  the  Grand  Commandery  of  South 
Dakota  near  the  Grand  Commandery  of  Connecticut. 
In  politics  he  is  a  Republican,  and  has  served  as  a 
member  of  the  Town  Committee  and  of  the  State 
Central  Committee.  An  Episcopalian,  he  has  been 
a    member  of  the  Vestry  of  St.  Andrew's  Church 


MEN    OF    I'ROC.RESS. 


399 


since  185S.  He  erected  a  bcaulilul  iDcmorial 
browiistone  library  building,  which,  with  its  furnish- 
ings and  the  library,  he  presented  to  his  native 
town,  Middlefiekl,  June  6,  1893,  as  a  free  Public 
Library,  placing  it  in  control  of  a  self-perpetuating 
incorporated  Hoard  of  Trustees,  known  as  the  Levi 
E.  Coe  Library  Association.  The  mere  recortl  of 
his  life  is  in  itself  an  encomium.  He  married 
Sophia  Fidelia,  daughter  of  Harley  Hall  and  Martha 
Cone  Hall,  November  27,  1851. 


(JURTISS,  Gi,m;uai,  James  I.angdon,  formerly 
candidate  of  the  American  party  for  President,  New 
York  city,  was  born  at  Stratford,  Connecticut,  Feb- 
ruary 19,  1808.  The  name  of  Curtiss  has  been 
prominent  in  Connecticut  for  over  two  and  a  half 
centuries.  Young  Curtiss  was  educated  in  the  pub- 
lic schools  and  .Academy  at  Stratford.  .'\t  the  age 
of  sixteen,  with  all  the  ambitions  and  energies  of 
youth  he  came  to  New  York  to  seek  his  fortune. 
He  soon  found  a  position  as  clerk  in  a  store  and 
rose  so  rapidly  that  at  the  age  of  twenty-one  he  was 
admitted  to  partnership  in  the  large  importing  house 
of  Henry  DeGroot  &  Company.  Before  many 
years  he  became  head  of  the  firm.  The  business 
was  highly  successful  and  brought  him  a  generous 
fortune.  As  a  merchant  he  enjoyed  a  reputation 
for  integrity,  enterprise  and  business  ability  that 
placed  him  among  the  leading  merchants  of  his 
time  and  gave  him  the  universal  respect  and  confi- 
dence of  his  associates  He  early  took  an  interest 
in  military  matters  and  joined  the  Ninth  Regiment 
National  Guards  of  the  State  of  New  York.  He 
was  rapidly  promoted  until  he  became  Colonel  of 
the  Regiment.  Always  a  rigid  disciplinarian,  he 
nevertheless  possessed  a  kindly  disposition  and  the 
faculty  of  winning  the  admiration  and  affection  of 
his  subordinates.  During  the  famous  fiour  riots  in 
New  York  city  the  Ninth  Regiment  was  detailed  to 
protect  the  banks  in  the  Wall  street  district  from 
the  attacks  of  the  mob.  .Although  many  attempts 
were  made,  and  though  stores  were  broken  into  and 
pillaged  in  otlier  parts  of  the  city,  yet  C'olonei  Cur- 
tiss was  able  by  his  firmness  and  discretion  to 
entirely  protect  the  property  entrusted  to  his  de- 
fence. During  the  Civil  War  his  aid  was  invaluable 
in  the  organizing  and  despatching  of  troops  for  the 
War.  His  services  were  in  constant  demand  by 
both  the  civil  and  military  authorities  and  it  was  in 
this  service  that  he  gained  the  rank  of  Brigadier- 
General.     As  a  politician  he  was  ever  cautious  and 


sagacious.  Ho  enjoyed  the  intimate  friendship  of 
Daniel  Webster,  Caleb  Cushing,  President  Pierce 
and  Governor  .Stillwell.  He  remains  today,  at  the 
age  of  ninety,  almost  tiie  hist  of  the  long  list  of 
noble  men  of  those  stirring  days,  still  in  the  full 
possession  of  his  mental  and  physical  faculties  and 
with  a  continuing  interest  in  present  events  and 
l)rogress.  Yet,  like  Thurlow  Weed  and  others,  he 
did  not  engage  in  politics  for  personal  aggrandize- 
ment, but  jireferreil  the  <|uict  of  the  council  cham- 
bers of  his  party  to  the  publicity  of  office.  Such 
nominations  as  he  received  were  accepted  for  the 
sake  of  a  principle  and  because  he  believed  that  by 


JAMES    L.   CURTISS. 

free  discussion  and  agitation  the  right  would  finally 
triumph.  It  was  with  this  spirit  that  he  accepteil 
the  nomination  for  Governor  of  Connecticut  by  the 
Labor  Party  in  1884.  His  letter  of  acceptance 
of  the  nomination  foreshadowed  many  of  the 
ideas  of.  the  American  party  whose  existence 
began  with  his  nomination  for  I^resident  four  years 
later.  "  Labor,"  he  says,  in  his  letter  of  accep- 
tance. "  is  the  real  sinew  anil  backbone  of  the 
country.  It  is  the  foundation  stone  of  wealth,  and 
it  is  tlie  true  interest  of  capital  to  go  hand  in  hand 
with  it.  It  i^  the  duly  of  the  state  and  Nation  to 
protect  labor  by  just  anil  projier  laws,  establishing 


400 


MEN    OF   PROGRESS. 


savings  banks,  guaranteeing  the  deposit  of  every 
working  man,  woman  or  child,  so  that  in  sickness  or 
temporary  failure  of  employment,  they  may  feel 
sure  that  their  previous  savings  are  safe.  We  are 
all  citizens  of  the  United  Slates.  We  want  no  solid 
South  and  no  solid  North,  no  solid  East  and  no 
solid  West.  We  have  one  country,  one  constitution, 
and  with  the  blessing  of  God  let  us  have  one  des- 
tiny." His  letter  of  acceptance  of  the  nomination 
of  the  Presidency  by  the  .•American  ])arty  in  Sep- 
tember 1 888  contained  no  less  ringing  and  eloquent 
words.  He  emphasized  the  duty  of  patriotism, 
advocated  a  restriction  on  the  naturalization  laws, 
and  rallied  his  supporters  arovmd  the  flag  with  the 
jwpular  cry  of  .America  for  Americans.  General 
Curtiss,  having  large  land  interests  in  the  state  of 
i'exas,  proposes  to  make  his  residence  in  that  state 
in  the  near  future. 


FROST,  Charles  Warren  Selah,  M.  D.,  Phy- 
sician and  Surgeon,  Waterbury,  was  born  in  that 
city,  December  22,  1857,  son  of  Warren  S.  and 
Edna  Jane  (Spring)  Frost.  His  ancestors  on  both 
sides  settled  in  Connecticut  early  in  the  seventeenth 
century,  and  the  Frosts  have  been  identified  with 
the  town  and  city  of  Waterbury  since  1733,  when 
Samuel  Frost  movetl  there  from  Wallinglord.  He 
and  his  son,  David,  together  with  his  grandson, 
Jesse  Frost,  served  in  the  Revolutionary  War,  and 
the  latter  was  the  first  Baptist  minister  in  Water- 
bury. Another  paternal  ancestor,  Abraham  Brooks, 
of  Torrington,  was  a  Revolutionary  soldier,  and  on 
his  mother's  side  he  is  a  descendant  of  four  other 
patriots,  members  of  the  Spring,  Holcombe  and 
Pomeroy  families.  Dr.  Frost's  early  education  was 
completed  at  the  Waterbury  English  and  Classical 
School.  In  1876  he  entered  the  Yale  Medical 
School,  where  he  remained  a  year,  and  was  gradu- 
ated from  the  College  of  Physicians  and  Surgeons, 
New  York,  in  1880,  having  in  the  meantime  spent 
his  vacations  in  pursuing  special  courses  at  the  hos- 
pitals and  dispensaries  of  the  metropolis.  In  the 
summer  of  1880  he  began  his  professional  work  in 
Waterbury,  where  he  immediately  acquired  a  lucra- 
tive practice,  and  has  since  figured  quite  promi- 
nently in  professional  and  official  circles  and  public 
affairs,  having  served  as  City  Physician,  Ciiy  and 
Town  Health  Officer,  and  is  now  President  of  the 
Board  of  Health,  having  held  this  office  since  Janu- 
ary 1896.  He  pays  particular  attention  to  derma- 
tology and  the  diseases  of  children ;  is  the  regular 


surgeon  of  several  large  manufactories,  is  a  member 
of  the  staff  of  the  Waterbury  Hospital  and  his  prac- 
tice also  extends  to  the  adjoining  towns.  For  eleven 
years  he  acted  as  Secretary  of  the  Waterbury  Medi- 
cal Society,  is  a  member  of  the  New  Haven  County 
and  Connecticut  State  Medical  Associations  and  his 
activity  in  behalf  of  the  profession  and  its  advance- 
ment continues  unabated.  Dr.  Frost  is  connected 
with  the  Knights  of  Pythias,  the  Improved  Order 
of  Red  Men,  the  Royal  Arcanum,  the  Heptasophs, 
Knights  of  the  Maccabees,  Junior  Order  of  Ameri- 
can Mechanics,  Sons  of  the  American  Revolution, 
and  other  fraternal  organizations.     He  is  a  member 


C.   W.   S.   B'ROST. 

of  the  Waterbury  Club,  the  Wheel  Club,  and  the 
First  Congregational  Society.  In  politics  he  is  a 
staunch  Republican.  On  February  5,  1880,  he 
married  Jennie  G.  Davis,  of  New  York,  and  to  that 
union  was  born  one  daughter :  Edna  Jane  Frost. 
On  December  31,  1891,  he  married  for  his  second 
wife  Mrs.  Minnie  L.  Ryder  (ne'e  AVright),  daughter 
of  Leander  Wright  of  West  Ashford,  Connecticut, 
and  widow  of  the  late  Dr.  George  B.  Ryder.  She 
was  formerly  a  licensed  dentist,  being  a  successful 
practitioner  at  the  time  of  marriage,  and  still  attends 
to  some  of  her  old  patients,  though  not  desirous  of 
taking  new  ones.  By  his  present  union  Dr.  Frost 
has  one  daughter,  Barbara  Frost. 


Mi;,\    OK    I'ROCRKSS. 


401 


MKRUIX,  liiiwAKh  I'avson,  Banker,  of  New 
York  cily,  was  born  in  New  Haven,  ConnecticiK, 
September  9,  1846,  son  of  Smith  and  Amelia  Painter 
(Rich)  Merwin.  He  is  of  Revolutionary  ancestry, 
being  a  direct  descendant  on  his  mother's  side  from 


EDWARD    P.    MERWIN. 

Thomas  Painter,  one  of  the  early  settlers  of  West 
Haven,  Connecticut,  who  distinguished  himself  upon 
the  attempt  to  land  the  British  forces  on  the  soil  of 
Connecticut,  and  the  relics  of  whose  military  career 
are  lodged  with  the  Historical  Society  of  New  Haven. 
His  early  education  was  received  at  the  Collegiate 
and  Commercial  Institute  of  New  Hawn,  under 
General  William  H.  Russell  as  Principal.  His 
parents  desired  him  to  have  a  collegiate  training,  his 
mother  fondly  hoping  that  he  might  choose  the 
ministry  for  his  profession;  but  his  natural  fondness 
for  business  life,  disi>layed  in  his  earlier  years  and 
becoming  more  marked  as  he  enteretl  his  young  man- 
hood, caused  him  at  the  first  opi)ortunity  to  leave  his 
studies  and  enter  the  office  of  his  brother's  dry  goods 
establishment,  where  he  remained  for  six  years,  being 
in  the  meantime  ably  fitted  for  his  life's  work. 
When  twenty-one  years  of  age,  becoming  somewhat 
restive  in  the  position  to  which  he  had  been  assigned, 
and  the  health  of  his  father's  partner  being  seriously 
impaired,  he  was  offered  the  management  of  his 
father's  business,  viz.,  the  manufacture  of  fine  cloth- 


ing (established  in  1.S.51).  His  deterniin.itiun  to 
make  a  success  in  the  Inisiness  world  was  forcibly 
shown  at  this  time  by  his  resolution,  ticclarcd  to  his 
father,  to  place  that  business  in  the  very  topmost 
rank  of  the  iirofession.  Subsequent  event.s  proved 
that  his  sanguine  predictions  were  not  impossible 
of  realization.  In  187,^,  for  the  better  accommo- 
dation of  his  rapidly  enlarging  business,  he  erected 
the  building  known  as  .Merwin's  Building,  Nos.  68 
and  70  Church,  and  No.  60  Centre  street,  New- 
Haven,  where  with  the  able  assistance  of  his  younger 
brother,  Berkeley  R.  Merwin,  he  continued  until 
1S90,  when,  warneil  that  he  must  have  more  recrea- 
tion, he  retired  actively  froui  the  business  to  which  he 
had  given  such  close  attention  since  1S67,  to  enter, 
in  connection  with  his  railroad  duties,  the  banking 
business  in  New  York  city.  Mr.  Merwin  has  been 
prominently  identified  with  the  building  of  the 
Kansas  City,  Pittsburg  &  (;ulf  Railroad,  the  Kansas 
City  &  Suburban  Belt,  and  the  Kansas  City  &  Inde- 
l)endence  Air  Line  Railroads.  He  is  a  Director  in 
these  and  several  other  important  corporations,  and 
the  firm  of  F.dward  P.  Merwin  &  Company,  of  which 
he  is  the  head,  has  had  a  jjrominent  share  in  financ- 
ing these  enterprises.  He  lives  a  quiet  life,  spend- 
ing most  of  his  time  when  away  from  business  and 
not  attending  to  corporation  matters  at  his  country 
home,  "  Oakridge,"  at  Orange,  New  Jersey.  He  is 
a  member  of  the  New  England  Society ;  the  Essex 
County  Country  Club  and  the  Essex  County  Coif 
Club  of  Orange,  New  Jersey ;  and  the  Lawyers  Club 
of  New  York.  Mr.  Merwin  was  married  January  9, 
1868,  to  Grace  Clara  Bishop,  daughter  of  Elias  B. 
and  Grace  Clarissa  (Atwater)  Bishop,  his  wife  being 
a  direct  descendant  of  Daxid  .Atwater,  who  with 
Eaton  and  l)a\enport  founded  the  New  Haven 
Colony  in  16  v;-  I  his  union  has  resulted  in  three 
children  :  I'.dward  P.,  Jr.,  Grace  B.,  and  Charlotte 
Bishop  Merwin,  tlie  latter  having  died   in  infancy. 


ING.'M.LS,  Phinkas  Hknkv,  Physician  and  Sur- 
geon, Hartford,  was  born  .April  18,  1856,  at  Gor- 
ham,  Maine,  son  of  Dr.  Phineas  and  Ruth  H. 
(Elder)  Ingalls,  and  grandson  of  Phineas  Ingalls. 
His  grandfather,  Phineas  Ingalls,  was  a  soldier  in 
the  Revolution  from  the  town  of  Andover,  Massa- 
chusetts, and  was  one  of  the  early  settlers  of  Maine. 
Through  his  grandmother  he  is  descended  from 
Ralpii  Spraguc,  of  Maiden,  Massachusetts,  who  was  a 
captain  in  the  Colonial  wars.  Through  his  mother 
he  is  descended   from   the    V'.UWr  and   Mosher  fami- 


402 


MEN    Ol''    I'ROGRKSS. 


lies,  who  settled  in  Maine  about  1730,  and  were  the 
pioneer  settlers  of  the  town  of  Gorham.  He  was 
educated  in  the  public  schools  of  Portland,  Maine, 
and  was  graduated  A.H.  at  Eowdoin  College  in  1877, 
and  received  the  degree  of  A.M.  in  1S85  ;  com- 
menced the  study  of  medicine  in  1S77,  at  Portland, 
Maine,  with  S.  H.  Tewksbury,  M.D.,  and  Charles 
W.  Bray,  M.D. ;  attended  two  courses  each  at  the 
Maine  Medical  School  and  at  the  College  of  Physi- 
cians and  Surgeons  in  the  city  of  New  York,  and 
was  graduated  from  the  latter  in  March,  1880.  Im- 
mediately after  graduation  he  commenced  the  prac- 
tice of  medicine  as  House  Surgeon  to  the  Woman's 
Hospital,  New  York,  which  position  he  held  until 
November,  1881,  when  he  removed  to  Portland, 
Maine,  and  remained  until  March,  1882,  and  since 
the  latter  date  has  been  located  in  Hartford,  Con- 


P.    H.    INGALLS. 

necticut.  Dr.  Ingalls  is  one  of  the  most  promi- 
nent members  of  his  profession,  has  a  large  and 
successful  practice,  and  his  medical  papers  and  con- 
tributions to  gynaecological  science  have  been  of 
distinguished  value.  He  is  regarded  as  the  leading 
g)'naecologist  of  the  city.  He  is  an  active  member 
of  Christ's  Episcopal  Church,  and  prominently  iden- 
tified with  church  societies  and  kindred  work.  Dr. 
Ingalls  was  House  Surgeon  at  the  Maine  General 
Hospital  in  1879,  and  has  been  gynaecologist  to  the 


Hartford  Hospital  since  1884,  and  was  appointed 
.Assistant  Surgeon,  Connecticut  National  Guards, 
August  1883  ;  promoted  Adjutant,  December  1884  ; 
Brigade  Inspector,  May  1890  :  and  resigned  in  June 
1892.  Since  1895  he  has  been  a  Police  Commis- 
sioner of  the  city  of  Hartford.  In  politics  he  has 
always  been  a  Republican,  but  has  never  been  an 
active  partisan.  He  is  a  member  of  the  Hartford 
City,  Hartford  County,  and  Connecticut  State 
medical  societies.  Alumni  Association  of  ^\'oman's 
Hospital,  State  of  New  York,  and  the  American 
Gynecological  Society.  He  is  also  a  member  of 
the  Sons  of  American  Revolution,  Society  of  Co- 
lonial Wars,  the  Eowdoin  Alumni  Association  of 
New  York,  the  Delta  Kappa  Epsilon  Club  of  New 
York,  and  the  Hartford,  Colonial,  and  Republican 
clubs  of  Hartford.  Among  his  more  important 
medical  papers  is  one  on  "  Non-Surgical  Treatment 
of  Anteflexion,"  published  in  the  New  York  "Medi- 
cal Journal,"  March  27,  1886;  essay,  "Damages 
of  Parturition  and  their  Repair,"  Proceedings  Con- 
necticut Medical  Society,  1S86;  Dissertation, 
"Uterine  Cancer,"  Proceedings  Connecticut  Medi- 
cal Society,  1889;  "Sloughing  Fibroids  of  the 
Uterus,"  Proceedings  American  Gynecological  Soci- 
ety, 1891  ;  "Successful  Case  of  Cfesarian  Section," 
"American Journal  of  Obstetrics,"  August  1892.  He 
has  performed  many  laparotomies  for  the  removal 
of  ovarian  tumors,  diseased  ovaries,  tubes,  etc., 
inclu<ling  one  Caesarian  section  successful  to  mother 
and  child,  besides  hysterectomies  and  the  ordinary 
gynecological  operations  consequent  upon  a  ten 
years'  hospital  practice.  He  was  married  May  13, 
1885,  to  Mary  Helen,  daughter  of  J.  Watson  Beach, 
one  of  Hartford's  prominent  citizens.  One  child, 
born  in  June,  1886,  died  in  infancy. 


JENNINGS,  Oliver  Burr,  Oil  Refiner  and  Capi- 
talist, of  New  York  city,  was  born  in  Fairfield,  Con- 
necticut, June  3,  1825,  son  of  Abraham  Gould  and 
Anna  (Burr)  Jennings ;  died  in  New  York,  Feb- 
ruary 12,  1893,  aged  sixty-eight  years.  In  his  early 
manhood  he  went  into  business  in  New  York,  but 
while  still  a  very  young  man  the  gold  fever  of  1849 
took  him  to  California,  and  he  established  with 
Benjamin  Brewster  a  wholesale  clothing  business 
in  San  Francisco  and  won  a  comfortable  fortune. 
Coming  East  again,  in  1863,  he  became  interested 
in  that  great  staple,  petroleum  ;  the  result  was  that, 
with  John  D.  and  William  Rockefeller,  and  other 
capitalists,  he  organized  the  Standard  Oil  Trust,  of 


mi;n  u|-  I'kocKKss. 


AO} 


which   he    \v:i 
large  weaUh. 
ness,  energy, 


>  mail 

Ihis 

and  (■ 


!e  a  Director,  thereby  amassing  York,  with  ofticcs  at  London,  r.iris,  llanilmrg,  Mcl- 
success  arose  from  great  shrewd-  bourne,  and  Sydney.  Mr.  I'cck  has  l)cen  to  an  im- 
lose  attention  to  business.     His      usual  degree  a  traveller;  a  brief  description  of  his 

princijial  travels  in  his  own  words  may  be  interest- 
ing; "First  trip:  In  1SS1-2  I  went  by  steamer  r/V/ 
Panama  down  the  west  coast  of  .South  .America  to 
\  al|)araiso,  stu])iiing  at  C;uayai|uil,  in  I%cuador,  and 
Lima,  in  I'eni.  .After  residing  a  year  in  Chili,  i 
returned  by  dire<'t  steamer  to  S;in  I'Vancisco,  ami 
thence  overland  to  New  \'ork.  .Second  trip :  'I'his 
occui)ied  portions  of  the  years  18S3-.4.  I  again 
went  by  steamer  t'iii  Panama  down  the  west  coast 
of  South  America,  stopping  at  all  the  principal 
ports.  The  same  winter  1  went  on  foot  over  the 
Ancles,  nearly  perishing  with  cold,  to  Mendoza, 
thence  to  Huenos  .-\yres,  where  I  spent  some 
months.  1  next  visited  .Montevideo,  Rio  de 
Janeiro,  Cape  \'erde  Islands,  Lisbon,  N"igo,  and 
llordeaux.  Before  returning  to  the  United  Suites  I 
spent  a  few  months  in  England,  France,  and  Italy. 
ihirdtrip:  1  left  New  York  in  August,  1S84,  with 
my  wife,  for  l-.nghmd,  and  after  tr.ivelling  through 
Scotland  visited  Bordeau.x,  Lisbon,  Rio  de  Janeiro, 
Montevideo,  and   liuenos  Ayres,  where  we  resided  a 


O.   B.  JENNINGS. 


means  allowed  him  to  gratify  the  benevolent  instincts 
of  a  kindly  nature,  and  his  philanthropy  to  the  poor, 
and  towards  worthy  causes  in  general,  was  marked. 
His  business  ability  brought  him  also  the  manage- 
ment of  other  large  corporations.  He  enjoyed  social 
life,  and  was  a  member  of  the  Union  League,  Metro- 
politan, LTniversity,  and  New  York  Yacht  clubs,  all 
of  New  York  city.  Mr.  Jennings  was  married  at 
Fairfield,  Ct.,  December  13,  1S54,  to  l^sthcr  Judson 
(loodsell. 


PFCK,  William  E.mkrson,  .Merchant,  of  New 
York,  is  the  son  of  Charles  Peck  and  Mary  Folger 
Davis,  and  was  born  in  New  Britain,  Connecticut, 
June  30,  1858.  He  prepared  for  college  in  the 
schools  of  his  native  city,  the  Hartford  High  School, 
and  at  AVilliston  Seminary,  and  was  graduated  at 
Yale  as  A. P..  in  the  class  of  1881.  Since  gradua- 
tion he  has  been  striving  to  develop  an  export  biisi-  w.  e.  feck. 
ness  with  the  principal  cities  of  the  world,  and  much 

of  his  time  has  been  spent  in  travelling  and  hard  year.  We  then  crossed  the  .Andes  on  mules,  re- 
work. He  is  now  President  of  William  E.  Peck  &  siding  a  full  year  in  Chili.  I  made  an  incidental 
Company,  Export  Merchants,  1 00  William  street.  New      voyage,  occupying  three  months,  going  by  Cerman 


404 


mi<:n  of  procrkss. 


steamer  through  the  celebrated  Smythe's  Channel, 
lying  between  the  islands  on  the  south-west  coast  of 
South  America  and  the  mainland  ;  then  I  went  through 
the  Straits  of  Magellan,  stopping  two  days  at  Sandy 
Point :  then  went  onto  the  Faulkland  Islands,  where  I 
spent  three  days  at  Port  Stanley.  From  Port  Stanley 
I  went  to  Montevideo  and  Buenos  Ayres,  returning 
to  Valparaiso  by  English  steamer  I'ia  the  Straits  of 
Magellan.  We  again  crossed  the  Andes  on  mules, 
and  after  a  short  sojourn  in  liuenos  Ayres  we  spent 
a  few  days  in  Petropolis,  IJrazil,  and  then  went 
straight  to  Plymouth,  England,  spending  a  few- 
weeks  in  the  south-western  part  of  that  cotmtry. 
This  trip  occupied  two  years  and  a  half.  Fourth 
trip:  In  July,  1888,  accompanied  by  my  wife,  I 
went  to  Bordeaux  and  Paris,  thence  to  Lisbon, 
stopi)ing  off  for  a  short  visit  at  both  Vigo  and 
Corunna.  From  Lisbon  we  went  on  to  L^ruguay 
and  the  Argentine  Republic.  In  the  latter  country 
we  lived  at  Belgrano,  a  suburb  of  Buenos  Ayres,  for 
about  si\  months,  and  then  again  went  over  the 
Andes  on  mules  to  Chili,  returning  by  the  same 
route  to  Buenos  .'\yres,  Montevideo,  and  Rio  de 
Janeiro.  Afterward  we  went  to  the  south  of  France, 
where  we  visited  all  the  different  vineyards  in  the 
vicinity  of  Bordeaux ;  and  then  returned  to  New 
Vork  7.'ia  London  during  the  summer  of  1889." 
Mr.  Peck  has  travelled  more  than  two  hundred 
thousand  miles  by  steamer,  crossed  the  Atlantic 
thirty-two  times,  and  visited  most  of  the  heathen 
countries  in  the  world.  Mr.  Peck  married  in  Liver- 
pool, England,  on  January  30,  1884,  Bertha  Thom- 
son Pierce,  of  New  Haven.  They  have  one  child, 
Elena  Marjorie,  born  August  14,  1889.  He  was  a 
Republican  in  college,  but  is  now  a  Democrat  in 
National  politics  and  an  Independent  in  State  and 
local  matters.  He  has  published  a  monthly  Spanish 
trade  paper  called  the  "  Precois  Corrientes,"  as  well 
as  "  Peck's  Export  Index,"  a  trade  paper  circulating 
in  seventy-seven  different  countries,  and  he  also 
published  the  first  directory  of  Cottage  City,  Massa- 
chusetts. He  has  delivered  public  addresses  on 
South  American  topics,  and  written  trade  articles 
for  the  "  Dry  Goods  Economist  "  and  similar  papers. 
Mr.  Peck  is  a  member  of  the  University  Club, 
Fulton  Club,  and  the  New  England  Society  of  New 
Vork,  Graduates'  Club  of  New  Haven,  and  the 
Montclair  and  Outlook  clubs  of  Montclair,  New 
Jersey.  He  was  Secretary  for  two  years  of  the 
Outlook  Club.  He  is  a  member  of  the  Congrega- 
tional Church,  and  beside  his  other  duties  served  as 
General  Manager  of  the  Mt.  Meigs  Colored  Institute, 


Mount  Meigs,  Alabama.  In  1887  he  made  his  res- 
idence at  Montclair,  New  Jersey;  but  in  1895  he 
removed  to  New  York  citv. 


QUINTARD,  George  William,  Manufacturer, 
New  York  city,  was  born  in  Stamford,  Connecticut, 
April  22,  1822.  His  ancestors  were  French,  his 
father,  Isaac  Quintard,  a  merchant  at  Stamford. 
He  was  educated  in  the  schools  of  his  native  town, 
but  at  the  age  of  fifteen  left  school  and  came  to 
New  York  with  a  determination  to  make  a  fortune 
in  the  great  city.  His  first  employment  was  as  clerk 
in  a  grocery  store.  With  those  habits  of  economy 
which  are  a  French  as  well  as  a  New  England  charac- 
teristic, the  young  man  saved  something  each  year 
from  his  small  salary,  so  that  at  the  end  of  five  years 
he  was  able  to  start  in  business  for  himself.  But  by 
his  marriage  to  the  daughter  of  Charles  Morgan,  the 
famous  shipowner,  his  business  plans  were  changed, 
and  in  1847  he  became  connected  with  T.  F.  Secor 
&  Company,  proprietors  of  the  Morgan  Iron  Works 
on  East  River.     Three  years  later  he  became  a  part 


GEO.    W.   QUINTARD. 

owner,  and  remained  the  active  manager  of  the 
works  until  1867.  The  firm  were  manufacturers 
of  steamship  engines,  machinery,  and  castings. 
During  the  w-ar  they  were  awarded  the  contract  for 


MKN    oi 


KOC.RKSS. 


405 


the  engines  of  eight  of  the  vessels  of  the  United 
States  Navy,  the  "  Katahdin,"  "Onondaga,"  and 
"  Ticonderoga  "  being  among  the  number.  Mr. 
Quintard  also  supervised  the  building  of  the  engines 
for  forty-one  vessels  for  the  merchant  service,  includ- 
ing the  "  City  of  Hartford  "  and  "  Ciranite  State  "  of 
the  Hartford  &  New  York  Line,  and  others  for 
the  China  trade  and  the  trade  on  the  I.akes.  Mr. 
(^'uintard's  success  as  a  manufacturing  su])erintendent 
was  the  more  marked  as  he  had  never  received 
a  mechanical  training.  He  understood,  however, 
the  rciiuisites  of  good  work,  and,  with  his  executive 
ability  and  quick  and  accurate  judgment,  was  always 
able  to  obtain  the  best  results.  In  1867  Mr-  Quin- 
tard sold  the  Morgan  Works  to  John  Roach,  the 
shipbuilder,  in  order  to  devote  his  time  to  the  New 
York  &  Charleston  Steamship  Company,  of  which  he 
had  become  President  and  part  owner.  Yet  his 
fondness  for  the  iron  business  continued,  and  he 
therefore  established  the  Quintard  Iron  Works,  and 
again  commenced  the  manufacture  of  marine 
engines.  The  new  firm  occupied  a  site  running 
through  from  East  nth  to  East  1 2th  street,  New- 
York  city,  and  soon  became  known  throughout  the 
country  as  one  of  the  leading  firms  in  the  trade. 
Mr.  Quintard  still  retains  an  interest  in  the  business, 
although  the  active  management  has  been  trans- 
ferred to  Nicholas  F.  Palmer  &  Co.,  the  present 
proprietors.  He  is  also  a  valued  Director  in  the 
following  important  institutions:  Manhattan  Life 
Insurance  Company ;  Calumet  Trust  Company ; 
I'^leventh  Ward  Bank;  Ann  Arbor  Railroad  Com- 
pany ;  New  York,  Lake  Erie  &  Western  Railroad 
Company ;  Pennsylvania  Coal  Company  ;  Atlantic  & 
Mutual  Insurance  Company  ;  State  Trust  Company  ; 
and  L^nion  Ferry  Company.  .\  few  years  since  he 
was  able  to  render  a  service  to  his  old  friend,  John 
C.  Roach,  whose  shipyard  had  been  closed  owing  to 
the  hostile  rulings  of  W.  C.  Whitney,  Secretary  of 
the  Navy.  Mr.  (Quintard  and  Geo.  E.  Weed  were 
appointed  assignees  of  the  business,  and,  by  capable 
management,  were  able  to  reopen  the  shipyard.  Mr. 
Quintard  has  never  been  a  politician,  but  has  served 
the  city  as  Emigrant  Commissioner,  and  also  as  Park 
Commissioner.  He  is  a  man  of  dignified  bearing 
and  spotless  integrity,  and  enjoys  the  respect  and 
confidence  of  his  fellow-citizens.  He  is  a  member 
of  the  Lawyers'  Club,  the  New  York  Club,  and  the 
American  Yacht  Club.  He  was  married  February 
12,  1844,  to  Frances  Morgan,  who  died  Novem- 
ber 14,  1894.  Three  children  were  born  to  them: 
Frances  Louise,  who    died  July   28,    1863,   in  her 


eighteenth  year ;  James  \V.,  l)orn  September  3, 
1S4S  ;  and  l-iura  .'Xdele  (^)uint,ird,  born  June  7, 
1S52. 


SHELTON,  Cnii.i.  AiujA,  Physician,  of  Shelton, 
Connecticut,  was  born  in  Huntington,  Conne<ticut, 
.August  19,  1S41,  son  of  Judson  Curtiss  and  Hannah 
(Lewis)  Shelton.  He  comes  of  a  prominent  family, 
which  has  given  the  name  to  the  town,  and  several 
of  whose  members  have  been  successful  members  of 


GOULD    A.   SHELTON. 

the  medical  profession.  Dr.  Shelton's  grandfather 
was  Samuel  F.  Shelton.  The  latter's  brother  was 
William  Shelton,  M.I).,  a  graduate  of  ^'ale  in  17S8, 
who  was  a  jjhysician  at  Huntington,  Connecticut, 
from  1789  until  his  death  in  1819.  His  son,  James 
II.  Shelton,  succeeded  to  his  practice.  On  his  death, 
in  1868,  after  fifty  years  of  medical  service,  his 
nephew,  the  present  Dr.  dould  .\.  Shelton,  carried 
on  the  family  tradition  and  took  uj)  the  practice. 
Ur.  Shelton  attended  the  Staples  .Academy,  at 
Easton,  Connecticut,  and  entered  Yale  in  the  class 
of  1 866.  He  pursued  the  academic  course  with  his 
class  for  two  years,  and  in  i866  commenced  the 
study  of  medicine  with  Dr.  George  W.  Hall,  of  New 
York  city.  He  then  took  three  courses  of  lectures 
at  the  Yale  Medical  School,  where  he  was  graduated 


4o6 


MKN    ol'    I'RdCRKSS. 


lanuary  14,  1S69.  In  1S91  \'alL-  I'nivcrsity  coii- 
ferreii  ujion  him  the  honorary  degree  of  A.M.  Since 
1869  he  has  been  in  the  active  and  successful  practice 
of  his  profession  in  Shelton  and  the  neighboring 
towns.  He  is  a  member  of  the  American  Medical 
Association  and  the  Connecticut  Medical  Society. 
He  was  President  of  the  Fairfield  County  Medical 
Society  in  1SS9  and  President  of  the  Yale  Medical 
.Alumni  .Association  in  1894.  He  is  also  an  active 
member  of  the  Masonic  and  Odd  Fellows  Fraterni- 
ties. He  has  been  a  member  of  the  Consulting 
Board  of  the  Bridgeport  Hospital  since  1892, 
Coroner  Medical-Examiner  of  the  town  of  Hunting- 
ton since  1889,  and  Health  Officer  for  the  Borough 
of  Shelton  since  18S6.  He  has  been  honored  by 
his  fellow-townsmen  not  merely  as  a  practitioner, 
but  as  a  good  citizen  as  well.  He  represented 
Huntington  in  the  Legislature  of  1895,  and  served 
as  Chairman  of  the  Committee  on  Public  Health. 
In  1890-2  he  was  Warden  of  the  Borough  of  Shel- 
ton, a  member  of  the  Board  of  Burgesses  in  1885-9, 
and  a  member  of  the  Board  of  Education  of  Hunt- 
ington from  1870  to  1 888.  He  has  been  President 
of  the  Shelton  Water  Company  since  1893  and  a 
Director  in  the  Shelton  Savings  Bank  from  the  same 
date.  He  is  a  Trustee  of  the  Plumb  Library,  has 
been  President  of  the  Board  of  Park  Commis- 
sioners since  1893,  and  Secretary  and  Director  of 
the  Silver  Plate  Cutlery  Company  since  1894. 
Dr.  Shelton  was  married  June  16,  1874,  to  Emily 
I'lumb  Capel,  of  Shelton,  Connecticut.  They 
have   no   children. 


TIFFANY,  Charles  Lewis,  founder  and  head  of 
the  firm  of  Tiffany  &  Company,  New  York  city,  was 
born  in  Danielsonville,  Connecticut,  February  15, 
1812,  son  of  Comfort  T.  and  Chloe  (Draper)  Tiffany. 
He  is  the  sixth  generation  from  Squire  Humphrey 
Tiffany,  of  England,  and  his  ancestors  for  several 
generations  were  residents  of  Massachusetts.  Com- 
fort Tiffany  moved  to  Danielsonville  to  engage  in 
the  manufacture  of  cotton  goods,  and  the  son's  first 
training  was  in  his  father's  cotton  mill  and  country 
store,  but  in  1837  came  to  New  York  city  to  join  his 
former  schoolmate,  John  B.  Young.  On  September 
18,  1837,  the  firm  of  Tiffany  &  Young  was  formed. 
Comfort  Tiffany,  father  of  Charles  L.  Tiffany,  advanc- 
ing one  thousand  dollars  to  the  young  men.  AVith 
this  modest  capital,  and  in  the  midst  of  the  worst 
commercial  crisis  this  country  has  experienced. 
Tiffany  &  Young  opened  their  fency  goods  and  sta- 


tionery store,  in  the  lower  jjart  of  the  old-fashioned 
dwelling-house  that  then  stood  at  259  Broadway. 
Their  first  three  days'  sales  amounted  to  four  dollars 
and  eightv-nine  cents.     Yet  gradually  the  business 


C.    L.    TIFFANY. 

increased,  and  in  1841  the  adjoining  store  on  the 
corner  of  Warren  street  was  rented.  Mr.  Tiffany 
early  saw  the  artistic  and  commercial  value  of  Chi- 
nese and  Japanese  goods,  and  was  the  first  dealer 
to  introduce  them  and  give  them  prominence  in 
New  York.  In  addition  the  firm  carried  a  stock  of 
umbrellas,  walking-sticks,  cabinets,  jars,  pottery,  and 
curiosities.  Gradually  the  scope  of  the  business 
widened,  and  Bohemian  glass,  French  and  Dresden 
porcelain,  cutlery,  clocks,  and  fancy  Parisian  jewelry 
were  added  to  the  stock  in  the  order  named.  In 
1847  the  expanding  needs  of  the  business  required 
its  removal  to  271  Broadway.  J.  L.  Ellis  was  then 
admitted  to  partnership,  and  the  firm  style  became 
Tiffany,  Young  &  Ellis,  one  member  going  abroad  to 
purchase  goods.  In  1848  the  firm  began  the  manu- 
facture of  jewelry  on  their  own  account.  Their 
exquisite  designs  and  careful  workmanship  at  once 
attracted  attention  and  brought  them  the  highest 
class  of  custom  trade.  Diamond  jewelry,  watches, 
clocks,  silver-ware,  and  bronzes  now  became  the  lead- 
ing articles  of  their  stock.  In  1848  the  firm  pur- 
chased a  large  consignment  of  diamonds  in   Paris, 


Mi;.\  1)1    1'K(h;rkss. 


407 


where  prices  had  ilepreciateil  owini;  to  ])oIitital  dis- 
turbances. The  sale  of  the  stones  netted  them  a 
handsome  profit.  .Again  in  1S87,  at  the  sale  of  the 
crown  jewels  in  I'aris,  the  firm  jjiirchased  one-thiril  of 
the  entire  (luantity,  or  fnc  hundred  thousand  dollars' 
worth,  ]irobably  one  of  the  largest  single  purchases 
of  precious  gems  ever  made.  In  1850  ("ddeon  I'". 
T.  Reed,  one  of  Boston's  prominent  jewellers,  was 
admitted  to  jiartnership,  and  immediately  afterwards 
the  I'aris  house  was  established  at  79  Rue  Richelieu, 
under  the  firm  style  of  'lidany,  Reed  iv:  fompany,  the 
new  member  of  the  firm  acting  as  resident  partner. 
Since  Mr.  Reed's  retirement  the  house  has  been 
known  as  Tiffany  &  Company,  and  is  now  located 
Avenue  de  I'Opera,  36  bis.  The  I'aris  house  has 
been  a  great  aid  to  the  firm,  and  has  enableil  it  to 
take  advantage  of  lluctuations  in  price,  at  the  same 
time  building  up  a  distinguished  clientage  of  its 
own.  The  list  of  royal  patrons  is  a  long  one, 
and  includes  representatives  of  every  European 
court.  One  of  the  firm's  specialties  is  the  making 
of  special  presentation  ]iieces  in  silver.  Tiffany  iv: 
("om]iany  were  the  first  in  this  country  to  adopt  tlie 
English  standard  of  fineness  in  their  productions  of 
sterling  silver,  that  of  925-1000  fine.  Their  original 
and  artistic  designs  in  silver  have  received  distin- 
guished recognition  at  every  Worlil's  Fair,  having 
been  awarded  the  Grand  Prix  at  both  of  the  I'aris 
Expositions, of  1878  and  1891  :  and  at  the  Exposition 
in  Chicago  in  1S93  fifty-six  awards  were  made  to  the 
firm.  This  department,  under  the  direction  of  K.  ('. 
Moore,  now  deceased,  grew  from  a  small  sho]i  on 
Prince  street  until  almost  an  entire  block  was 
occupied,  and  five  hundred  skilled  metal-workers  are 
employed.  Finally,  having  exhausted  all  op]ior- 
tunities  for  further  expansion  in  that  locality,  a  new 
site  was  selected  at  Forest  Hill,  Newark,  New  Jersey, 
and  here,  in  1897,  the  firm  completed  and  now 
occupy  a  new  factory  with  over  two  hundred  thou- 
sand square  feet  of  fioor  space,  and  ecjuipped  with 
the  latest  improvements  ;uk1  apjiliances  for  manu- 
facturing silver-ware.  In  all  other  de])arlments  the 
growth  of  the  business  has  been  marked,  and  that 
same  artistic  excellence  and  careful  workmanship 
have  been  retained  whic:h  for  more  thaii  a  genera- 
tion have  made  Tiffany  iv:  Company  the  foremost 
jewellers  of  this  country.  Through  all  this  i)eriod 
Charles  I,.  Tiffany  has  been  the  actual  head  of  the 
firm,  and  by  his  force  of  character,  executive  ability, 
accurate  jiidgment,  and  rare  good  taste  has  won  for 
himself  honor,  reputation,  and  a  business  success 
such    as  tew    .\mericans    have    achieved.       Messrs. 


^'oMng  .and  Ellis  retire<l  from   the  firm   in  1.S53,  new 
partners  were  admitted,  and  from  that  date  the  firm 
style  of  Tiffany  &  Company  has    been  continued. 
In    1854  the  business  was  moved  to  550  Uroadway, 
and    in    1861    the    adjoining    i)uiiding  was    leased. 
During  the  war  .Mr.  TifTany  was  a  loyal  Union  man, 
and  his  store  became  a  large  depot  for  military  sup- 
l)lies.      In  1 868  the  business  was  incorporated,  Mr. 
Tiflany  becoming  President  and  Treasurer,  Mr.  Reed 
\'ice-President,  Charles  T.  Cook   (leneral  .Superin- 
tendent and   .Assistant  Treasurer,  and   deorge   Mc- 
Clure  Secretary.     Mr.  Reed  retired  in  1875  and  Mr. 
Cook  succeeiled  him  as  Vice-1'rcsident.     The  hitter's 
connection  with  this  house  ilates  back  to  1847,  when 
he   began   work   at  the   age  of  twelve.      Since  the 
incorporation  of  the  company  much  of  the  responsi- 
bility of  management  has  fallen  upon  his  shoulders, 
and  Mr.  TilTiiny  has  great  confidence  in  his  judg- 
ment and  ability.     The  London  ])ranch  of'l"ifrany& 
Company  was  started  in  186S.     In  1870  the  jiresenl 
building  in  Union  square  occupied  by  the  firm  was 
erected,  and  at  about  the  same  time  the  manufacture 
of  electro  plated  silver-ware   was  begun   at  Newark. 
.Mr.  Tiffany's  admirable  qualities  of  head  and  heart 
have    made    him  universally   esteemed.       He    is  a 
member  of  the  I'nion  League  Club,  of  which  he  was 
one  of  the  founders.     He  has  always  been  a  liberal 
patron  of  the  arts  and  sciences,  and  is  a  member  of 
the   National   .Academy   of  Design,   the  New  York 
Society   of   Fine  .Arts,  the   .American    Geographical 
Society,  and  the  New  \ork  Historical  Society;  and 
was  one  of  the  founders  of  the  New  York  Society  of 
Fine  .Arts,  taking  an  active  interest,  too,  in  the  Met- 
ropolitan Museum  of  .Art  and  the  American  Museum 
of  Natural  I  listory.    His  financial  strength  and  .sound 
business  judgment  have  made  him  in  demand  as  a 
Director,  in  which  capacity  he  ser\es  in  the  Bank  of 
the  Metropolis,  Pacific  Bank,  .American  .Surety  Com- 
pany,  and    State   Trust  Company.       He    is  also  a 
member  of  the  Chamber  of  Commerce.      He   has 
never  mingled  in  politics,  but  has  been  content  with 
honors  which  a  phenomenal  business  success  has  won 
for  him.     When   in  1878  his  firm  was  awarded  the 
Grand  Prize  at  the  Paris  I'".xposition,  Mr.  TifTany  was 
created  Chevalier  of  the  National  Legion  of  Honor, 
while  he  has  also  been  the  recipient  from  the  Czar 
of  Russia  of  the  (lold  Medal,  Pra;mia  Digno,  a  rare 
distinction.     Mr.  Tiffany  was  married  in  New  York, 
November  30,   1841,  to  Miss  Harriet  O.  A.  Young. 
I'his  union  brought  them  six  children,  of  whom  four 
are   living:    Annie   Olivia    (Mrs.  .Alfred    Mitchell), 
Louis  C,  Louise   H.,  and  I'.urnett  ^■.  TifTanv.     Mr. 


408 


MHN    Ol'    PRdCkKSS. 


TifTany's  wife,  his  life's  companion  for  over  fifty-six 
years,  died  in  her  cisjhty-first  year,  on  November 
i6,  1897. 

TAT.LMAIH;!;,  Wilmam  H.,  Merchant,  New  York 
city,  was  born  in  New  Canaan,  Connecticut,  Febru- 
ary 21,  1843.     He  conies  of  sturdy  Scotch  ancestry 


W.    H.    TALLMADGE. 

and  is  the  son  of  John  L.  and  Clarinda  (Davis) 
TaUmadge.  His  education  was  received  at  a  board- 
ing-school, which  was  followed  by  a  course  at  Wil- 
brahani  Academy  and  the  State  Normal  School. 
He  began  his  business  training  with  the  New  York, 
New  Haven  &  Hartford  Railroad,  where  he  filled 
the  position  of  Auditor  of  the  Freight  Department 
and  other  positions  for  nine  years.  Deciding,  how- 
ever, to  engage  in  business  in  New  York  city,  he 
entered  the  wine  trade,  and  for  twenty-five  years 
has  carried  it  on  with  marked  ability  and  success. 
Colonel  Tallmadge's  store  at  67  Washington  street, 
New  York  city,  is  widely  and  favorably  known,  and 
its  genial  proprietor  has  a  large  circle  of  friends. 
In  politics  Colonel  TaUmadge  is  a  Democrat.  He 
has  served  as  Town  Assessor  of  Stamford,  member 
of  the  Democratic  State  Committee,  and  was  special 
Indian  Agent  and  Disbursing  Officer  during  Cleve- 
land's first  administration.  He  is  a  member  of 
the  Lotos,  Reform,  Democratic,  and  Knickerbocker 


.•\thletic  clubs  of  New  York  city.  Rod  and  Oun 
Club,  Corinthian  Yacht  Club,  Fountain  Gun  C'lub, 
and  the  Hoboken  Turtle  Club,  the  latter  an  organi- 
zation formed  in  1796.  He  also  belongs  to  Union 
Lodge  No.  5,  Free  and  Accepted  Masons,  and  Powa- 
hay  Tribe  No.  33,  Improved  Order  of  Red  Men. 
He  was  married  September  6,  1866,  to  Catharine  J. 
Hoyt,  daughter  of  James  H.  Hoyt,  who  was  one  of 
the  builders  of  the  N.  Y.  &  N.  H.  Railroad,  and  its 
Superintendent  for  many  years. 


TURNER,  Charles  Edward,  of  Waterbury,  Con- 
sul-General  at  Ottawa,  Canada,  was  born  at  Plain- 
ville,  Connecticut,  August  28,  1862.  He  is  the  son 
of  Edward  T.  and  Jane  E,  (Hubbard)  Turner,  of 
English  descent.  His  early  education  was  acquired 
at  the  common  schools  of  \Vaterbury,  and  at  the 
English  and  Classical  School.  He  prepared  for  col- 
lege, but  instead  of  entering,  at  eighteen  started 
in  the  dry  goods  business  with  his  father.  He  was 
taken  into  partnership  four  years  later,  under  the 
firm  name  of  E.  T.  Turner  &  Company,  in  which 
business  he  continued  until  1896.  In  this  year  he 
refused   the    nomination    for    Mayor  of  Waterbury. 


CHARLES    E.    TURNER. 

He  was  Paymaster  of  the  Second  Connecticut  Regi- 
ment of  National    Guards,  but   resigned   the   Pay- 


MIX  iM'  i'K()(;ki;ss. 


409 


mastership  to   accept   the   office  of  Colonel  under      York.      During  the  Harrison,  Blaine,  and  McKinley 

Governor  Loring  A.  Cooke.    He  was  for  two  terms  a      campaigns,  Mr.  Webb  acted  as  Grand   .M.irshal  of 

member  of  the  Common  Council  of  Waterbury,  and      the  Republican  parades  of  the  Wholesale  Dry  Goods 

was  the  Chairman  of  the  Republican  Town  Com-      .Association,  the   last  parade  numbering  thirty-two 

mittee  for  three  years.     He  is  now  serving  his  third 

term  as  a  member  of  the  State  Central  Committee. 

In    July,    1897,    he    was   aj'pointed    by    President 

McKinley  Consul- General  of  Ottawa,  Canada.      Me 

belongs  to  the  Waterbury  Club,  also  the  Quinepiac 

Club  of  New  lIa\on.      lie  has  taken  all  the  degrees 

in  Odd  Fellowship  and   .Masonry,  and  is  a  member 

of  Harmony   Lodge,   Eureka  Chapter,  Clark  Com- 

manderv,    and    Mystic    Shrine.       He    was    married  ,         l^f^i 

January  20,  1 886,  to   Kate    E.  Seymour,  of  Water-  ^  ■ 

bury,  and  has  two  children  :   Edward  T.   Turner,  Jr., 

born  August  20,  1S88,  and  Charles  Norman  Turner, 

born  October  11,  1894. 


\\  l-.lSl'i,  WiLLiA.M  Imiwakh,  of  the  drvgouds  house 
of  James  H.  Dunham  &  Company,  New  York  city, 
was  born  in  Windsor  Locks,  Connecticut,  October  29, 
1844,  second  son  of  Myron  Safford  and  .Mary  Caro- 
line (Denslow)  Webb.  The  Webbs  and  Denslows 
were  both  old  Colonial  families  whose  honorable 
records  have  already  been  traced  in  these  pages  in 
the  history  of  Charles  H.  W'ebb,  the  brother  of  the 
subject  of  this  sketch.  William  E.  Webb  received 
a  common-school  education,  finishing  with  a  course 
at  the  Connecticut  Literary  Institute  at  Suffield. 
New  York,  with  its  ever-widening  opportunities,  has 
always  been  fortunate  in  attracting  the  brightest 
and  most  energetic  of  New  England's  sons.  Y'oung 
Webb  came  to  the  metropolis  at  the  age  of  seventeen, 
and  on  February  i,  1863,  found  employment  with  the 
firm  of  George  Bliss  &  Company.  He  afterwards 
became  woolen  buyer  for  William  I.  Peake  &  Com- 
pany, Peake,  Opdycke&  Company,  and  later  for  Dun- 
ham, Buckley  &  Company.  He  was  afterwards  man- 
ager and  buyer  of  woolens  and  flannels  for  Bates,  Read 
&  Cooley.  In  January  1886  he  entered  the  firm  of 
Dunham,  IJuckley  &  Company,  in  which  his  brother 
was  a  partner,  and  has  proved  himself  of  inestimable 
value  to  this  well-known  house,  winning  the  confi- 
dence and  esteem  of  the  whole  drygoods  trade. 
The  firm  name  was  changed  to  James  H.  Dunham  & 
Company,  January  i,  1898.  .Mr.  Webb  takes  a  special 
interest  in  military  matters.  He  served  as  Quarter- 
master and  also  as  Ordnance  Officer  with  rank  of 
Captain  on  the  staff  of  General  Yilmar,  of  the 
Second    P.rigade,    National    Guard,    State    of    New 


W.    E.    WEBB. 

thousand  men.  His  social  popularity  is  attested  by 
his  membership  in  the  Union  League,  Lotos,  Colo- 
nial, and  Merchant  clubs.  He  is  Trustee  and  Vice- 
President  of  the  Colonial  Club,  is  a  life  member  of 
and  has  served  as  Director  in  the  New  England 
Society,  and  is  a  member  of  the  Sons  of  the  Revo- 
lution and  the  Patriots  and  Founders  of  America. 
His  career  might  be  pointed  to  as  a  good  example 
of  that  of  the  representative  successful  .\merican 
business  man  of  New  England  origin.  He  was 
married  November  21,  1883,  to  Juliette  .Augusta 
l!ell.  Two  children  are  the  issue  of  this  marriage  : 
Kenneth  Seymour  and  Royden  Denslow  Webb. 


H.ARRIS,  George  Roukri,  Physician  and  Sur- 
geon, Norwich,  was  born  in  Preston,  Connecticut, 
December  20,  1864,  son  of  George  Augustus  and 
Catherine  Amelia  (Dewey)  Harris.  Dr.  Harris 
received  his  early  education  in  the  common  schools, 
and  after  graduating  from  the  Norwich  Free  .Acad- 
emy in  1883  studied  medicine  with  his  uncle,  Dr. 


4IO 


MKN    OF    rROC.RKSS. 


().  K.  Harris,  of  Norwich.     In  May  1885  he  gradu-  HIGSON.     Dwin,   Hat    Manufocturer,  Danbiiry, 

ated  from  the  College  of  Pliysicians  and  Surgeons  in  Connecticut,  son  of  Giles  and  Jane  ( lUirgess)  Hig- 
New  York,  the  Medical  Department  of  Columbia  son,  was  born  in  Stockport,  England,  in  December 
College,  and  in  October  1SS6  entered  the  Charity  1855.  His  ancestry  is  English  for  many  genera- 
tions. He  hail  a  common-school  education,  and  at 
the  age  of  fourteen  entered  the  employ  of  iMac(iueen, 
ISattersby  &  Mead,  hat  manufacturers,  of  Stockport, 
England.  There  he  labored  seven  years  to  learn 
the  trade,  laying  the  foundation  of  his  future  suc- 
cessful prominence  in  that  business.  His  ability 
was  recognized,  and  at  twenty-two  years  of  age  he 
was  made  Manager,  serving  in  that  capacity  for 
eight  years.  He  then  established  the  firm  of  D. 
Higson  &  Company  in  Stockport,  and  did  an  inde- 
pendent manufacturing  business  for  eight  years. 
Coming  to  America  because  he  was  attracted  by  the 
op]3ortunities  offered  in  this  country  to  the  manu- 
facturer with  ideas,  he  was  successfully  associated 
with  Dickerson,  Brown  &:  Company  of  Brooklyn, 
New  York,  H.  H.  Roelofs  of  Philadelphia,  and  J.  B. 
Stetson  &  Company  of  the  same  city.  He  came  to 
Danbury  as  Superintendent  for  the  firm  of  Crofut  & 
White,  and  after  remaining  with  them  for  a  year 
he  started  the  well-known  business  on  Pateijuioque 


GEORGE    R.    HARRIS. 

Hospital  in  New  York  as  Junior  Assistant-Surgeon. 
After  remaining  there  for  si.xteen  months  and 
becoming  House  Surgeon  he  left  in  1888  to  accept  a 
position  as  Junior  Assistant  in  the  Chambers-street 
Hospital,  where  he  continued  until  April  1889, 
the  last  six  months  being  House  Surgeon.  He  then 
returned  to  Norwich  and  commenced  practice  in 
the  office  of  Dr.  O.  F.  Harris,  where  he  remained 
until  July  1896,  when  he  opened  an  independent 
office  in  the  Shannon  Building,  Main  street,  where 
he  has  since  continued.  Dr.  Harris  holds  the 
office  of  Medical  Examiner  for  the  town  of  Pres- 
ton, under  Coroner  Franklin  H.  Brown.  He  is  a 
member  of  Shetucket  Lodge  of  Odd  Fellows,  and 
of  various  Masonic  bodies,  including  St.  James 
Lodge,  No  23,  of  which  he  is  Past  Master,  Frank- 
lin Chapter,  Franklin  Council,  Columbian  Com- 
mandery,  in  which  he  officiates  as  Junior  Warden, 
and  Sphinx  Temple  of  Hartford.  In  politics  he  is 
a  Republican.  He  was  married  November  27, 
1896,  to  Jessie  L.  Hegarty,  of  West  Wareham, 
Massachusetts. 


DAVID    HIGSON. 


avenue,  later,  as  its  growth  demanded,  buying  over 
the  foctory  of  Henry  Crofut.  Mr.  Higson's  concern 
is  now  one  of  the  leading  houses  in  Danbury's  repre- 


Mi;.\  111    I'Ri.k;ri;ss. 


11 1 


sentative  industry,  and  turns  out  about  ono  hiindrt'd  aftt-r  serving  on  dcncral  'IVrry's  staff,  lie  was 
and  fifty  do/en  ot"  fine  hats  daily.  In  politics  he  is  assigned  to  coniniand  al  NVihningtoii,  Noilh  Caro- 
a  Republican.  He  is  a  self-made  man  in  the  best  lina.  When  he  had  completed  his  task-  of  recon- 
sense,  an  adoptive  .American  who  has  come  to  the  stniction  there,  he  was  again  made  Chief  of  Staff 
United  States  feeling  the  ipiicker  pulse  of  its  busi-  for  General  Terry  tluring  the  trying  times  al  Rich- 
ness life,  and  jjushed  his  way  to  the  front  through  mond.  In  October  his  services  were  rccogni/.cd 
the  possession  of  energy,  industry,  and  brains.  Ik- 
is  one  of  the  successful  re]iresentative  business  men 
of  Danbury.  Mr.  Higson  was  married  in  March, 
1878,  to  Lucy  l-^lizabeth  Hayley,  and  they  have  had 
three  children:  .Mfred  Harry,  aged  Iburteen,  Cioorge, 
aged  twelve,  and  1-ouis,  aged  ten. 


HAW  I.i;\',  ("lENERAi,  Joseph  Roswei.l,  1.1..1)., 
United  States  Senator,  was  born  in  Stewartsvillc, 
North  Carolina,  October  31,  1S26,  son  of  Rev- 
erend Francis  anil  Mary  (McLeod)  Hawley.  His 
fiither  was  a  descendant  from  the  early  settlers  of 
the  State,  and  his  mother  came  from  the  strong 
Mcl.eods  of  western  Scotland.  The  Hawley  fam- 
ily returned  to  Connecticut  in  1837,  and  Joseph 
attended  the  district  school  in  Farmington  and  the 
Hartford  Cirammar  School.  When  the  family  moved 
to  Cazenovia,  New  York,  in  1842,  he  pre- 
pared for  college  at  the  Oneida  Conference  Sem- 
inary in  that  place,  and  was  graduated  at  Hamilton 
College  in  1847  with  high  honors,  particularly  as  a 
linguist  and  an  orator.  For  a  time  he  taught 
school,  but  abandoning  that  for  the  study  of  law  he 
formed  a  partnership  with  John  Hooker,  and  an 
office  was  opened  in  Hartford  in  1850.  He  became 
interested  in  politics  as  a  member  of  the  Free  Soil 
party  early  in  life.  Together  with  eight  others, 
meeting  in  his  office,  he  started  the  movement 
which  resulted  in  the  formation  of  the  Republican 
party  in  Connecticut.  In  1857  he  gave  up  law  and 
became  editor  of  the  Hartford  "  Evening  Press," 
associating  with  himself  Charles  Dudley  Warner  and 
Stephen  .A.  Hubbard.  At  the  outbreak  of  the  war 
he  was  the  first  man  in  Connecticut  to  enroll  for 
volunteer  service.  Enlisting  A|)ril  15,  1861,  he  was 
elected  Captain  of  the  company  he  had  raised  for 
the  Urst  Regiment,  Connecticut  \olunteers.  At 
Bull  Run  his  was  the  only  command  led  off  the 
field  in  good  order.  With  the  rank  of  Major  he  as- 
sisted in  raising  the  Sixth  Regiment,  of  which  he 
was  commissioned  Lieutenant-Colonel,  and  became 
Colonel  in  July  1862.  Acting  as  Brigadier-Gen- 
eral at  Olustee,  he  was  recommended  for  promotion 
for  "  gallant  and  meritorious  services."  Commis- 
sion   for    that    rank    reached   him    in  October,   and 


JOSEPH    R.    HAWLEY. 

by  the  brevet  of  iNLajor-General  of  Volunteers.  He 
was  not  discharged  till  January  15,  1866.  Then 
his  fellow-citizens  stood  ready  to  honor  him.  He 
was  elected  Governor  in  1 860,  but  failed  of  an 
election  the  next  year,  and  declined  further  candi- 
dacy. Private  business  had  come  to  demand  his 
attention.  After  effecting  a  consolidation  of  the 
"  Press"  and  the  "Courant"  under  the  name  of  the 
Hartford  "Courant,"  of  which  he  is  still  a  Director 
and  part  owner,  though  having  no  editorial  connec- 
tion, he  again  gave  much  of  his  time  to  jniblic 
affairs.  He  has  ser\'ed  frequently  as  Delegate  or 
Alternate  to  the  Republican  National  Convention, 
the  first  time  at  Baltimore  in  1864.  In  1872  he 
was  elected  to  fill  a  vacancy  for  the  First  District  in 
Congress,  and  being  reelected  in  1S73  served  for 
three  years.  To  him  as  much  as  to  any  one  man 
was  due  the  success  of  the  Centennial  Exhibition  in 
Philadelphia  in  1876.  As  President  of  the  Com- 
mission, from  its  inception  in  iS72,hc  was  inde- 
fatigable in  its  interests.      .Sent  to  the   Forty-Sixth 


41- 


MEN    (»1 


'KOCRF.SS. 


Congress  in  1879,  he  was  again  made  a  member  of 
important  committees.  In  1881  he  was  the  unani- 
mous choice  of  his  party  for  the  United  States 
Senate,  and  was  called  to  the  position  which  he  has 
filled  continuously  since  then  with  credit  to  himself 
and  to  the  State.  This  is  his  third  term.  Chairman 
of  the  Committee  on  Military  Affairs,  and  a  member 
of  several  other  committees  where  his  talents  are 
in  constant  demand,  he  is  known  from  one  end  of 
the  countr)'  to  the  other  as  a  type  of  the  highest, 
noblest  class  of  American  statesmen.  Other  honors 
would  have  been  his  had  he  not  preferred  to  remain 
where  he  was,  to  serve  the  constituency  that  he 
loves  and  that  loves  him.  As  an  orator  he  has 
been  in  constant  demand,  not  only  throughout  the 
East  and  North  during  political  campaigns,  but, 
since  his  college  days,  for  many  occasions  of  state. 
Senator  Hawley  has  been  twice  married.  His  first 
wife,  whom  he  married  December  25,  1855,  was 
Harriet  Ward  Foote,  of  Guilford,  who  died  March  3, 
1886.  Her  services  at  the  front  in  alleviating  the 
distresses  of  the  war  have  made  her  name  sacred  to 
thousands  of  soldiers. 


also  a  graduate  of  the  Emerson  College  of  Oratory, 
lioston.  Like  many  young  men  of  to-day  he  was 
inclined  to  be  skeptical  in  regard  to  religion,  but  as 


KIDDER,  Benjamin  Franklin,  A.M.,  Ph.D., 
Pastor  of  the  Tabernacle  Methodist  Episcopal 
Church,  Brooklyn,  New  York,  was  born  in  South 
Norridgewock,  Maine,  May  6,  1856,  son  of  Welling- 
ton and  Annie  West  (Winslow)  Kidder.  Ancestors 
on  both  sides  served  in  the  American  Array  during 
the  Revolutionary  War.  Through  his  mother's 
family  he  is  a  descendant  of  Governor  Edward 
Winslow,  the  "Mayflower"  Pilgrim,  and  the  maternal 
grandfather  was  Reverend  Howard  Winslow,  for 
more  than  fifty  years  a  Methodist  minister  in  Maine. 
About  the  year  1870  Wellington  P.  Kidder  and  family 
took  up  their  residence  in  Boston,  of  which  city  two 
of  his  sons  are  well-known  men  ;  Wellington  Kidder 
being  the  inventor  of  the  printing  press  which 
bears  his  name,  the  Franklin,  Wellington,  and  Silent 
Typewriters,  etc. ;  and  Charles  W.  Kidder  is  Professor 
of  Vocal  Physiology  and  Oratory  at  the  Emerson 
College.  Benjamin  Franklin  Kidder  acquired  a 
practical  knowledge  of  the  common  branches  of 
study  at  the  Eaton  Family  School,  South  Norridge- 
wock, and  after  removing  with  his  parents  to  Boston 
he  attended  French's  Business  College.  He  later 
pursued  a  classical  course  at  the  Wesleyan  Acad- 
emy, Wilbraham,  Massachusetts,  and  was  graduated 
from  the  Wesleyan  University,  Middletown,  Con- 
necticut, in  1 88 1,  with  the  degree  of  A.B.     He   is 


B.    F.    KIDDER. 

his  mental  powers  acquired  their  normal  force  his 
attitude  toward  the  Bible  and  its  divine  inspiration 
underwent  a  complete  change,  with  the  result  that 
he  decided  to  enter  the  ministry.  Joini'ig  the  New 
York  East  Conference  in  1881,  he  labored  in  Con- 
necticut until  1889,  when  he  was  assigned  to  the 
Rose  Hill  Church,  New  York  city,  and  remained 
there  five  years.  His  last  charge  in  Connecticut  was 
that  of  Trinity  Church,  New  Haven,  from  which  he 
was  transferred  in  April,  1897,  to  the  Tabernacle, 
Brooklyn,  and  as  a  result  of  his  diligent  labors  the 
various  churches  over  which  he  has  presided  have 
through  spirited  revivals  acquired  large  accessions 
to  their  membership.  In  1894  Mr.  Kidder  spent 
eight  months  in  travel,  visiting  Northern  Africa, 
Lower  and  Upper  Egypt,  Palestine,  Syria,  Asia 
Minor,  and  nearly  every  country  in  Europe,  for  the 
purpose  of  making  a  special  study  of  Social  Science 
and  Comparative  Religion.  The  result  of  his  obser- 
vations has  appeared  in  the  leading  religious  peri- 
odicals, including  the  "  Homiletic  Review,"  the 
"Christian  Advocate,"  the  "Voice,"  the  "Out- 
look," and  the  "  Methodist  Review,"  and  has  been 
copied    into    foreign    magazines.      The    Wesleyan 


mi;n  (11'  i'k(u;RKss. 


413 


ITniversity,  bestowed  upon  him  the  honorary  ik'nrec 
of  A.M.  in  1SS4  ;  the  Syracuse  L'niversity  conferred 
upon  him  the  degree  of  Ph.D.  in  1S91  ;  and  he 
received  the  same  from  the  University  of  New 
York  City  in  1S93.  I'ohticaliy  Mr.  Kidder  was  a 
Repubhcan  until  1884,  since  which  time  he  has 
been  an  earnest  supporter  of  the  Prohibition  ]iarty, 
and  during  the  campaign  of  i888  he  raised  for 
political  purposes  the  sum  of  two  thousand  dollars 
by  personal  solicitation,  lectured  fifty  times,  and 
organized  a  Prohibition  Club  in  every  town  in 
Litchfield  county,  all  of  which  was  accomplished 
without  sacrificing  in  the  least  his  regular  pastoral 
duties.  On  December  13,  1881,  he  married  Jeanette 
Graves.  They  have  three  children :  Benjamin 
Henry,  born  June  5,  1S83  ;  Frank  Howard,  horn 
September  16,  18S6  ;  and  Raymond  Starr  Kidder, 
born  November  17,  1890. 


KARRMANN,  Hk.nrv  Seeastiax,  M.D.,  Physi- 
cian and  Postmaster,  North  Woodbury,  was  born  in 
Leeds,  Massachusetts,  March   it,    1S57,   son  of  Se- 


a  daughter  of  a  general  who  ser\'ed  under  Na|Kjlcon 
during  some  of  his  most  eventful  campaigns.  Henry 
Sebastian  Karrmann  acquired  his  early  educnlion  in 
the  common  and  high  schools,  was  graduated  from 
Vale  University,  and  also  from  the  .Medical  I)e])art- 
ment  of  the  University  of  the  City  of  New  York, 
completing  his  course  at  the  latter  institute  in  1876. 
Before  and  for  a  short  time  after  receiving  his 
degree  he  was  associated  with  I  )r.  Han'ey  B.  Steele, 
of  W'insted,  but  in  October  1876  he  decided  to 
enter  upon  the  practice  of  his  profession  in  Wood- 
bury, where  his  success  has  been  of  a  character  to 
prevent  him  from  seeking  other  fields  of  labor.  At 
the  present  time  Dr.  Karrmann  is  serving  as  Medi- 
cal Kxaminer  for  the  towns  of  Woodbury  and  Beth- 
lehem, and  has  been  Postmaster  at  North  Woodbury 
for  the  past  five  years.  In  politics  he  is  a  Democrat. 
He  was  made  a  Mason  in  King  Solomon  Ixidge, 
No.  7,  of  Woodbury,  eighteen  years  ago,  is  a  mem- 
ber of  the  Chapter,  and  of  Kellogg  Council,  No.  88, 
Order  of  American  Mechanics.  He  married  IxDttie 
J.  Hurd,  and  they  have  six  chililren  :  Ruth  M., 
Ciiarles  H.,  Marguerite,  Milton  A.,  Henry  S.,  Jr., 
and  Sarah  E.  Karrmann. 


H.     S.    KARRMANN. 


bastiaii  and  Lli/.abcth  (Winters)  Karrmann.  The 
father  was  a  native  of  Frankfort-on-the-Main,  while 
the  mother  was  of  I'Vi^ncli  birlh,  and   the  latter  was 


LOL'NSBL'RN',  Phinkas  Chapman,  Ex-Governor 
of  Connecticut,  and  President  of  the  Merchants' 
Exchange  National  Bank  of  New  N'ork  city,  was 
born  in  Ridgefield,  Connecticut,  January  to,  1841. 
He  comes  of  staunch  old  Colonial  stock,  and  is  the 
son  of  Nathan  and  Delia  (Schofield)  I^unsbury. 
He  is  the  sixth  generation  from  the  first  ancestor 
of  the  name,  who  came  from  England  and  settled 
at  Stamford,  Connecticut,  about  1651.  Governor 
l.ounsbury's  father  and  grandfather  were  both  born 
at  Stamford  and  were  both  farmers.  His  grand- 
father was  a  Revolutionary  soldier.  \'oung  Louns- 
bury  received  an  academic  education  in  the  schools 
of  Connecticut,  showing  a  marked  proficiency  in 
mathematics,  classics,  elocution,  and  deb.ites.  .At 
the  outbreak  of  the  Civil  War  he  enlisted  as  a 
private  in  the  Sixteenth  Connecticut  Volunteers, 
but  was  unable  to  engage  in  active  service  on 
account  of  sickness.  He  was  recommended  for  a 
pension,  but  declined  it,  and  although  jirevented 
from  taking  ]»rt  in  the  battles  of  his  regiment,  he  has 
always  taken  a  deep  interest  in  his  former  comrades, 
and  is  an  active  member  of  Edwin  1 ).  Pickett  Post 
No.  64,  (irand  Army  of  the  Republic,  of  Ridge- 
field. When  his  regiment  dedicated  a  monument  on 
one  of  the  .Southern  battlefields  he  was  chosen  orator 


414 


mi;n   ()!■'   I'kodKi'iss. 


of  the  day,  and  delivered  an  eloiiuent  eulogy,  of 
which  the  following  are  the  closing  lines  :  "  If  in 
the  years  to  come  the  North  and  the  South  shall 
vie  with  each  other  in  the  bloodless  battle  of  indus- 
try and  patriotism,  of  social  justice  and  political 
freedom,  of  intelligence  and  virtue,  as  gallantly  and 
trnly  as  on  the  field  they  fotight  in  fratricidal  strife, 
to  gather  the  harvest  the  battle's  red  rain  has  made 
to  grow,  who  shall  regret  the  price  paid?  "  Gover- 
nor I.ounsbury  cast  his  first  vote  in  1862  for  Abra- 
ham Lincoln,  and  has  always  been  a  loyal  Republi- 
can. He  represented  Ridgefield  in  the  Legislature 
in  1S74,  and  at  once  took  rank  as  one  of  the 
leaders  of  his  party.  It  was  largely  through  his 
work  that  the  local  o|)tion  laws  were  passed.  His 
speeches  on  the  temperance  question  and  his  cam- 
paigning in  the  lilaine  campaign  of  1884  had 
brought  him  prominently  before  the  people  of  his 
native  State,  and  at  the  convention  of  18S6  he  was 
unanimously  nominated  for  Governor.  Li  1882  his 
name  had  been  also  mentioned  for  the  office,  but 
at  his   request    his    name  was   withdrawn    in   favor 


p.  C.    LOUNSBURY. 


ami  cai)able  administration  of  the  office.  No  better 
illustration  of  this  can  be  given  than  the  following 
editorial  statement  from  the  Hartford  "  Times,"  the 
leading  Democratic  journal  of  the  State,  on  the 
occasion  of  his  retirement  from  office  :  "  While  our 
political  preferences  did  not  favor  his  election  to 
the  chief  magistracy  of  the  State,  and  while  we  had 
at  the  outset  some  doubts  as  to  the  probable 
methods  of  his  official  course,  we  very  frankly  say 
that  he  has  been  one  of  the  best  governors  Con- 
necticut has  ever  had.  Governor  Lounsbury  unques- 
tionably retires  from  office  with  the  respect  and 
hearty  good  feeling  of  every  one,  irrespective  of 
party,  with  whom  he  has  been  brought  into  official 
personal  relations."  One  of  the  laws  whose  passage 
was  largely  due  to  Governor  Lounsbury's  influence 
was  the  Incorrigible  Criminals  Act,  which  provides 
that  a  person  twice  convicted  of  an  offence  involv- 
ing a  term  of  not  less  than  two  years  in  prison 
shall  on  third  conviction  be  sentenced  to  imprison- 
ment for  not  less  than  twenty-five  years.  Governor 
Lounsbury  has  achieved  success  not  less  in  his  busi- 
ness than  in  his  political  relations.  He  began  his 
business  career  as  a  manufacturer,  but  afterwards 
turned  to  banking,  and  is  now  the  capable  Presi- 
dent of  the  Merchants'  Exchange  National  Bank  of 
New  York  city.  He  is  a  Trustee  in  the  American 
Bank  Note  Company,  Chairman  of  the  E.xecutive 
Committee  of  the  Washington  Trust  Company,  and 
a  Director  in  many  other  financial  institutions.  He 
is  a  member  of  the  Methodist  Episcopal  Church, 
and  was  a  lay  delegate  to  the  General  Conference 
in  1886.  For  many  years  he  has  been  a  Trustee  of 
Weslcyan  University  at  Middletown,  which  honored 
him  with  the  degree  of  LL.D.  in  1887.  Governor 
Lounsbury  holds  membership  in  the  Colonial  and 
Republican  Clubs  of  New  York  city,  and  is  also  well 
known  in  Masonic  circles.  He  is  a  member  of  the 
Mystic  Tie  and  Jerusalem  Lodge,  Free  and  Accepted 
Masons,  of  Ridgefield,  a  Royal  Arch  Master  of 
Eureka  Chapter  of  Danbury,  a  Knight  Templar  of 
Crusader  Commandery  of  Danbury,  and  a  Noble 
of  the  Mystic  Shrine  of  Pyramid  Temple,  Bridge- 
port. He  was  married  in  1867  to  Jennie  Wright, 
daughter  of  Neziah  Wright,  one  of  the  founders  of 
the  American  Bank  Note  Company. 


of  the  Hon.  William  H.  Buckley.  Governor  Louns- 
bury's administration  of  the' gubernatorial  office  was 
marked  by  a  high  degree  of  efficiency,  firmness,  and 
business  ability.  He  won  the  respect  and  admi- 
ration of  all  parties  by  the  uniform  courtesy,  tact. 


MALLORY,  Charles  Henry,  founder  of  the 
Mallory  Steamship  Line,  New  York  city,  was  born 
in  Mystic,  Connecticut,  in  181 8,  and  died  in 
Brooklyn,  New  York,  March  21,  1890.     His  grand- 


\ii.\  III'   i'k()(iRr:ss. 


•(I 


father  was  l)avi<l  Mallory,  of  Milford,  ConiU't  ticiil, 
who  joined  ihc  Revolutionary  Army  at  the  age  of 
sixteen,  and  served  with  distinction  for  three  years 
under  (leneral  Washington.  His  father,  Charles 
Mallory,  was  one  of  ten  ehililren,  and  was  born  in 


CHARLES    H.    MALLORY. 

W'aterford,  Connecticut,  February  24,  1796.  He 
owned  a  shipyard  at  Mystic,  and  it  w-as  here  that 
Charles  Henry  Mallory  first  became  interested  in 
the  shipping  industry  which  has  made  the  name  of 
Mallory  famous  the  world  over.  Young  Mallory's 
first  business  was  sailmaking.  He  was  then  a 
whaling  agent  and  next  a  shipbuilder.  The  ship- 
yard of  the  father  grew  to  important  proportions 
under  the  able  management  of  the  son,  and  many 
large  and  important  vessels  w-ere  launched  from  the 
Mystic  yard.  In  August  1869,  fifteen  gunboats  in 
process  of  building  for  the  Spanish  Government  in 
its  war  against  Peru  were  seized  at  the  Mallory  yard 
by  Ihiited  States  Marshals,  for  violation  of  the 
neutrality  laws.  The  affair  attained  international 
importance,  but  was  finally  satisfactorily  com]5ro- 
mised.  Mr.  Mallory  gradually  became  the  owner 
of  different  vessels  and  steamships,  and  during  the 
Civil  War,  in  connection  with  IClihu  Spicer,  to 
whom  l)oth  Mystic  and  Noank  are  indebted  for 
public  libraries,  founded  the  Mallory  Steamshi]i  Line 
under  the  firm  name  of  C.  H.  Mallory  iS:  Company. 


'I'his  steamship  line,  of  wiiich  the  nfticial  liile  is  the 
New  N'ork  iV  Texas  Steanishij)  ConipanVi  owned  ten 
large  steamships  at  the  time  of  Mr.  .Mallory's  ilcath 
in  1890,  and  is  still  one  of  the  most  ini|M>rtaiU  fac- 
tors in  the  interstate  commerce  between  the  North 
and  the  South.  Mr.  Mallory  represented  the  town 
of  Mystic  in  the  Connecticut  Ix'gislalure,  and 
throughout  the  Mystic  \'alley  was  cxsily  its  lending 
and  most  respected  citizen.  The  beautiful  memo- 
rial arch  at  the  entrance  to  the  Kim  drove  Ceme- 
tery, Mystic,  was  erected  in  1895,  as  a  tribute  of 
affection  to  Charles  H.  Mallory  from  his  widow  and 
children.  It  consists  of  three  arches,  the  middle 
one  serving  for  a  driveway,  the  side  arches  for 
pedestrians,  and  in  its  noble  and  artistic  j)ropor- 
lions  is  a  most  fitting  memorial  to  an  honored 
name.  The  old  inhabitants  of  Mystic  Hill  recall 
many  incidents  of  Mr.  Mallory's  life  there.  He 
was  a  man  of  unbounded  pluck  and  activity,  a  loyal 
Kepublican,  and  intensely  patriotic  in  his  sympathies. 
He  was  a  member  of  the  Methodist  Church  of  .Mys- 
tic, and  served  as  tylhing-man,  to  the  wholesome 
terror  of  the  unruly  boys  who  occupied  the  side 
gallery  of  the  church.  In  Brooklyn  Mr.  Mallory 
attended  Plymouth  Church.  He  was  also  a  mem- 
ber of  the  Masonic  Order.  Five  children  were 
born  to  Charles  Henry  and  Eunice  Mallory  :  Charles, 
Henry  R.,  Kate,  Robert,  and  Mrs.  Fanny  W. 
Williams.  The  sons  are  all  successful  business  men, 
and  connected  in  various  official  caiiacities  with  the 
New  York  &  Te.xas  Steamship  Company. 


.MAL1,<»R\,  Hi.NKV  RcM:Kit>,  I'residenl  of  the 
New  York  &  Texas  Steamship  Company,  New  \'ork 
city,  was  born  in  Mystic,  Connecticut,  Sejitember 
21,  1848,  second  son  of  Charles  Henry  and  Kunice 
D.  (Clift)  Mallory.  His  fither  was  the  well-known 
founder  of  the  New  York  &  Texas  Steamship  Com- 
pany, poi)ularly  known  as  the  Mallory  Line.  He 
attended  the  common  school  at  Mystic,  and  was 
then  a  student  for  two  years  at  a  boarding  school 
at  West  Cornwall,  Connecticut,  finishing  with  one 
year's  schooling  at  New  Haven.  Ill  health  prevented 
him  from  entering  college.  He  went  to  New  York 
in  1867  and  accepted  an  inferior  position  in  the 
office  of  the  steamship  coni])any.  Three  years  later 
he  became  a  jiartner  in  the  firm.  The  firm  name 
was  then  C.  H.  Mallory  &  Company,  but  on  the 
incorporation  of  the  business  under  the  style  of  the 
New  York  &  Texas  Steamship  Comjiany,  Henry  K. 
Mallory    became    first    its    Treasurer  and    later    its 


4ir. 


Mi;.\  ny  i'R()(;rkss. 


Vice-President,  and  is  to-day  its  capable  President. 
He  is  the  able  son  of  an  honored  father,  and  under 
his  management,  ably  seconded  by  his  two  brothers, 


HENRY    R.   MALLORY. 

the  Mallory  Line  has  continued  its  successful  career, 
and  is  practically  without  competitors  in  the  carrying 
trade  between  New  York  and  Galveston.  It  enjoys 
a  large  freight  and  passenger  traffic  from  Key  West, 
and,  through  advantageous  contracts  with  railroads 
reaching  between  Galveston,  has  become  an  important 
freight  carrier  for  the  products  of  both  the  Western 
and  Southern  States.  In  politics  Mr.  Mallory  has 
always  been  a  Republican,  but  has  never  accepted 
office,  as  the  duties  of  his  business  and  work  as 
Trustee  and  Executor  have  absorbed  his  entire 
attention.  Nor  has  Mr.  Mallory  ever  joined  any 
clubs  or  societies,  but  after  the  engrossing  duties  of 
the  day  prefers  to  take  his  recreation  within  the  home 
circle.  He  was  married  I3ecember  3,  1S7  5,  to  Cora 
Pynchon,  of  Springfield.  Three  children  have  been 
born  to  them  :  Cora  P.,  Clifford  D.,  and  Philip  R. 
Mallory. 


MIGEON,  AcHH.i.K  Francois,  prominent  Business 
Man  and  Manufacturer,  'I'orrington,  was  born  in 
Millbury,  Massachusetts,  in  1833,  son  of  Henri  and 
Marie    Louis    (Baudelot)     Migeon.      The    parents 


were  natives  of  France,  and  his  father  was  born  at 
Harancourt,  Department  of  Ardennes,  near  Sedan, 
September  11,  1799.  The  grandfather  was  Jaques 
Migeon,  a  participant  in  the  French  Revolution  of 
1 793  and  a  warm  personal  friend  of  General  La- 
fayette. Henri  Migeon,  although  deprived  of  the 
advantages  of  a  liberal  education  so  dear  to  a  young 
man  of  studious  inclinations,  acquired  through  his 
own  exertions  a  good  knowledge  of  literature  and  the 
physical  sciences,  and  especially  elementary  princi- 
ples of  producing  woolen  fabrics.  He  was  for  some 
time  employed  as  a  travelling  salesman  by  a  woolen 
manufacturer,  and  having  become  perfectly  familiar 
with  every  detail  of  the  business,  was  advised  by 
General  Lafayette  to  go  to  America,  where  an  indus- 
trial field  offering  excellent  financial  inducements  was 
open  to  him.  LTpon  learning  of  young  Migeon's 
decision  to  follow  his  advice,  the  General  provided 
him  with  letters  of  introduction  and  recommendation 
to  Philip  Hone,  Mayor  of  New  York  city,  and  on 
his  arrival  to  meet  the  leading  woolen  manufacturers 
of  this  country.  His  superior  knowledge  was  the 
means  of  his  immediately  obtaining  a  foothold  in 
business,  and  after  being  connected  for  some  years 


A.    F.    MIGEON. 


with  factories  in  Massachusetts  and  Connecticut,  he 
established  himself  in  the  metropolis,  where  for  years 
he    was    a    prominent   fig\ire    in    the    woolen  goods 


MKN    Ol'     I'KodRKSS. 


417 


trade.  He  was  also  the  inventor  of  a  i)ro(x'ss  for 
finishing  cloths,  and  as  a  result  of  his  skill  and  busi- 
ness ability  he  amassed  a  fortune.  His  enthusiastic 
admiration  of  republican  principles  made  him  a 
loyal  and  useful  citizen  of  his  adopted  country,  and 
lie  was  an  earnest  supjwrter  of  the  Whig  party,  as 
well  as  an  admirer  of  Henry  Clay.  He  was  actively 
concerned  in  the  growth  and  prosperity  of  'Ibrring- 
ton,  where  he  resided  for  many  years,  and  the  val- 
uable services  he  rendered  in  improving  the  public 
school  system,  and  beautifying  the  town  by  the 
planting  of  shade  trees,  produced  results  which  are 
still  visible  in  nearly  every  part  of  the  pleasant  old 
town.  The  late  Henri  Migeon  was  familiar  with  the 
literature  of  his  day,  was  well  versed  in  American 
and  European  politics,  and  possessed  a  fund  of 
general  information  which  was  both  valuable  and 
varied,  .\chille  Franc^ois  Migeon  pursued  his 
elementary  studies  under  the  direction  of  Rev. 
John  Catlin  in  Xorthlield,  Connecticut,  advanced 
by  attending  the  Litchfield  Academy  and  a  military 
school,  and  was  graduated  from  the  Irving  Institute, 
Tarrytown,  New  York.  For  the  purpose  of  obtain- 
ing a  practical  knowledge  of  the  woolen  manufact- 
uring business  he  spent  some  time  at  the  Middle- 
sex Mills,  Lowell,  Massachusetts,  after  which  he 
entered  his  father's  refinishing  establishment,  New 
York  city,  and  in  1854  succeeded  to  the  business, 
with  his  brother-in-law,  (leorge  B.  Turrell,  as  an 
associate.  He  continued  in  that  enterprise  until 
1863,  when  he  sold  his  interest  to  his  partner,  and, 
turning  his  attention  to  other  industries,  has  been 
instrumental  in  introducing  several  important  im- 
provements relative  to  the  different  branches  of 
trade.  The  firm  of  Migeon  &  Turrell  were  the  first 
to  introduce  in  this  country  the  famous  Baudelot 
Beer  Cooler,  which  is  now  almost  universally  used 
by  brewers  in  the  United  States,  and  in  company 
with  Franklin  Farrell,  of  Ansonia,  Mr.  Migeon  first 
applied  the  Manhes  jsrocess  to  the  treatment  of 
silver  and  copper  ores.  He  is  a  Director  of  the 
Torrington  Brass  .Manufacturing  Company,  the 
Turner- Seymour  Manufacturing  Company,  the  Hen- 
dey  Machine  Company,  all  of  Torrington ;  Presi- 
dent of  the  Bridgeport  Copper  Company,  and 
Vice-President  of  the  Parrott  Silver  and  Copper 
Company  of  Butte,  Montana.  He  is  also  President 
of  the  Union  Hardware,  F^xcelsior  Needle,  Eagle 
Bicycle,  and  the  New  Process  Nail  companies.  He 
has  resided  permanently  in  Torrington  for  over 
thirty  years,  occupying  a  handsome  estate  called 
Laurelhust,  situated  at  the  corner  of  Migeon  avenue 


and  Forest  street,  and  like  \n>  f.iihcr  h.i>  been  (lonely 
identified  with  the  general  welfare  of  the  town,  as 
well  as  its  business  interests.  He  has  sen'cd  a.s 
Burgess  of  the  Itorough  some  five  or  six  years,  has 
held  im])ortant  town  offices,  and  was  Rei)rcscnl;itive 
to  the  Ceneral  Assembly  two  terms.  On  Septem- 
ber I,  1.S58,  .Mr.  Migeon  married  Elizabeth  F.  Far- 
rel,  daughter  of  .Mnion  Farrel,  of  Waterbury,  and 
has  two  children :  \'irginie  Haudelot  and  Chi-rie 
Ixiuise  Migeon. 


MII,I,I:R,  Edwin  1.,  Ii,lptl^l  Clergyman,  of 
Croton  Heights,  Connecticut,  was  born  in  St  John, 
New  Brunswick,  May  18,  1849.  His  parents, 
Samuel  David  and  Ellen  (.MacMichall)  Miller,  were 
natives  of  Ballylaw,  County  Tyrone,  in  the  north  of 
Ireland,  who  came  to  Canada   in  1837  and   settled 


E.    T.    MILLER. 

in  St.  jolm,  New  Bnniswick,  the  former  having  been 
a  school-teacher  and  graduate  of  Trinity  College, 
Dublin.  The  family  line  is  a  long  as  well  as  sturdy 
one,  and  can  trace  back  to  the  time  of  Cromwell, 
when  several  of  its  representatives  came  from  Scot- 
land and  settled  in  Ireland.  'Hie  subject  of  this 
sketch  received  his  early  education  in  his  father's 
school,  sujjplementing  this  with  a  partial  course  in 
Dalhousie    College,    Halifa.x,    Nova    Scotia.      The 


4i8 


MKN    Ol''    rkoGRKSS. 


necessity  of  self-support  unfortunately  brought  his 
university  career  to  a  premature  close,  and  he  was 
compelled  to  resign  the  hope  of  graduating  for  the 
sterner  experience  of  school-teaching.  He  entered 
his  father's  institute  as  Assistant  Instructor,  and 
remained  for  some  time  in  St.  John  in  that  position. 
In  1867  he  repaired  to  Laurencetown,  Halifex 
county.  Nova  Scotia,  where  he  spent  a  year  in  teach- 
ing, and  from  there  he  went  to  Jeddore,  Nova 
Scotia.  He  subsequently  taught  in  institutions  in 
Sambro,  Nova  Scotia  (1868)  ;  Prince  William,  York 
county.  New  Brunswick  (1869) ;  and  was  Principal 
of  the  York  Street  School,  in  Fredericton,  New 
Brunswick,  from  1872  to  1876;  Superior  School, 
Fredericton  Junction,  from  1876  to  1880;  Superior 
School,  Canterbury,  York  county.  New  Brunswick, 
from  1880  to  1882;  and  Jacksonville,  Carlton 
county,  New  Brunswick,  from  1882  to  1884. 
Meanwhile  he  had  been  equipping  himself  for  the 
Christian  ministry,  and  on  January  i,  1884,  he  was 
ordained  at  Lower  Woodstock,  Carlton  county.  New 
Brunswick.  Subsequently  he  became  Pastor  of  the 
Baptist  Church  in  Wittenberg,  Colchester  county. 
Nova  Scotia,  which  office  he  held  for  three  years. 
His  other  charges  have  been  the  Third  Baptist 
Church,  Halifax,  Nova  Scotia,  from  August  i,  1887, 
to  August  1890,  and  the  Groton  Heights,  Connecti- 
cut, Baptist  Church  from  October  10,  1890,  to  the 
present  time.  Mr.  Miller  has  met  with  great  suc- 
cess in  all  his  pastorates,  as  well  as  in  his  other  fields 
of  labor.  His  present  church  is  in  a  flourishing 
condition  owing  to  his  ministry,  and  in  a  revival 
held  two  years  ago  over  sixty  were  baptized  in  the 
course  of  about  three  or  four  weeks.  Mr.  Miller  is 
a  zealous  worker  and  devoted  to  his  calling. 
Whether  in  or  out  of  the  pulpit  his  personality  is 
one  that  commands  esteem.  He  is  a  member  of 
the  Orange  Order,  the  Independent  Order  of  Odd 
Fellows,  and  Free  and  Accepted  Masons.  While  in 
Canada  his  political  sympathies  were  with  the  Con- 
servative party,  but  he  inclines  to  the  Prohibition- 
ists since  becoming  a  citizen  of  the  United  States. 
He  was  married  on  December  30,  1869,  to  Isabella 
Mar  McDonald.  They  have  had  six  children  :  Minnie 
V.  E.  (Mrs.  L.  B.  Lester),  Ethel  G.,  Roy  E.,  Guy 
S.  (drowned  .August  10,  1897),  Beth,  and  Isabella 
Miller. 


Northrop.  His  father  was  born  in  Newton,  Con- 
necticut, April  5,  1818,  and  died  in  Waterbury, 
.\pril  2,  1894  ;  his  mother,  born  in  Prospect,  Con- 
necticut, March,  18 18,  died  at  Waterbury,  November 
26,  1894.  He  was  educated  in  the  public  schools  of 
Bridgeport,  where  he  remained  till  June  5,1865,  when 
he  moved  to  \Vaterbury,  and  became  connected  with 
the  United  States  Button  Company.  He  remained 
with  that  company  for  ten  years,  and  in  February, 
1876,  became  Secretary  of  the  Waterbury  Manufact- 
uring Company,  retaining  this  position  until  Feb- 
ruary I,  1879.  H<^  ^^^s  at  one  time  a  Director 
in  the  Exelcero  Needle  Company  of  Torrington, 
Connecticut.  In  1879  he  became  associated  with 
Rufus  A.  Hitchcock  in  the  manufacture  of  paper 
boxes,  on  Canal  street,  Waterbury,  under  the  firm 
name  of  Rufus  A.  Hitchcock  &  Company.  From 
1888,  the  date  of  Mr.  Hitchcock's  death,  until  1893 
he  continued  the  business  as  surviving  partner.    He 


NORTHROP,  Arthur  C,  Paper  Box  Manufact- 
urer, Waterbury,  was  born  in  Bridgeport,  June  29, 
1848.     He  is  the  son  of  George  and  Lola  (Castle) 


A.    C.    NORTHROP. 

then  formed  the  copartnership  of  A.  C.  Northrop  & 
Company,  under  which  name  the  firm  still  continues. 
He  is  a  member  of  Continental  Lodge  No.  76, 
Free  and  Accepted  Masons,  Eureka  Chapter  No.  42, 
Royal  Arch  Masons,  and  Clark  Commandery  No.  7 
of  Knight  Templars.  He  is  a  member  of  the  Water- 
bury Club,  the  Church  Club,  Diocese  of  Connecticut, 
and  the  Cliurch  Club  of  New  York.     In  politics  he 


>[|,\    ii|-    I'UOCKKSS. 


419 


is  a  Republican,  but  is  not  an  aspirant  lor  ofticc. 
He  was  married  October  18,  1876,  to  Agnes  I)u  Hois 
Hitchcock,  (laughter  of  Rufus  A.  ami  Agnes  I>u 
Hois   Hitchcock,  of  \\'alorl>Mrv. 


has  twice  represented  his  town  in  tlie  Ix-gislatiire,  in 
1 858  and  in  1869.  For  many  years  he  has  been 
Deacon  of  Xoank  Baptist  Church,  of  which  he  is 


I'ALMIiR,  Ronr.Ri,  Shii)builder,  Noank,  was  iiorn 
in  Noank,  May  6,  1825,  son  of  John  and  Abby 
(Fish)  Palmer.  His  ancestors  were  New  London 
county  people,  and  his  father  was  a  i)ioneer  in  ship- 
building. Robert  attended  the  common  school, 
and  went  on  the  sea  during  the  summer  for  about 
ten  years.  .-\t  the  age  of  nineteen  he  found  employ- 
uient  at  the  boatbuilder  shop  of  Stiles  West  in 
Stonington.  He  had  been  there  two  years  when  his 
father  required  his  services  at  the'shipyard  which 
lie  had  established  in  Xoank,  and  he  has  been 
in  the  business  there  up  to  the  present  time. 
When  his  father  and  his  partner,  James  .\.  J.atham, 
retired  tVoni  the  firm,  Robert  went  into  partnership 
with  his  brother  John.  In  1845,  with  his  cousin, 
Daniel  E.  Clark,  of  East  Marion,  he  bought  the 
lower  shipyards.  Two  years  later  Mr.  Clark  sold  his 
interests  to  John  and  Robert.  In  i860  the  brothers 
put  into  their  ujiper  yard  a  marine  railway  which 
was  the  largest  between  Boston  an<l  New  York  at 
that  time.  During  the  war  they  were  kept  very 
busy,  filling  some  im|:)ortant  contracts.  John  died 
in  1876.  Three  years  after  tliat  Robert  bought 
John's  interest,  and  soon  after  put  in  a  marine 
railway  which  is  the  largest  in  the  world.  The  first 
vessel  run  on  it  was  the  steamer  "  Narraganset," 
of  the  Stonington  line,  rel)uilt  in  1S79-80  after  a 
collision  with  the  "  Stonington."  She  was  taken  on 
the  railway  again  for  repairs.  Since  September,  1S80, 
Robert  Palmer,  Jr.,  and  .Simeon  W.  .\shby  have 
owned  each  a  quarter  interest  in  the  business,  which 
is  conducted  under  the  firm  name  of  Robert  Palmer 
&  Sons.  A  large  force  of  men  is  employed,  and  it 
is  one  of  the  most  prosperous  enter]>rises  of  the 
kind  on  the  seaboard.  A  number  of  large  and  well 
known  steamers  have  been  built  there.  On  Decem- 
ber 10,  1897,  a  stock  company  was  formed,  under 
the  laws  of  Connecticut,  composed  of  Robert 
Palmer,  Robert  Palmer,  Jr.,  Robert  P.  Wilbur, 
and  John  E.  McDonald.  These  gentlemen  now 
own  the  plant  called  the  Robert  Palmer  &  Son 
Shipbuilding  and  Marine  Railway  Company;  Mr. 
Simeon  Ashby  having  died.  Mr.  Palmer  enjoys 
an  extensive  acquaintance  from  Maine  to  Florida, 
while  his  name  is  familiar  to  ship  people  the 
country  over.     He  is  a  Republican  in  politics,  and 


^^ 


ROBERT    PALMER. 

one  of  the  mainstays.  He  is  a  man  possessed  of 
great  personal  magnetism,  always  loyal,  generous, 
and  public-spirited.  He  married  Harriet  Rogers, 
October  25,  1845.  Ihey  have  three  children  living: 
Harriet  R.,  Robert,  Jr.,  and  Jane  Palmer.  Three 
children  have  died. 


PEARNi;,  \\k.sij.\  Ulvsse-s,  Judge  of  the  City 
Court  of  Middletown,  was  born  in  New  York  city 
(borough  of  Manhattan),  April  1,  1851,  son  of 
Benjamin  Marshall  and  iMiiily  Ann  (Swathe!) 
Pearne.  His  paternal  grandparents  came  from 
ICngland  about  1825.  His  maternal  grandmother 
was  a  daughter  of  Jared  Clark  and  granddaughter 
of  Colonel  Edward  Shipman,  of  Chester,  Connecti- 
cut, a  lineal  descendant  of  Edward  Shipman,  who 
settled  at  Saybrook  Point  about  1637.  His  early 
education  was  received  at  Oxford  Academy,  (Ox- 
ford, New  York,  and  at  the  State  Normal  School 
in  Cortland,  New  York,  from  which  last-named 
institution  he  was  graduated  in  June  1870.  He 
then  entered  upon  a  collegiate  training  at  Wes- 
leyan  L'niversity,   in  Middletown,  Connecticut,  and 


420 


MKX    OK    PROGRESS. 


after  graduation  in  the  class  of  1874  rem!  law  Masons:  anil  Director  and  Secretary  of  the  Ma- 
with  Hon.  Samuel  L.  Warner,  of  Middletown.  He  sonic  Building  Association.  He  is  a  member  of 
was  admitted  to  the  Bar  of  Connecticut  at  the  the  Delta  Kappa  Epsilon  Fraternity  and  the  Sons 
September     term,     Middlesex    county,    1879,    and      of  the  American  Revolution;  also   a  Trustee    and 

Secretary  of  the  Kent  l.iterary  Club,  of  Wesleyan 
University  Delta  Kappa  Epsilon  Society.  Judge 
Pearne  was  married  .\pril  25,  1883,  to  Harriette 
Cornelia  Arnold.  They  have  one  child  :  Dorothea 
Arnold  Pearne. 


W.    U.    PEARNE. 

about  1 88 1  opened  an  office  in  the  Bank  Block, 
Middletown,  where  he  has  since  practised  his  pro- 
fession. From  1879  to  1895  he  olificiated  as 
Clerk  of  the  City  Court  of  Middletown,  and  in 
1895  he  was  appointed  Judge  of  that  Court,  which 
position  he  at  present  fills.  Judge  Pearne  also 
served  as  a  member  of  the  Common  Council  of 
Middletown,  1880-2;  was  elected  a  member  of 
the  Board  of  Education,  Middletown  City  School 
District,  in  1880,  and  has  been  a  member  of  that 
Board  continuously  since  that  time,  with  the  excep- 
tion of  the  four  years  1882-6,  and  Secretary  of  the 
Board  during  the  entire  period  ;  and  has  served 
as  County  Health  Officer  of  Middlesex  county  since 
1893.  He  enlisted  in  the  Second  Regiment,  Con- 
necticut National  Guard,  January  12,  1875,  and 
has  held  the  rank  of  Captain  of  the  Line,  1885- 
97.  He  is  prominently  identified  with  various 
Masonic  organizations  :  is  Past  Master  of  St.  John's 
Masonic  Lodge;  Past  High  Priest,  Washington 
Chapter,  Royal  Arch  Masons;  Past  Commander, 
Cyrene  Commandery,  Knight  Templars;  Grand 
King,  Grand  Chapter  of  Connecticut,  Royal  Arch 


P.4RKER,  Joseph,  Paper  Manufacturer,  was  born 
in  Morris,  Litchfield  county,  Connecticut,  on  July 
19,  18 10.  His  parents  were  Dr.  Joseph  and  Sarah 
Morse  (Blackman)  Parker,  the  former  being  de- 
scended in  direct  line  from  Sir  Thomas  Parker,  who 
was  raised  to  the  peerage  by  George  L,  as  Lord 
Parker,  Baron  of  Macclesfield,  County  Chester.  In 
1 72 1  he  was  created  Viscount  Parker,  of  Eveline, 
County  Oxford,  and  Earl  of  Macclesfield.  His  de- 
scendant, \\'illiam  Parker,  was  the  founder  of  the 
.American  branch  of  the  family,  and  a  member  of 
the  Massachusetts  Colony.  He  was  also  identified 
with  the  colonies  of  Hartford  and  .Saybrook.  At 
the  time  of  P)r.  Joseph  Parker's  death  the  Litch- 
field "  Enciuirer,"  of  February  ir,  1830,  gives  the 
following  notice :  "  In  South  Farms  [now  known 
as  Morris],  on  Saturday  morning,  the  sixth  inst..  Dr. 
Joseph  Parker,  aged  seventy.  Dr.  Parker  was  en- 
gaged in  our  Revolutionary  contest,  and  in  conse- 
quence of  excessive  flitigue  at  the  burning  of  Dan- 
bury  by  the  British  the  seeds  of  that  disease  were 
sown  which  finally  terminated  his  valuable  life. 
During  the  last  forty  years  he  has  been  distin 
guished  as  an  able  and  skilful  practitioner  of  the 
healing  art :  and  despising  the  quackery  and  in- 
trigue which  sometimes  disgraced  the  medical  pro- 
fession, he  based  his  reputation  on  candor  and 
integrity  towards  his  professional  brethren.  Dr. 
Parker  manifested  a  courteous  and  honorable  de- 
portment, while  at  the  same  time  he  enjoyed  a 
large  share  of  public  confidence."  His  son,  the 
subject  of  this  sketch,  was  educated  in  the  common 
schools  of  his  native  State,  but  when  still  a  mere  lad 
left  his  birthplace  and  began  his  successful  business 
career  by  an  apprenticeship  of  five  years  in  country 
stores.  In  182S  he  removed  to  New  Haven,  and 
four  years  later  went  to  New  York,  where  he  en- 
gaged in  the  hardware  business.  In  1840  he  re- 
turned to  New  Haven  and  there  established  the 
V.'est  Rock  Paper  Mill,  an  organization  which  is 
still    in    successful    operation,   and  with   which    his 


Mi:\    (»l'    I'ROC.RF'ISS. 


4^1 


name  is  honorably  identified.  Mr.  I'.irkcr  was  first 
in  the  nianufactiire  of  .-Xmerican  blotting  paper, 
while  to  him  belonged  the  credit  of  having  pro- 
duced the  first  sheet  of  fine  and  superfine  book 
paper  ever  manufactured  in  the  I'nited  States  from 
the  sweepings  of  cotton  mills,  which  had  up  to  that 
time  been  considered  useless.  The  quality  of  the 
blotting  paper  manufactured  by  him  proved  so  supe- 
rior that  it  not  only  supersedeil  the  imported  arti- 
cle, but  is  now  being  shipped  in  large  quantities  to 
all  parts  of  the  world.  Much  of  the  success  of  Mr. 
Parker's  enterprise  lies  in  the  fact  of  his  having 
been  naturally  persevering  and  untiringly  active. 
He  applied  his  mintl  not  alone  to  one  branch  of  the 
business,  but  to  all,  and  there  was  no  detail  of  the 
intricate  industry  that  he  did  not  thoroughly  un- 
derstand and  could  not  himself  have  successfully 
operated.  ( )ne  who  knew  him  well  says  of  him  : 
"  He  was  possessed  of  a  store  of  practical  wisdom, 


JOSEPH    PARKER. 

a  mind  fertile  in  expedients,  prompt  and  bold  in 
decision,  and  peculiarly  <iuick  in  pcrcejUion.  \Vhile 
others  were  considering  and  hesitating,  he  was 
doing  and  achieving."  Mr.  Parker  was  Lieutenant- 
Colonel  of  the  Connecticut  State  Militia  for  several 
years,  and  was  a  member  of  the  l?oard  of  Directors 
of  the  New  Haven  National  Bank  from  iSSi  to  the 
time  of  his  death,  which  occurred  on  Suiulav  morn- 


ing, August  22,  1887.  He  was  married  on  Febru- 
ary 16,  1 8,55,  to  Caroline  Mulford,  daughter  of 
Hervey  .Mulford,  Ksq.,  of  New  Haven,  Connecticut. 
Their  children  were  six  in  number  :  l.ucy  Klixahcth 
(deceased),  the  first  wife  of  Henry  Trowbridge; 
C'aroline  Mulford,  wife  of  the  late  Ivdwin  A.  Ilotch- 
kiss ;  Joseph  Parker,  Jr.  (now  at  the  head  of  the 
paper  business  founded  by  his  father) ;  Kllen 
.■\ugusta  and  Mary  Ilerrick,  both  deceased;  and 
Mli/.a  Townsend   Parker. 


RUSSKI.L,  CAn.AiN  Ciiaki.es  Tier,  Ex- United 
.States  Consul-Ceneral  at  Liverpool,  was  born  in 
New  York  city,  September  11,  1843,  son  of  John 
H.  and  Anna  (Tier)  Russell.  .Mthough  born  and 
doing  business  in  New  York  city.  Captain  Russell  is 
a  citizen  and  voter  in  Connecticut.  He  spends 
several  days  of  each  week  at  his  beautifiil  home  over- 
looking the  Connecticut  River  at  Haddam,  where 
also  he  is  largely  interested  in  the  ([uarries  of  the 
Connecticut  Granite  Company.  His  ancestors  came 
to  this  country  from  l-'sse.x,  I'^ngland,  and  landed  at 
Branford,  Connecticut,  in  1627.  Thence  one 
branch  of  the  family  moved  to  Massachusetts  and 
another  to  New  York  city,  from  which  latter  Captain 
Russell  traces  his  descent.  He  was  educated  in  the 
public  schools  and  at  Brainerd  .\cademy,  at  Haddam, 
Connecticut.  He  went  to  sea  immediately  on  leav- 
ing school,  and  there  displayed  such  ability  that  at 
the  age  of  twenty  he  was  in  command  of  the  ship. 
1  le  thus  continued  for  ten  years,  engaged  chiefly  in 
the  California,  East  India,  and  China  trade.  He 
was  afterwards  largely  interested  in  shipping  in- 
terests in  Liverpool  and  London,  chartering  for  all 
parts  of  the  world  upwards  of  two  million  tons  of 
ship])ing  annually.  His  familiarity  with  maritime 
matters  made  his  ajipointment  by  President  Cleve- 
land, in  1S85,  to  the  post  of  Consul-General  at  Liv- 
erpool an  exceedingly  fitting  one.  This  office  is  in 
many  respects  the  most  important  in  the  consular 
service.  Captain  Russell's  distinguished  administra- 
tion of  the  office  brought  him  honor  and  reputation 
both  at  home  and  abroad.  .\t  the  termination  of 
his  four  years'  service,  in  1889,  he  interested  himself 
in  the  jiromotion  of  the  District  Messenger  Com- 
pany of  London.  He  had  at  the  outset  to  contend 
against  English  conservatism  and  |)rejuilice,  while 
the  Postmaster-General  made  objection  to  the 
system  of  electric  boxes  as  an  infringement  of  the 
Telegraph  Acts  and  a  violation  of  the  monopoly  of 
state.     It  was  a  contest  between   British  red    tape 


MEN    oi"    PROGRESS. 


and  stubbornness  and  American  pluck  and  energy. 
History  repeated  itself,  and  America  won.  Official 
objections  were  withdrawn,  and  the  District  Messen- 


C     T.    RUSSELL. 

ger  Company  was  successfully  launched  with  Captain 
Russell  as  Managing  Director.  Here  he  remained 
for  four  years,  in  the  meantime  starting  a  similar 
company  in  Paris.  Both  companies  have  been 
highly  successful,  and  this  result  has  been  obtained 
entirely  through  Mr.  Russell's  remarkable  ability  and 
tireless  energy.  Returning  to  this  country  in  1893, 
he  at  once  became  interested  in  various  business 
enterprises  which  have  proved  highly  remuner- 
ative. He  is  largely  interested  in  the  London 
company,  and  visits  both  London  and  Paris  two 
or  three  times  each  year.  He  is  now  President 
of  the  Connecticut  Granite  Company  quarries, 
originally  owned  by  his  uncle,  the  late  Samuel 
Arnold,  of  Haddam,  Connecticut.  The  company's 
New  York  office  is  at  1 1  Broadway.  They  have 
large  contract  orders  for  municipal  and  private 
work.  He  is  a  member  of  the  St.  George  and 
Kempton  Park  Clubs  of  London,  and  the  Demo- 
cratic and  Atlantic  Yacht  Clubs  of  New  York. 
He  was  married  in  1S64  to  Mary  Elizabeth  Tyler. 
Three  children  have  been  born  to  them :  Mary 
Tyler,  Matilda  Arnold,  and  Charles  Tier  Russell, 
Jr. 


ROGERS,  Nathaniel  Burton,  President  of  the 
Rogers  Silver  Plate  Company,  Danbury,  Connecti- 
cut, was  born  at  Saybrook,  Connecticut,  July  6, 
1848.  He  is  the  son  of  Henry  and  Elizabeth  Ann 
Rogers.  He  received  his  education  at  the  public 
schools  of  Meriden  and  at  the  Russell  Military 
School,  New  Haven.  He  served  eighteen  months 
as  Drummer  in  Company  C,  Seventh  Regiment, 
Connecticut  ^'olunteers,  under  General  James  R. 
Hawley.  He  was  a  member  of  the  New  York  City 
Produce  Exchange  from  1873  to  1877,  and  again 
from  1882  to  1885.  He  was  connected  also  be- 
tween 1873  and  1877  with  Rogers  &  Kurcher, 
Pork  Packers,  of  Brooklyn,  New  York,  and  from 
1887  till  1882  with  Rogers  Brothers,  London, 
England.  Mr.  Rogers  was  President  of  the  Young 
People's  Association  of  St.  John's  Methodist  Epis- 
copal Church  of  Brooklyn;  and  in  1876  was  Presi- 
dent of  the  Young  Men's  Republican  Club,  Nine- 
teenth Ward,  Brooklyn,  and  of  the  Butcher^'  and 
Packers'  Association,  Brooklyn.  From  1875  to 
1 87 7  was  President  of  the  Social  Bowling  Club; 
also  of  the  Young  People's  Association  of  Christian 
Endeavor  of  the  First  Church  of  Danbury  in  1888. 


N.    B.    ROGERS. 


In  1893-94  he  was  Commander  of  the  James  E. 
Moore  Post,  No.  18,  Grand  Army  of  the  Republic, 
Danbury.     From  1895  to  1S97  he  was  Chairman  of 


MIA    (IK    I'KncRKSS. 


1  -■'  ■"^ 


the  Republican  Cil\  C'oinmittcc  of  Danbuiy.  lie  is 
at  present  Chainiian  of  the  Re])ublican  Town  Com- 
mittee, also  of  the  I'"inance  Committee  of  the 
Common  Council,  antl  Aklerman  from  the  Secoiul 
Ward.  He  has  been  twice  married.  His  first  wife, 
Annis  I'omeroy,  daughter  of  John  15.  and  Margaret 
Pomeroy,  of  Brooklyn,  to  whom  he  was  married 
.•\pril  27,  187 1,  died  May  3,  1875.  On  November 
3,  1S77,  he  married  Klizabeth  Beach,  daughter  of 
C).  M.  and  jennette  M.  Beach,  of  Brooklvn, 
and  has  nine  children. 


was  employed  in  a  f-i  i,.,.,,  >, ,,   .i,.  .;.,ii,.,  Im.ig 

ston  county,  New  \ork.  In  1843,  at  the  age  of  seven- 
teen, he  came  to  Hartford,  and  cntcrcii  the  store  of 
Day,  Owen  iv:  Company,  wholesale  dry  goods  and 
commission  merchants,  l-'or  fifty-four  years,  until 
his  death  in  March  1.S97,  he  successfully  carried 
on  this  well-known  and  extensive  business.  Through 
the  death  of  the  ohler  members  of  the  firnt,  the 
firm  style  became  successively  Owen,  Day  iV  Root, 
( )wen,  Root  &  Childs,  and  finally  Root,  Childs  & 
Company.     Mr.  Root  was  a  prominent  member  of 


ROOT,  Oi.oRi.i:  \\'ki.i_s,  Commission  .Merchant, 
of  Hartford  and  New  \ork  city,  was  born  in 
Augusta,  New  York,  .April  26,  1S26,  and  died  in 
Hartford,  March  21,  1897,  son  of  Erastus  S.  and 
Dorcas  (Welles)  Root.  Mr.  Root's  ancestors  were 
of  good  old  Colonial  stock  on  both  sides,  his  father 
being  a  direct  descendant  of  Thomas  Roote,  who 
came  from  Badby,  England,  and  settled  in  Hartford 
in  1637.  His  is  among  the  honored  names  on  the 
monument  erected  to  the  first  settlers,  in  the  rear  of 
the  First  Congregational  Church  of  Hartford.  His 
son  was  Deacon  Thomas  Roote,  and  from  him  the 
line  descends  to  Thomas  Roote,  his  son,  then  to 
Captain  Ebenezer  Roote,  and  then  to  Chief-Justice 
Jesse  Root.  The  latter,  whose  portrait  is  now  in 
the  Library  of  the  State  Capitol,  was  a  graduate  of 
Princeton  in  1756,  was  a  Captain  in  the  Revolution- 
ary War,  for  many  years  represented  Coventry  in 
the  General  Assembly  of  Connecticut,  was  a  mem- 
ber of  Congress  for  four  sessions,  and  was  Chief- 
Justice  of  Connecticut  from  1798  until  his  retire- 
ment, at  the  age  of  seventy,  in  1807.  He  published 
several  volumes  of  legal  decisions,  and  received  the 
honorary  degree  of  LL.D.  from  \ale  College.  The 
father  of  (General  Grant,  Jesse  Root  Grant,  was 
named  after  him.  His  son  was  James  Banks  Root, 
the  grandfather  of  the  subject  of  this  sketch.  The 
mother  of  George  Wells  Root,  Dorcas  Welles,  was 
born  in  Wethersfield  in  1798.  Her  father  was 
Daniel  Wells,  her  grandfather  John  Wells,  her  great- 
grandfather Wait  Wells,  her  great-great-grandfather 
Captain  Thomas  Wells,  all  natives  of  Wethersfield. 
The  latter's  father  and  grandfather  were  Samuel  and 
Thomas  Wells,  respectively,  both  natives  of  I'^ssex, 
England.  I'homas  Wells,  the  last-named,  settled  in 
Wethersfield  in  1636,  and  became  Lieutenant-Gover- 
nor and  then  Governor  of  the  Colony.  George  Wells 
Root  received  a  common-school  education.  He  early 
entered  upon  a  mercantile  career,  and  for  three  years 


GEO.   WELLS    ROOT. 

the  Piuk  Church,  and  had  served  as  a  Police  Com- 
missioner and  member  of  the  Common  Council. 
In  politics  he  was  a  Republican.  He  was  a  mem- 
ber of  the  Hartford  Club  and  a  valued  Director  of 
many  imjjortant  financial  institutions.  .At  the  time 
of  his  death  he  was  President  of  the  Sigourney  Tool 
Company,  the  Taft  Manufacturing  Coniiiany,  and 
the  Hartford  Rubber  Paint  Company,  and  at  the 
same  time  a  Director  in  the  Hartford  National  Bank, 
the  Phccnix  Fire  Insurance  Company,  and  the 
Smythe  Manufacturing  Company.  Seven  children 
were  born  to  him  :  Charles  H.,  born  in  1850,  died 
in  1867;  tleorge  B.,  born  in  1853,  died  in  1868; 
James  T.,  born  in  1857  ;  Edward  H.,  born  in  1859  ; 
I'",rastus  S.,  born  in  1863  :  NLary  E.,  born  in  1865  ; 
and  Robert  W'.,  born  in  1873. 


424 


MEN    OF    I'R(,)(;RESS. 


SMITH,  Addison,  late  of  New  York  city,  was 
born  in  Suffield,  Connecticut,  May  9,  18 16,  and 
died  in  New  York,  November  27,  1893.  His  father 
was  Samuel  Smith,  of  ( Iroton,  Massachusetts,  and  his 


city ;  Adelia,  widow  of  Henry  Hobart  Bunnell,  of 
New  Haven,  Connecticut ;  Addison  and  Henry 
Ives  Smith.  The  latter,  although  quite  a  young  man, 
is  following  in  the  footsteps  of  his  father,  being 
actively  engaged  in  building  and  other  city  improve- 
ments ;  he  is  a  member  of  the  Manhattan  and  other 
clubs,  and  gives  promise  of  a  useful  career. 


i(S^  w©«^ 


ADDISON    SMITH. 

mother  was  Margaret  \Vorthington,  a  lineal  descend- 
ant of  Nicholas  Worthington,  who  settled  in  New 
England  in  1649,  and  whose  family  in  England 
dates  back  to  the  time  of  Henry  III.  The  subject 
of  this  sketch  lost  his  parents  at  an  early  age.  He 
was  sent  to  school,  and  soon  developed  a  great 
fondness  for  study  and  mechanics.  After  receiving 
a  university  education,  he  left  New  England  for  a 
time,  but  returned  soon  after  his  marriage.  He  was 
the  inventor  of  numerous  machines,  and  in  the  fifties 
he  established  the  well-known  firm  of  Ives  &:  Smith 
at  New  Haven,  Connecticut,  makers  of  gas  exhausters 
and  cupolas.  This  business  succeeded  to  Governor 
Bigelow  in  after  years,  and  Mr.  Smith  went  to  reside 
in  New  York  city.  Here  he  identified  himself  with 
the  improvements  and  growth  of  the  upper  part  of 
the  city,  and  was  one  of  the  founders  of  the  First 
Harlem  Bank,  of  which  he  was  the  first  President. 
He  was  also  a  member  of  prominent  city  clubs. 
Mr.  Smith  was  married  about  1846,  at  New  York, 
to  Eliza  Middleton.  He  died  in  1S93,  at  the  age  of 
seventy-seven,  leaving  a  widow  and  four  children  : 
Emilie,  widow  of  Hamilton  R.  Kerr,  of  New  York 


SIMMONS,  WiLLARD  Nelson,  Town  Physician 
of  Tolland,  was  born  in  Coventry,  Connecticut, 
April  28,  i860,  son  of  Nelson  and  Maria  (Hall) 
Simmons.  On  his  father's  side  he  is  descended 
through  Rhode  Island  families  from  Gardner  Gory, 
a  Scotchman,  who  came  here  from  England  and 
participated  in  the  Revolutionary  War.  His  mother, 
who  was  born  in  Coventry,  is  descended  from  Libni 
Hall,  who  settled  in  Longmeadow,  Massachusetts, 
at  an  early  date,  coming  probably  from  England. 
Dr.  Simmons  laid  the  foundation  for  his  education 
in  the  schools  of  his  native  town,  acquired  his  col- 
lege education  at  the  University  of  Vermont,  in 
Burlington,  and  there  received  the  degree  of  M.D. 
from   the  Medical  Department,  July  15,   1889.     At 


W.    N.    SIMMONS. 

the  time  he  began  his  medical  studies  he  was  a 
nurse  in  the  Retreat  for  the  Insane  in  Hartford. 
After  two  years  and  a  half  there,  he  divided  his  time 


^fl•:N    OK    I'koC.RKSS. 


A^S 


between  the  Hartford  Hospital  and  the  Connecti- 
cut Hospital  for  the  Insane  in  Middletown,  Con- 
necticut. He  was  also  Assistant  to  l)r.  J.  I'"..  Root 
in  the  Hartford  Free  Dispensary.  He  began  prac- 
tice in  Tollanil,  his  wife's  home,  in  August  1SS9, 
and  has  remained  there  since,  building  up  an  ex- 
cellent practice,  ^[ost  of  this  time  he  has  been 
Physician  of  the  county  jail  and  Town  Physician. 
Under  appointment  by  Ciovernors  he  several  times 
has  examined  prisoners  as  to  their  sanity.  From 
Jime  I,  1S92,  to  June  i,  1896,  he  was  a  De|)Uly 
Sheriff  of  Tolland  county,  and  for  eioht  years  has 
been  Medical  Examiner  of  the  town.  He  also  has 
been  a  member  of  the  School  Board  for  the  past 
eight  years.  ^Vhen  the  new  law  as  to  health  offi- 
cers went  into  effect  he  received  the  a])pointment 
for  Tolland,  a  position  which  he  held  for  two  years. 
Or.  Simmons  is  I'.xaminer  tor  pensions  and  for  sev- 
eral insurance  companies,  and  was  for  seven  years 
Secretary  and  Treasurer  of  the  Tolland  County 
Medical  .Association.  'J'he  doctor  holds  member 
ship  in  the  .American  Medical  Association,  in  the 
Connecticut  Medical  Society,  and  in  the  'I'ol- 
land  County  Medical  .Association.  He  is  also  a 
member  of  the  Delta  Mu  F'raternity,  a  medical 
organization  of  the  Medical  Department  of  the  Uni- 
versity of  Vermont,  as  well  as  an  alumni  member 
of  the  college.  A  Democrat  in  politics,  he  is  an 
independent  thinker,  and  is  for  "  sound  money." 
It  may  be  due  to  his  early  training  on  a  farm  that 
the  doctor  is  so  fond  of  nature  ;  and  he  is  also 
deeply  interested  in  archa:ology.  He  married 
Alice  Maude  Phillips,  of  Tolland,  February  25, 
1889.  They  have  one  child,  Leon  Willard,  two 
having  died  in  infancy. 


SHEEDY,  Brv.w  DeForest,  LJ,.li.,  M.l).,  Bridge- 
port, was  born  in  Norwalk,  Connecticut,  October 
17,  1864,  second  son  of  Michael  and  Johanna 
.Sheedy.  His  father  settled  in  Norwalk  as  a  young 
man,  carrying  on  a  farm  until  the  breaking  out 
of  the  Rebellion,  and  was  one  of  the  first  to  vol- 
unteer his  services  for  the  defence  of  the  Union. 
After  the  war  he  settled  down  to  farm  life  in  Nor- 
walk. His  two  sons  became  physicians,  and  Dr. 
1).  M.  Sheedy  is  practising  in  Poughkeepsie,  New 
York.  Bryan  DeForest  Sheedy  went  from  the  public 
schools  of  his  native  town  to  the  Over  River  High 
School,  where  under  the  direction  of  Mr.  H.  B. 
Wigham  he  was  fitted  for  college.  .After  a  pre- 
paratory course  in  medicine  he  attended  the  New 


York  I'niversity,  Medical  College,  from  which  he 
was  graduated  in  1SS5,  and  commeming  the  ])rac- 
tice  of  his  profession  in  South  Norwalk  he  was  for 


B.    D.    SHEEDY. 

a  time  associated  with  Dr.  G.  C.  Bohannan.  .Am- 
bition soon  caused  him  to  sever  this  partnership, 
and  going  to  Northarnpton,  Massachusetts,  a  perfect 
stranger,  he  almost  immediately  acquired  popularity 
both  as  a  physician  and  citizen,  and  three  years 
later  was  elected  to  the  City  Government  on  the 
Democratic  ticket.  He  organized  the  Northamp- 
ton Building  .Association,  of  which  he  was  Treasurer 
for  some  time.  In  1889  a  severe  attack  of  /</  grippe 
compelled  him  to  pass  the  winter  in  the  South,  and 
while  rallving  from  the  after-effects  of  the  disease 
he  visited  Europe  for  the  purpose  of  study,  attend- 
ing special  clinics  in  London  and  Berlin.  I'pon 
his  return  in  1890  he  disposed  of  his  practice  in 
Northampton  to  his  partner,  and  in  the  following 
year  located  in  Bridgeport,  where  he  has  since 
attended  to  a  large  practice,  with  the  exception  of 
some  time  spent  in  another  visit  to  Europe,  in  the 
winter  of  1893,  for  the  special  study  of  medical  juris- 
prudence. In  the  spring  of  1897  he  received  the 
degree  of  LL.B.,  from  Yale  University.  Dr.  Sheedy 
is  Health  Commissioner  of  Bridgeport,  having  served 
as  such  under  both  Democratic  and  Republican 
administrations;  is  a  member  of  the  Board  of  Trade, 


426 


Mi:\    Ol'    I'KOC.Rl'.SS. 


the  State,  County,  and  City  Medical  Societies, 
an  associate  member  of  the  Massachusetts  Medi- 
cal Society,  and  is  connected  witli  the  Seaside 
and  the  Reform  Clubs  of  New  York  city.  Dr. 
Sheedv  is  unmarried. 


IHACHER,  J.-VMES  KiNGSLEY,  Physician  and 
Professor,  was  born  in  New  Haven,  October  19, 
1S47,  and  died  in  .^pril  1891.  His  father  was  Pro- 
fessor Thomas  Anthony  'I'hacher,  and  his  mother 
was  Miss  Elizabeth  Day,  daughter  of  Jeremiah  Day, 
who  preceded  President  Woolsey  as  President  of 
N'ale.  His  early  education  was  received  at  the 
Webster  Public  School  and  the  Hopkins  Grammar 
School  of  his  native  place.  He  entered  Yale 
College  in  1S64  and  was  graduated  with  the  class 
of  1868.  Not  long  after  graduation  he  went  to 
California,  remaining  there  for  about  two  years.  In 
187 1  he  became  tutor  at  Yale,  and  taught  in  the 
Academical  Department  for  several  years.     .\t  the 


developed  from  the  fins  of  fishes,  a  view  which  was 
not  acknowledged  at  the  time,  but  has  since  been 
developed  and  confirmed  by  Sir  George  Mivorst. 
Later  Dr.  Thacher  studied  medicine  at  the  Yale 
Medical  School,  was  graduated  there  in  1879,  and 
immediately  afterwards  was  appointed  Professor  of 
Physiology.  He  continued  a  Professor  in  the  Medi- 
cal School,  and  a  potent  factor  in  its  development, 
until  his  death,  being  also  engaged  in  active  practice. 
He  was  an  active  member  of  the  Association  of 
American  Physicians  from  its  organization.  Dr. 
Thacher's  professional  duties  were  so  exacting  as 
somewhat  to  interfere  with  his  scientific  work ; 
but  his  investigations  in  electrical  action,  in  1885, 
and  in  heart  action  and  pulse-wave  transmission,  in 
1888,  are  of  the  highest  merit.  He  also  had  charge 
of  the  medical  work  of  the  Century  Dictionary.  Dr. 
Thacher  was  married  in  1878  to  Kmily  Baldwin 
Foster,  daughter  of  Hon.  Dwight  Foster,  of  Boston. 
Their  three  children  are  :  Henrietta  Foster,  Henry 
Clark,  and  Thomas  Anthony  Thacher. 


JAMES    K.    THACHER. 

same  time  he  pursued  original  investigations  in 
comparative  anatomy  and  physiology.  The  results 
were  first  published  in  the  "Transactions  of  the 
Connecticut  Academy"  for  1877,  and  commanded 
particular  attention  throughout  Europe.  He  main- 
tained that  the  limbs  of  the  higher  vertebrates  were 


TENNEY',  Arthur  John,  M.D.,  Physician  and 
Surgeon,  Branford,  was  born  in  Manchester,  New 
Hampshire,  January  26,  1856,  son  of  Ulysses  D.  and 
Hannah  Wales  (Dow)  Tenney.  He  is  of  English 
origin  on  both  sides,  the  paternal  family  being  the 
descendants  of  Thomas  Tenney,  whose  native  place 
was  the  Wolds  of  Yorkshire  ;  and  he  came  to  America 
with  Reverend  Ezekiel  Rogers'  party,  which  arrived 
at  Salem,  Massachusetts,  in  December  1638.  In 
April  of  the  following  year  he,  with  others  of  the 
company,  settled  the  town  of  Rowley,  and  his 
descendants  are  now  scattered  over  the  United 
States,  although  many  of  them  are  contented  to 
remain  in  New  England.  On  the  maternal  side  he 
is  a  descendant  of  Henry  Dowe,  who  arrived  from 
Ormsby,  Norfolk  county,  England,  in  April  1637, 
settling  at  Watertown,  Massachusetts,  where  he  was 
made  a  freeman  May  2,  163S.  Ulysses  D.  Tenney, 
the  father,  is  an  artist  of  repute.  Arthur  John 
Tenney  went  from  New  Hampshire  to  New  Haven, 
Connecticut,  in  1866.  He  completed  his  prepara- 
tory studies  at  the  Hopkins  Grammar  School,  New 
Haven,  in  1874,  was  graduated  from  the  Sheffield 
Scientific  School,  Yale  University,  class  of  1877, 
and  taught  school  in  Philadelphia  while  pursuing  his 
preliminary  medical  studies,  which  were  completed 
at  the  Yale  Medical  School  in  1S83.  He  was  soon 
afterward  appointed  .-Assistant  House  Physician  and 
Surgeon  at  the  Hartford  Hospital,  where  he  remained 


MKN    I*!'    I'KOC.KKSS. 


427 


until  September  1.SS4,  since  whicli  time  he  has 
practised  his  jirofession  in  Hranlbrd  with  success. 
Dr.  Tenney  is  of  the  o])inion  that  a  j^liysician  oiif;ht 


A.    J.    TENNEY. 

not  to  connect  himself  with  politics  beyond  casting 
his  vote,  or  hold  public  office,  and,  as  consistency  is 
one  of  his  most  strongly  defined  characteristics,  he 
has  therefore  avoided  all  political  affiliations  which 
might  directly  or  indirectly  bring  his  name  into 
prominence  outside  his  profession.  On  December 
19,  1888,  he  married  Laura  J.  Mammer,  of  Branford  ; 
they  have  four  children:  'I'horwald,  Arthvir  J.,  Jr., 
Thora,  and  Laura  Tenney. 


WARNER,  CiiARi-i  s  DuiiLK\-,  .Author  and  I'^ditor, 
was  born  in  Plainfield,  Massachusetts,  September  12, 
1829.  His  ancestry  is  of  the  best  New  England 
stock.  The  founder  of  the  family,  Andrew  Warner, 
came  from  England  in  1632  to  Cambridge,  Mas- 
sachusetts, and  removed  in  1637  to  Hartford,  Con- 
necticut, and  thence  in  1659  to  Hadley,  Massachu- 
setts, where  he  died  December  18,  1684.  His  paternal 
grandmother,  Sally  Cook,  who  was  born  in  1765, 
was  in  direct  descent  from  Francis  Cook,  the  "  May- 
flower "  Pilgrim.  He  received  his  early  education 
in  the  local  schools,  and  prepared  for  college  in 
Cazenovia,   going   to    Hamilton,    at    Clinton,   New 


York,  where  he  was  graduated  in  iK; 
mate  was  Joseph  R.  Mawley,  aflcnvards  to  become, 
with  Warner,  an  .Xnierican  of  distinction,  the  two 
liound  together  for  life  by  many  ties  of  business  and 
social  association.  Mr.  Warner  studied  law  at  the 
University  of  I'ennsylvania,  was  admitted  to  the 
liar  in  Philadelphia,  and  practiseil  for  two  years  in 
Chicago.  Hut  the  legal  profession  was  not  to  Ik 
his  life  work ;  like  so  many  lawyers  before  him,  his 
taste  and  talent  were  for  journalism  and  literature. 
Returning  to  the  Ivast,  he  became  in  1861  one  of 
tlie  editors  and  later  a  ])roprielor  of  the  Hartford 
"Press,"  which  was  in  1867  incor|x>rated  with  and 
became  the  "  Courant,"  the  oldest  paper  in  the 
United  States  in  continuous  publication,  dencral 
Joseph  R.  Hawley  was  an  editor  when  Mr.  Warner 
became  associated  with  it.  Of  this  jwpcr,  known 
throughout  the  country  as  an  able  organ  of  Repub- 
licanism and  for  its  exceptional  literar)'  quality  and 
tone,  Mr.  Warner  is  still  one  of  the  editors  and 
owners.  Editing  it  for  many  years  with  indefati- 
gable energy,  he  gave  it  the  reputation  it  long  has 
held  and  now  maintains,  not  only  as  an  exponent 
of  affairs,  but  a  moulder  of  opinion.  Its  literarj' 
fame  is  due  to  his  connection  with  it.  The  transi- 
tion from  journalism  to  literature  was  in  Mr.  Warner's 
case  natural  and  easy.  Indeed  he  had  for  years 
been  writing  literature  in  the  "  Courant,"  when  a 
series  of  weekly  papers  in  that  journal  descril)ing 
his  experience  as  an  amateur  gardener  attractetl 
wide  attention  by  their  gentle  satire,  delicious  sly 
humor,  and  quality  of  style.  When  they  were 
gathered  into  book  form  and  published,  in  1870, 
with  an  introduction  by  Henry  ^Vard  Beecher,  the 
hearty  wek-ome,  very  much  a  surprise  to  the  modest 
author,  made  it  evident  that  a  new  .American  writer 
of  distinction  had  appeared.  From  this  start  book 
after  book  was  given  to  the  public,  essays,  travel 
sketches,  papers  on  important  (juestions  of  social  and 
political  reform,  novels,  etc.,  and  Charles  Dudley 
Warner  maintained  and  steadily  developed  the  brill- 
iant name  he  had  made  by  his  first  volume.  From 
his  youth  he  had  literary  leanings,  contributing  to  the 
old"  Knickerbocker,"  and  to  "  Putnam's  Magazine  ;" 
now,  cordial  recognition  stimulated  him  to  steady 
writing  for  a  wide  American  audience.  Nor  does 
the  long  list  of  his  books  rejiresent  all  his  mental 
and  other  activity.  Since  1884  he  has  held  an  edi- 
torial connection  with  "  Harper's  Maga/inc,"  first 
until  1S92  as  Editor  of  the  Drawer,  and  since  then 
of  the  Study,  succeeding  William  Dean  Howells 
in  the   latter  position.     In  1895  he  undertook  the 


428 


MK.X    OF    PROGRESS. 


Managing  Editorship  of  "  A  Library  of  the  World's 
Best  Literature,"  in  thirty  vohimes  ;  a  comprehen- 
sive, critical  sunxy  of  the  whole  field  of  literary  pro- 
duction in  all  times  and  lands,  such  as  was  never 
before  attempted.     This  great  work  was  ready  for 


CHARLES  DUDLEY  WARNER. 

subscribers  early  in  1898.  Mr.  Warner  has  been  an 
extensive  traveller,  as  many  of  his  works  show,  going 
repeatedly  to  Europe  and  the  East.  He  has,  how- 
ever, retained  his  beautiful  home  in  Hartford, 
though  spending  much  of  his  time  in  New  York  and 
elsewhere,  and  that  home  is  a  centre  of  enlightened 
and  social  life.  His  interests  have  not  been  con- 
fined to  literature ;  he  has  been  a  keen-eyed  and 
open-minded  observer  of  American  and  foreign 
social  and  political  traits,  and  has  the  gift  of  saying 
in  a  witty,  graceful  way  the  pertinent,  wise,  or  deep 
thing.  Prison  reform  has  been  for  many  years  very 
dear  to  his  heart,  and  he  frequently  lectures  in 
various  parts  of  the  country  on  this  theme,  for  the 
good  of  the  cause,  being  also  constantly  called  on  to 
speak  before  colleges,  clubs,  and  other  organizations 
upon  literature.  Several  of  his  books  have  studied 
the  South,  Southwest,  and  West  of  the  United  States 
with  an  intelligent  appreciation  never  before  rendered 
those  parts  of  the  country.  He  is  widely  known  as 
an  authority  on  all  matters  touching  punitive  meas- 
ures.     Serious  and  suggestive  thought,  too,  is  often 


found  hiding  in  the  sparkling  dialogue  or  brilliant 
characterizations  of  his  fiction.  Thus  his  influence 
for  good  has  radiated  in  many  directions.  As  a 
writer  he  is  on  the  creative  side  conspicuous  for 
quiet  felicity,  refined  pungent  humor,  massive 
thought,  and  the  faculty  of  fresh,  picturesque  state- 
ment. As  a  critic  he  has  been  a  salutary  force  in 
restraining  the  younger  school  from  excesses,  insist- 
ing with  a  golden  urbanity  upon  permanent  stand- 
ards and  comparative  methods.  Thus  his  literary 
career  has  been  one  not  only  long,  but  useful, 
beneficent,  honorable.  It  would  take  too  long  to 
catalogue  the  many  organizations  of  all  kinds  to 
which  Mr.  Warner  belongs  or  has  belonged.  He  is 
a  member  of  the  Players',  the  Authors',  the  Univer- 
sity, and  the  Century  Clubs  of  New  York,  and  whether 
in  Hartford,  New  York,  or  other  cities  is  a  favorite 
social  figure.  Herewith  follows  a  list  of  his  publica- 
tions, in  chronological  order :  "  My  Summer  in  a 
Garden;"  "  Saunterings  ;  "  "  Back-Log  Studies  ;  " 
"  Being  a  Boy  ;  "  "  Baddeck  and  that  Sort  of  Thing ;  " 
"  The  Gilded  Age  "  (with  S.  L.  Clemens)  ;  "  Mum- 
mies and  Moslems"  (title  changed  to  "  My  Winter 
on  the  Nile")  ;  "  In  the  Levant;"  "  In  the  Wil- 
derness; "  "  Life  of  Washington  Irving;  "  "Life  of 
Captain  John  Smith  ;  "  "  A  Roundabout  Journey  ;  " 
"On  Horseback;"  "The  Work  of  Washington 
Ir\ing;"  "Their  Pilgrimage;"  "Studies  in  the 
South  and  West ;  "  "  Our  Italy  ;  "  "  A  Little  Jour- 
ney in  the  World;"  "The  Golden  House;"  "As 
we  Go;"  "  As  we  were  Saying;"  "The  Relation 
of  Life  to  Literature  ;  "  and  "  The  People  for  whom 
Shakespeare  Wrote."  Mr.  Warner  was  married 
October  8,  1856,  to  Susan  Sophia,  daughter  of  the 
late  William  Eliot  Lee,  of  New  York. 


WADE,  Henry  Lawton,  President  and  Treas- 
urer of  the  Waterbury  Clock  Company,  was  born  in 
Harrisville,  Rhode  Island,  May  24,  1842,  son  of 
Lawton  and  Aleph  Abby  (Handel)  Wade.  His 
family  came  originally  from  England.  He  received 
his  early  education  in  the  public  schools  at  Williams- 
ville,  Killingly,  Connecticut,  and  at  the  Eastman 
Business  College  at  Poughkeepsie,  New  York,  .^s  a 
boy  and  young  man  he  worked  in  and  became 
familiar  with  all  departments  of  a  cotton  factory. 
His  first  practical  business  experience  was  as  a  clerk 
in  the  general  store  of  the  Williamsville  Manufact- 
uring Company  at  Killingly.  On  August  8,  1862, 
he  enlisted  in  the  Eighteenth  Regiment,  Connecticut 
Volunteer  Intantry,  and  served  as  a  private  in  that 


Ml  N    ttl'    I'ROC.RKSS. 


■i:<) 


regiment  until  it  was  niuslercd  out  of  scniee  at 
Harper's  Ferry,  Virginia,  June  27,  1865.  Subse- 
tiuently  he  took  a  business  course  at  the  Kastraan 
College,  and  graduated  therefrom  early  in  1S66. 
Irom  May  1866  to  August  1870  he  filled  the  jiosi- 
tion  of  bookkeeper  in  the  Waterbury  National  Hank. 
In  May  187 1  he  became  Secretary  of  the  Waterbury 
Clock  Company,  of  which  in  January  1S84  he  was 
made  Secretary,  Treasurer,  and  General  Manager. 
Ill  1885  he  was  elected  President  and  Treasurer  of 
the  company,  which  position  he  now  holds.  Mr. 
Wade  is  also  Presidentand  Director  of  the  Mattatuck 
Manufacturing  Company,  and  a  Director  of  the  Uene- 
dict  &  liurnham  Manufacturing  Company;  Director 
of  the  Waterbury  National  Hank:  and  First  \'ice- 
I'resident  of  the  Connecticut  Indemnity  .'\ssociation. 
lie  is  an  Fx-President  of  the  Waterbury  Hoartl  of 
Trade  and  of  the  Waterbury  Hoard  of  Common 
Councilmen.     In  politics  Mr.  Wade  is  a  Republican. 


lli>   pau-rn.d    aiucsturs  <  amc   to  l  iinnci  in  tn   iiuiii 
llinghain,  .Massachusetts,  in  1647,  and  from  Kuropc 


H.    L.    WADE. 


He  was  married  September  20,  1877,  to  Martha 
Chase  Starkweather.  They  have  two  daughters : 
Mary  Elizabeth  and  Lucy  Starkweather  Wade. 


WHITON,  Francis  Hknry,  Physician,  Manches- 
ter, was  born  in  Mansfield,  Connecticut,  May  16, 
1846,  son  of  Chester  and  Philaura  (Hrown)  Whilon. 


F.    H.    WHITON. 

a  few  years  earlier.  His  maternal  ancestors  came 
from  England  in  1620  or  1622,  and  were  in  the  Colo- 
nial and  Revolutionary  Wars.  His  grandfather  on 
the  maternal  side  was  in  the  War  of  181 2,  and  drew 
as  pension  one  hundred  and  si.vty  acres  of  land.  Dr. 
W  hiton's  early  education  was  acquired  in  the  public 
schools  and  under  the  instruction  of  private  tutors. 
iMitering  upon  the  study  of  medicine,  he  attended 
Har\'ard  Medical  School  and  Dartmouth  Medical 
College,  graduating  from  the  last-named  institution 
November  i,  1871.  In  the  meantime  he  taught 
jniblic  schools  for  si.\  terms.  Following  graduation 
from  medical  school  he  served  for  one  year  (1872) 
in  a  private  institution  for  the  treatment  of  nen-ous 
and  mental  diseases,  one  year  in  hospitals  of  New 
\ork  city,  and  from  December  1873  to  the  present 
time  has  been  engaged  in  the  practice  of  his  pro- 
fession in  Manchester,  Connecticut.  Dr.  Whiton  is 
a  member  of  the  Hartford  County  and  the  Con- 
necticut Medical  Societies,  and  of  the  .\nierican 
Medical  Association.  He  is  also  a  member  of  the 
Ancient  Order  United  Workmen.  He  is  jirominent 
in  local  affiiirs,  has  served  on  the  Hoard  of  Educa- 
tion, and  represented  his  town  two  years  in  the 
Connecticut    Legislature,    sessions  of  1895-7.     In 


430 


MKX    OF    PROGRESS. 


jiolitics  Dr.  Whiton  is  a  Republican.  He  was 
married  May  17,  1876,  to  Mary  Elizabeth  T-oomis, 
only  daughter  of  George  N.  Loomis,  of  Portsmouth, 
New  Hampshire,  but  whose  birthplace  was  Con- 
necticut. Mrs.  Whiton's  ancestors  came  to  this 
country  in  1636,  and  were  in  the  Revolutionary 
War.  She  is  a  member  of  the  Daughters  of 
the  .American  Revolution. 


\\I1,LI.\MS,  Jamks  Baker,  Manufacturer,  Glas- 
tonbury, Connecticut,  was  born  in  Lebanon,  New 
London  county,  Connecticut,  February  2,  1 818,  son 
of  Solomon  and  Martha  (Baker)  Williams.  On  the 
paternal  side  he  is  a  descendant  of  Robert  Williams, 
a  native  of  Norwich,  England,  who  arrived  in  Rox- 
bury,  Massachusetts,  in  1638,  and  was  made  a  free- 
man the  same  year.  He  married  first,  in  England, 
Elizabeth  Stalham,  who  died  in  1674,  aged  eighty 
years;  and  second,  Martha  Story,  who  died  in  1708, 
aged  ninety-two  years.  Three  sons  were  the  children 
of  his  first  wife  :  Samuel,  born  in  1632, Isaac  (1638), 
and  Stephen  (1644).  Robert  Williams  died  Sep- 
tember I,  1693,  aged  eighty-six  years.  The  elder 
son,  Samuel,  inherited  the  homestead,  and  only  a  few 
years  since  (perhaps  now)  one  of  his  descendants 
owned  and  lived  on  the  place.  The  second  son, 
Isaac,  settled  in  Newton,  Massachusetts,  and  was 
one  of  the  founders  and  first  Deacons  of  the  Con- 
gregational Church  in  that  town.  He  married  first, 
Martha  Parke,  a  daughter  of  Dr.  William  Parke  ; 
their  children  were:  Isaac  (born  in  1661),  Martha 
(1663),  William  (1665),  John  (1667),  Eleazer 
(1669),  and  Thomas  (1673).  His  second  wife, 
Judith  Cooper,  bore  him  :  Peter  (born  in  1680), 
Sarah  (1688),  and  Ephraim  (1691).  Reverend 
William  Williams,  the  second  son  of  Deacon  Isaac 
\Villiams,  of  Newton,  graduated  at  Harvard  College 
in  1683,  and  in  1685  was  settled  as  Pastor  of  the 
Congregational  Church  in  Hatfield,  Massachusetts, 
and  remained  as  such  for  fifty-six  years.  His  first 
wife  was  Elizabeth  Cotton,  to  whom  he  was  married 
in  1686,  and  their  three  children  were  :  Reverend 
William  Williams,  of  Weston  (born  in  1688),  Martha 
(1690), and  Reverend  Elisha  Wilhams  (i694),subse- 
quendy  of  Newington,  Connecticut,  and  later  Rector, 
or  President,  of  Yale  College.  In  1699  Reverend 
William  Williams  married  his  second  wife,  Chris- 
tian, a  daughter  of  Reverend  Solomon  Stoddard,  of 
Northampton,  Massachusetts,  and  their  children 
were  :  Reverend  Solomon  Williams,  D.D.  (born  in 
1 701),  who  was  Minister  of  the  First  Church   in 


Lebanon,  Connecticut,  for  fifty-four  years,  Israel 
(1709),  and  Dorothy  (1713).  Their  father  died  in 
Hatfield  in  1741.  Reverend  Solomon  Williams, 
D.D.,  of  Lebanon,  Connecticut,  married,  in  1723, 
Mary,  daughter  of  Judge  Samuel  Porter,  of  Hatfield, 
Massachusetts ;  their  children  were  :  Solomon  (born 


JAS.    B.    WILLIAMS. 

1725),  who  died  soon  after  graduating  from  Vale 
College  in  1743;  Reverend  Eliphalet  Williams, 
D.D.,  born  1727,  and  died  in  1803,  having  been  for 
fifty-six  years  the  Pastor  of  the  church  in  East 
Hartford,  Connecticut,  and  whose  son  Solomon  was 
called  to  the  church  of  his  great-grand  fiither,  Solomon 
Stoddard,  of  which  he  was  Pastor  over  fifty  years ; 
Ezekiel  Williams,  the  father  of  Thomas  S.  Williams, 
Chief-Justice  of  Connecticut,  of  Reverend  Samuel  P. 
Williams,  of  Newburyport,  Massachusetts,  and  of 
Major  John  Williams,  of  Wethersfield,  was  born  in 
1729,  and  died  in  1818  at  his  home  in  Wethers- 
field, Connecticut;  William,  born  in  1731,  wasfor 
about  forty  sessions  a  member  of  the  Connecticut 
Legislature,  Town  Clerk  of  Lebanon  many  years, 
and  in  1776  a  member  of  the  Continental  Congress 
and  a  signer  of  the  Declaration  of  Independence ; 
Mary,  born  1733,  married  Richard  Salter,  of  Mans- 
field, Connecticut;  Thomas,  born  1735,  ^  S''^'^" 
uate  of  Yale  College  and  of  Yale  Medical  School,  was 
a  physician  and    lived    on    his  father's  homestead. 


mi:n  (tF  i'Rf)c.Rr-:ss. 


4.>l 


dying  in  1S19;  Christian,  born  173S,  married  John 
Salter,  of  Mansfield;  Eunice,  born  1745,  married 
Reverend  Timothy  Stone,  of  Goshen  Parish  in  Leb- 
anon, and  died  in  Cornwall,  Connecticut,  in  1S36, 
aged  ninety-one  years ;  Dr.  Thomas  Williams,  the 
youngest  son  of  the  Reverend  Solomon,  married 
Rebecca  Wells,  of  East  Hartford,  a  lineal  descendant 
of  Thomas  Wells,  an  early  Governor  of  Connecti- 
cut, and  their  children  were  :  Solomon  and  Mary, 
twins,  born  in  i  783.  Mary  was  not  married,  and 
died  in  the  house  of  her  brother  in  East  Hartford  in 
1 83 1,  and  her  brother  died  in  Manchester,  Connect- 
icut, in  1875,  aged  ninety-two  years.  Solomon  Will- 
iams, in  1806,  married  Martha  Haker,  of  Brooklyn, 
Connecticut.  Their  children  were  :  Rebecca  Wells, 
born  in  1S07,  who  married  Reverend  Story  Hub- 
bard of  the  Syrian  Mission,  dying  in  Beyroot,  Syria, 
in  1840;  Thomas  Scott,  born  1812,  who  was  a  civil 
engineer,  and  in  1846  married  Ellen  Goodwin,  of 
East  Hartford,  and  died  in  1875,  leaving  four  chil- 
dren; Samuel  Porter,  born  1814,  a  merchant  and 
banker  for  many  years  in  Lima,  Indiana,  who  married 
first,  Miss  Lydia  Hume,  and  second,  her  sister.  Miss 
Isabella  Hume,  both  dying  before  him,  and  died  in 
California,  March  31,  1897,  leaving  three  children; 
Sarah  Turnbull,  born  18 16,  who  married  Edward 
Robinson,  of  Brooklyn,  Connecticut,  a  direct  descend- 
ant of  John  Robinson,  of  Leyden,  is  now  living  and 
has  three  children  ;  James  Baker  (the  subject  of 
this  sketch),  born  in  Lebanon  in  1818,  in  the  house 
occupied  by  his  great-grandfather  fifty-four  years,  by 
his  grandfather  eighty-four  years,  and  by  his  father 
forty-six  years;  George  Wells,  born  1820,  married 
Martha  Woodbridge,  of  Manchester,  Connecticut, 
by  whom  he  had  one  son  :  Charles  S.  Williams,  of 
Hartford;  William  Stuart,  born  1822,  married  Mary 
Edwards  (ioodwin,  of  East  Hartford,  and  who  was 
for  over  forty  years  associated  in  business  with  his 
brother,  James  Baker  Williams  (W.  S.  Williams  and 
his  wife  have  both  died  recently,  leaving  four  chil- 
dren) ;  John  .Albert,  born  1824,  was  a  civil  engineer, 
for  some  years  employed  on  the  Boston  Water  Works, 
and  later  in  constructing  the  railroad  from  Galveston 
north  to  Austin,  Texas.  He,  John  A.  Williams,  mar- 
ried, in  Texas,  Caroline  Sherman,  and  died  in  Galves- 
ton of  yellow  fever  in  1 866,  leaving  one  son  :  Alliert 
Sidney  Williams;  Solomon  Stoddard,  born  1S26,  in 
Lebanon,  died  in  Manchester,  Connecticut,  1847  ; 
and  Martha  Huntington,  born  1828,  in  East  Hart- 
ford, married,  in  1862,  Bryan  Iv  Hooker,  a  lineal 
descendant  of  Reverend  Thomas  Hooker,  —  the  first 
minister  in  that  city,  —  who  died   in   1888,  leaving 


three  children.  Martha  Hnkcr,  the  ntothcr  of  the 
subject  of  this  sketch,  was  a  daughter  of  Dr.  Joseph 
Bilker,  of  Brooklyn,  Connecticut,  and  a  neighbor  of 
General  Israel  Putnam,  who,  when  news  cnmc  of  the 
battles  of  Concord  and  Ix^xington  in  1775,  at  once 
raised  a  regiment  of  soldiers,  Dr.  Ilaker  noin^;  with 
him  to  Boston,  as  Surj^eon  of  the  Regiment.  Her 
mother  was  a  grand<iaughter  of  Reverend  Mr.  De- 
votion, of  SutVield,  and  daughter  of  the  Reverend 
l-'.benezer  Devotion,  of  .Scotland  Parish,  in  Wind- 
ham, Connecticut.  'I'wo  of  his  mother's  brothers 
were  officers  in  the  United  Suites  Army,  having 
enlisted  during  the  War  of  181 2;  one,  Captain 
James  Baker,  continued  in  the  service  till  dis- 
abled by  illness,  and  the  other,  Colonel  Rufus 
L.  Baker,  till  about  1861,  when  he  resigned 
rather  than  obey  orders  from  Secretiry  of  War 
Jefferson  Davis,  requiring  the  semling  of  arms  and 
ammunition  to  Southern  arsenals  and  forts.  James 
B.  Williams  acquired  his  early  education  in  the 
[jublic  schools  of  Lebanon,  East  Hartford,  and  Hart- 
ford, with  two  terms  in  the  East  Hartford  Academy. 
In  the  spring  of  1832  he  left  the  Stone  School  on 
Dorr  (now  Market)  street,  Hartford,  and  went  as  a 
farm  boy  to  live  with  Deacon  Horace  Pitkin,  of 
Manchester.  He  spent  two  summers  on  the  farm 
and  in  the  family  of  this  excellent  man,  who  taught 
him  how  to  do  work,  and  to  do  it  easily,  and  the 
knowledge  there  acquired  he  considers  to  have  been 
of  special  advantage  in  after  years.  In  the  spring 
of  1834  Messrs.  F.  &  H.  C.  Woodbridge,  nephews 
of  Deacon  Pitkin,  wanting  a  clerk,  he  entered  their 
store  on  Manchester  Green,  and  retained  the  posi- 
tion for  over  four  years.  Feeling  the  need  of  a 
more  thorough  education,  he  made  it  a  rule,  after 
closing  the  store  at  nine,  to  study  till  eleven  in  the 
evening,  and  to  rise  at  five  in  the  morning  and 
study  till  time  to  open  the  store.  This  practice  he 
followed  for  many  years,  and  as  one  of  the  partners 
was  an  apothecar)',  and  having  a  well-stocked  de- 
partment in  that  line,  the  young  man  soon  learned 
to  put  up  physicians'  prescriptions  and  to  com- 
pound their  jireparations,  spending  much  of  his 
leisure  time  and  evenings  in  studying  chemistry  ;  and 
the  knowledge  of  that  science,  thus  obtained,  has 
proven  invaluable  in  his  present  business.  In  1S38 
Mr.  F.  Woodbridge,  the  senior  of  the  firm,  moved 
away,  and  his  partner,  then  Mr.  C.  G.  Keeney, 
wished  Mr.  Williams  to  take  a  half  interest  with 
him  in  the  business,  which  he  did,  the  firm  name  be- 
coming Keeney  &  Williams.  In  1840  he  sold  his 
share  in  this  business,  except  the  drug  department, 


432 


MF.X    OF    I'ROC.RESS. 


to  the  late  Christopher  A.  Woodbridge,  and  forming 
a  partnership  with  his  brother,  Cieorge  \V.  Williams, 
in  connection  with  other  business,  began  the  man- 
ufacture of  a  variety  of  compounds,  such  as  all 
apothecaries  sell,  but  few  make.  While  in  Man- 
chester he  became  convinced  that  there  was  a  great 
and  increasing  demand  for  a  better  quality  of  shav- 
ing soap  than  was  found  among  the  trade,  and  began 
a  series  of  experiments,  hoping  to  produce  it. 
These  were  continued  for  over  two  years,  small 
quantities  being  made  and  given  to  neighbors  and 
friends  to  test.  After  being  sure  that  the  same 
quality  could  be  produced  every  time,  it  was  put 
on  to  the  market  with  the  name  "  Williams'  (lenuine 
Yankee  Soap."  Its  superior  quality  and  peculiar 
name  soon  brought  it  into  notice,  and  its  reputa- 
tion led  many  other  soapmakers  to  imitate  its 
form  and  to  pirate  its  trade-mark.  Imitations  were 
made  in  New  York,  Philadelphia,  Rochester,  Chi- 
cago, and  other  places,  scores  of  them,  compelling 
the  Williams  Brothers  to  bring  suits  at  law  to  main- 
tain their  trade-marks,  yet  securing  injunctions  in 
every  suit  they  commenced.  This  business  was 
continued  in  Manchester  till  1847,  when,  having 
divided  the  business  with  his  brother,  Mr.  Williams 
moved  to  Glastonbury,  hiring  from  his  father-in-law, 
the  late  David  Hubbard,  a  small  grist-mill,  and  con- 
tinued the  manufacture  of  shaving  soap  and  a  few 
other  articles.  After  a  year  or  more,  another 
brother,  the  late  William  S.  Williams,  joined  him, 
and  they  soon  became  partners,  under  the  firm  name 
of  James  B.  Williams  &  Company,  continuing  such 
till  1885,  when  a  joint  stock  company  was  formed, 
under  the  laws  of  the  State  of  Connecticut,  known  as 
the  J.  B.  Williams  Company.  Of  this  corporation 
James  B.  Williams  is  President ;  his  son,  David  W. 
Williams,  Vice-President ;  his  nephew,  George  G. 
Williams,  Treasurer ;  and  his  son,  Samuel  H.  Will- 
iams, Chemist.  The  grist-mill  used  when  Mr. 
Williams  moved  to  Glastonbury  in  1847  afforded 
less  than  twenty-five  hundred  square  feet  of  floor- 
space,  while  now  are  used  about  one  hundred  thou- 
sand, or  forty  times  as  much.  The  company  has 
customers  in  nearly  every  city  in  the  United  States 
and  Canada,  also  in  London,  England,  and  Sydney, 
.Australia,  and  much  is  sold  in  the  East  Indies, 
South  America,  and  Mexico.  After  almost  sixty 
years  of  business,  although  commencing  with  bor- 
rowed capital,  Mr.  Williams  can  say  that  no  check 
or  note  bearing  his  signature  has  ever  been  dis- 
honored or  protested  ;  every  claim  has  been  paid  in 
full ;  no  customer  has  ever  been  lost  (unless  going 


out  of  business)  ;  and  with  scarcely  if  any  excep- 
tion, sales  have  been  larger  each  year  than  on  any 
previous  one.  Mr.  Williams  is  also  President  of 
the  Williams  Brothers  Manufacturing  Company  in 
Glastonbury,  and  Vice-President  of  the  Vermont 
Farm  Machine  Company  of  Bellows  Falls,  Ver- 
mont. Although  in  his  eightieth  year,  he  was  at 
his  office  daily  last  season,  as  attentive  to  his  busi- 
ness as  ever,  and  while  spending  the  winter  of 
1897-8  in  Florida  is  in  almost  daily  correspond- 
ence with  home  on  business  matters.  Mr.  Williams 
has  twice  been  elected  as  a  Representative  from 
Glastonbury  to  the  lower  House  of  the  State  Leg- 
islature. As  service  in  the  militia  was  formerly 
required  of  every  able-bodied  man,  on  reaching  the 
age  of  eighteen  he  enlisted  into  the  East  Hartford 
Artillery  Company,  trained  one  day,  and  was  chosen 
a  Corporal,  but  as  his  duties  as  an  apothecary 
required  daily  attention,  and  would  exempt  him  from 
military  duty,  he  resigned  his  office  and  connection 
with  the  company,  giving  his  cap,  sword,  and  uni- 
form to  a  substitute,  thus  ending  his  military  career. 
In  1838  he  united  with  the  First  Congregational 
Church  in  Manchester,  in  1848  was  by  letter  re- 
ceived into  the  First  Church  of  Christ,  in  Glaston- 
bury, and  was  in  1859  chosen  a  Deacon  of  that 
church,  which  office  he  still  retains.  He  is  a  mem- 
ber of  the  Connecticut  Historical  Society,  of  the 
Connecticut  Congregational  Club  and  of  the  Har- 
rison Veteran  Club,  of  the  Good  Templars  and 
Sons  of  the  American  Revolution.  His  first  vote 
for  President  was  cast  in  1840,  for  General  William 
Henry  Harrison,  the  nominee  of  the  Whig  party,  his 
father  and  three  of  his  brothers  voting  for  the  same 
man.  When  the  Republican  party  was  organized  he 
joined  it,  and  has  ever  since  voted  with  it  when  good 
and  true  men  were  in  nomination.  Mr.  Williams  was 
married  in  1845  to  Jerusha  M.  Hubbard,  eldest 
daughter  of  David  Hubbard,  of  Glastonbury,  who 
bore  six  of  his  now  living  children  :  Mary  Ellen, 
David  Willard,  Martha  Baker,  Jessie  F^lizabeth, 
James  Stoddard,  and  .Samuel  Hubbard  Williams. 
In  1S66  Mrs.  Williams  died,  and  in  1869  he  married 
her  younger  sister,  Julia  Elizabeth  Hubbard,  by 
whom  he  has  two  children  living :  Anne  Shelton 
and  Richard  Solomon  Williams.  The  first  of  the 
Hubbard  name  to  settle  in  Glastonbury,  then  a  part 
of  Wethersfield,  was  George,  from  whom  many  in 
the  same  and  other  towns  have  descended.  The 
maiden  name  of  Mrs.  David  Hubbard  was  Jerusha 
HoUister,  and  for  many  years  the  names  Hubbard 
and  Hollister  were  the  most  numerous  and  ijromi- 


MKN    ()|-    I'ROr.RESS. 


433 


nent  of  any  in  the  town.  Mr.  Williams  has  twelve 
grandchildren  by  the  three  sons  of  his  first  marriage. 
The  eldest  son,  David  Willard  Williams,  was  mar- 
ried October  23,  1876,  to  Helen  Penfield  Rankin, 
daughter  of  Rev.  S.  G.  W.  Rankin  ;  they  have  five 
children  :  Helen  Louise  (born  1878),  James  Willard 
(1885),  Mildred  (18S7),  Ruth  Clarise  (1890),  and 
Isabelle  Stoddard  (1894)  Williams.  James  Stod- 
dard Williamswas  married  .\ugust  4,  1SS7,  to  Kath- 
erine  Phillips  Clarke,  daughter  of  Judge  R.  1..  |{. 
Clarke,  of  Washington  :  they  have  four  children  : 
Katherine  Stoddard  (1889"),  Helen  Devotion 
(1891),  Percy  Huntington  (1894),  and  Edith 
Clarke  (1896)  Williams.  Samuel  Hubbard  Will- 
iams was  married  January  9,  1889,  to  Frances  .Ann 
Scudder,  daughter  of  Rev.  William  Scudder,  D.D., 
a  missionary  in  India  ;  they  ha\c  tiiree  children  : 
Carrol  Scudder  (1890),  Frances  Rosseau  (1S91). 
and  Martha  Huntington  (1S96)  Williams. 


town  affairs.  He  was  granted  five  hundred  acres  of 
land  for  his  services  in  the  I'eqnot  War,  and,  com- 
manding a  company  of  friendly  Mohegans,  he  jiar- 
ticipated  in  the  battle  of  South  Kingston  in  King 
Philip's  War.     It  was  while  leading  them  in  an  as- 


WILLIAMS,  CiiAKi.Ks  Fish,  Druggist,  1  homaston, 
was  born  in  (Iroton,  Connecticut,  .April  24,  1842, 
son  of  Caleb  Miner  and  Sabra  (Cialhip)  W'illiams. 
He  is  descended  from  Roliert  Williams,  who  came 
from  (rreat  Varmoutli,  Kngland,  and  settK'd  in  Rox- 
bury,  ALissachusetts,  in  1635,  where  he  lived  to  be 
one  hundred  years  olti.  Caleb,  the  Auher  of  the 
subject  of  this  sketch,  was  a  farmer  in  Cirotoii,  and 
also  a  merchant  in  Noank.  He  filled  many  positions 
of  trust,  and  represented  the  district  in  the  Legis- 
lature. -Mr.  Williams  is  of  illustrious  ancestry  on 
both  the  paternal  and  maternal  sides,  the  families  in- 
cluding the  .Averv's,  the  Dennisons,  the  Parks,  the 
Lathams,  the  Farmings,  the  Lakes,  the  Reades,  and 
the  Grants;  and  he  is  also  a  direct  descendant  of 
Lord  Lion  Gardiner,  Commander  at  Saybrook  Fort, 
and  first  proprietor  of  Gardiner's  Island.  Five  of 
his  ancestors  ser\ed  in  Colonial  wars,  three  in  the 
maternal  line  and  two  in  the  paternal  line.  Two  of 
his  ancestors  served  in  the  Revolutionary  War  and 
one  in  the  War  of  1812.  John  Gallup,  ancestor  of 
most  of  the  people  of  that  name  in  America,  came 
from  Nosterne,  County  Dorset,  England,  in  1630,  and 
settled  in  Nantasket.  He  fought  the  first  naval  battle 
on  the  .Atlantic  coast,  in  July,  1656,  and  captured 
and  destroyed  a  large  number  of  Indians  who  had 
murdered  John  Oldham.  John  (ialluj),  Jr.,  direct 
ancestor  of  Mrs.  W'illiams,  came  from  I-^ngland  to 
lloston  in  1633,  removing  to  New  London  in 
1 65 1.  He  served  in  the  General  .Assembly  in  1665 
and    1667,  and    in    many    ways  was    prominent  in 


C     F.    WILLIAMS. 

sault  that  he  fell,  just  inside  the  Indian  stockade. 
.At  eighteen  years  of  age,  after  obtaining  a  good 
common-school  education,  Mr.  Williams  began  work 
in  the  drug  store  of  Dr.  Seth  Smith,  of  New  London, 
where  he  remained  four  years.  'I'hen  he  was  in  the 
enijjloy  of  Lee  &  Osgood,  and  later  was  with  W.  S. 
Tyler  &  Son,  of  Norwich.  In  1S67  he  formed  a 
partnership  withW.  S.  Tyler,  Jr.,  for  the  purchase  of 
the  old  and  established  drug  store  of  C.  C.  Thomp- 
son in  Greenville,  a  suburb  of  Norwich.  When  this 
]xutnorship  was  dissolved  Mr.  Williams  opened  a 
store  in  .Ansonia,  Connecticut,  which  he  conducted 
for  nine  years.  Removing  to  Thumaston,  Connect- 
icut, in  1878,  he  bought  the  old  Seth  Thomas  drug 
store,  where  he  has  had  marked  success.  The  firm 
style  to-day  is  C.  F.  Williams  iS:  Son.  Mr.  Williams 
was  Postmaster  in  Greenville,  and  held  other  minor 
offices.  In  .Ansonia  he  served  as  Warden  of  the 
Borough,  and  in  Thurston  he  was  Selectman  for  .sev- 
eral terms,  and  was  Fire  Commissioner  for  a  consid- 
erable period.  He  is  a  Director  and  Vice-President 
of  the  Thomaston  National  Hank.     He  is  a  man  of 


434 


MEN    OF   PROC.RESS. 


superior  intelligence  and  genial  disposition,  and  is  a 
universal  favorite.  November  5,  1867,  he  married 
Elizabeth  Cooke,  daughter  of  Henry  F.  and  Lorin- 
dor  Edwards  Reynolds,  of  one  of  the  first  and  old- 
est families  of  Thomaston.  The  have  two  children  : 
Charles  Henry,  in  business  with  his  father,  and 
Frederick. 


WlirrON,  David  Erskine,  Inventor  and  Manu- 
facturer, New  London,  was  born  in  Stafford,  Tolland 
county,  Connecticut,  October  15,  1825,  son  of 
Heber  and  Marcia  (Gay)  Whiton.  His  father's 
family  came  from  l-^ngland  in  1635-6,  and  settled 
at  Hingham,  Massachusetts.  His  maternal  ances- 
tors also  came  from  England  at  aliout  the  same 
period.  David  E.  Whiton's  early  education  was 
limited  to  that  acquired  in  the  district  schools.  At 
the  age  of  fourteen  he  was  "  bound  out  "  to  serve 
as   an    apprentice    in    the    carpenters'    trade    until 


D.    E.  WHITON. 

twenty-one.  Before  the  ex])iration  of  his  appren- 
ticeship he  bought  up  his  remaining  time  with  earn- 
ings made  by  working  overtime  and  in  other  ways, 
and  for  several  years  worked  at  his  trade  as  a 
journeyman.  In  1849  he  spent  some  time  in  travel 
in  the  West,  beyond  Chicago  and  in  Wisconsin, 
then    almost   a   wilderness.       In    1852    he    started 


business  in  West  Stafford,  Connecticut,  as  a  mill- 
wright, also  building  turbine  water-wheels  and  other 
mill  machinery.  In  1856  he  extended  his  business 
by  adding  machinery  and  appliances  for  the  manu- 
facture of  a  patent  centring  machine,  for  use  in 
machine  shops.  He  continued  to  add  occasionally 
other  machinery  specialties,  and  in  1865  he  started 
the  manufacture  of  a  line  of  lathe  chucks,  having 
purchased  the  machinery  and  business  of  another 
shop  at  about  this  time.  His  business  continued  to 
increase  in  this  line  of  mechanical  specialties,  and 
largely  through  the  inventive  and  mechanical  skill 
of  the  proprietor,  until  in  1886  it  was  removed  to 
New  London,  where  it  has  been  growing  steadily 
since  the  removal.  Mr.  Whiton  has  given  most  of 
his  time  to  mechanical  matters,  and  has  made  many 
inventions  and  improvements,  in  the  special  lines 
referred  to,  which  have  come  into  general  use.  He 
has,  however,  been  almost  constantly  active  in  town 
affairs,  and  during  his  residence  in  Stafford  has 
served  at  various  times  as  Constable  and  Collector 
of  Taxes,  Assessor  for  several  terms,  member  of  the 
Board  of  Relief,  Selectman,  and  Representative  to 
the  Legislature.  He  was  also  a  prominent  member 
of  the  Methodist  Episcopal  Church  during  most  of 
this  period,  and  for  a  number  of  years  Trustee 
of  the  Society  and  Superintendent  of  the  Sunday 
School.  In  politics  Mr.  Whiton  was  an  old-time 
\\'hig  until  the  formation  of  the  Republican  party, 
with  which  he  has  ever  since  been  identified.  He 
has  never  held  any  political  State  office  except  that 
of  Representative,  to  which  he  was  twice  elected. 
He  was  a  member  of  the  first  Legislature  to  occupy 
the  new  Capitol  in  Hartford.  Mr.  Whiton  was 
married  November  13,  1856,  to  .\senath  Francis. 
They  have  had  three  children  :  Rosa,  who  died  at 
four  years ;  Lucius  Erskine,  now  in  business  with 
his  father;  and  Mary  Francis,  w-ife  of  L.  K.  Ship- 
man,  M.D.,  of  New  London,  Connecticut. 


WELCH,  Archibald  Hyde,  Second  Vice-Presi- 
dent of  the  New  York  Life  Insurance  Company,  was 
born  in  Mansfield,  Connecticut,  and  at  an  early  age 
displayed  an  aptitude  for  busmess  pursuits  which, 
when  developed  by  a  thorough  mercantile  training, 
assumed  the  keen  perceptibility  and  sound  judgment 
which  have  characterized  his  career  in  the  marts  of 
commerce.  In  185 1  he  entered  as  a  clerk  the 
employ  of  Day,  Griswold  &  Company,  dry  goods 
commission  merchants  of  Hartford,  Connecticut, 
where  his  course  was  upward  and  onward  from  the 


mi:n'  of  prdorfss. 


435 


start.     He  continued  with  them  and  their  succes-      began  the  study  of  law  with  a  prominent  attorney 


sors,  Griswold,  Seymour  iS:  Company,  until  hemming 


> 


•^ 


in  I'oughkeepsie,  New  York,  hut  having  a  natural 
desire  to  enter  the  medical  profession  he  was 
enaliled,  through  the  assistance  of  Dr.  Clarkson  K. 
Collins,  of  Great  Harrington,  to  pursue  a  full  prepara- 
tory course,  which  was  conipleteil  at  the  New  \'ork 
College  of  I'hysicians  and  Surgeons  in  i<S65,and 
he  renicmhers  with  sin<-ere  gratitude  the  kindness 
and  encouragement  received  from  l>r.  Alfred  C. 
I'ost,  Dr.  Wiilard  I'arker,  and  llonorahle  N'aleniine 
Mutt,  of  New  N'ork.  Having  profited  much  by  the 
clinical  advantages  offered  by  the  New  \'ork, 
Hellevue,  and  other  hospitals  of  the  mctro]X)lis,  he 
located  for  practice  in  New  Haven,  which  has  proved 
a  successful  field  both  for  professional  advancement 
and  pecuniary  reward,  and  through  an  unselfish 
devotion  to  his  useful  calling  has  reacheil  a  |x)si- 
tion  of  prominence  among  the  most  able  physi- 
cians of  the  State.  He  is  a  member  of  the  .State, 
New  Haven  County,  and  New  Haven  Medical  So- 
cieties, having  served  as  President  of  the  latter  for 
a  number  of  years;  the  American  Medical  and 
.Vmerican  Public  Health  .Associations  ;  the  .American 
.Academy  of  Political  and  Social  Science,  and  the 


A.    H,    WELCH. 

associated  as  a  partner  with  Messrs.  Griswold  iS: 
Whitman,  under  the  firm  name  of  (iriswold,  Whitman 
&  Welch  ;  and  tlie  latter  concern  was  succeeded  by 
\\hitman  &  Welch.  In  18S5  his  connection  with 
Mr.  Henry  A.  \Vhitnian  was  dissolved  after  an  asso- 
ciation as  fellow-clerk  and  partner  for  thirty  years. 
In  i<S82  Mr.  Welch  became  a  member  of  the  Board 
of  'I'rustees  of  the  New  York  Life  Insurance  Com- 
pany, and  three  years  later  was  elected  its  Second 
Vice-President,  and  his  unusual  energy  and  |)rogres- 
sive  tendencies  have  added  strength  and  prestige  to 
the  executive  staff  of  that  well-known  organization. 


W  lN('lli;i.l.,  Ai.VKKi)  F,.,  M.l).,  New  Haven,  is 
a  native  of  Fgremont,  lierkshire  county,  Massa- 
chusetts. The  family,  which  originated  in  the  south 
of  P^ngland,  has  a  well-established  record  cover- 
ing eight  generations,  and  its  .American  ancestor 
settled  at  Windsor,  Connecticut,  in  1638.  .Alverd 
Vj.  Winchell  fitted  for  college  at  the  Great  Barring- 
ton  (Massachusetts)  Academy,  and  was  graduated 
from  the  Wesleyan  I'niversity,  Middletown,  Con- 
necticut, in  the  class  of  1857,  with  honors.  After 
engaging  in   educational   work   for  three    years    he 


A.    E.    WINCHELL. 


.Masonic  order.  In  1S79  he  was  appointed  Com- 
missioner of  the  New  Haven  Itoard  of  Health,  hold- 
ing that  office  for  fourteen  years,  and  ser\-ing  as  its 


436 


MEN    OF    PROGRESS. 


President  for  a  succession  of  terms,  during  which 
time  much  progress  was  made  in  improving  the 
sanitary  condition  of  the  city.  Quick  in  diagnosis, 
juilicious  in  treatment,  and  exceedingly  charitable 
to  the  poor  and  unfortunate,  he  commands  the 
esteem  of  his  colleagues  as  well  as  the  confidence  of 
the  public.  Aside  from  his  professional  labors,  he 
is  deeply  interested  in  Christian  and  philanthropic 
work,  and  is  actively  concerned  in  the  progress  of  the 
(  ity,  which  is  indebted  to  his  energy,  foresight,  and 
pecuniary  outlay  for  the  erection  of  the  Hyperion 
'I'heatre,  pronounced  by  artists  and  public  speakers 
to  be  almost  unequalled  for  its  acoustic  properties 
and  general  appointments.  On  February  9,  i860, 
Dr.  Winchell  married,  for  his  first  wife,  Helen  E. 
Ilinman,  daughter  of  Captain  Charles  Hinman,  of 
Southbury,  and  she  died  in  1863.  In  October, 
1865,  he  married  Mary,  daughter  of  Elizur  Mitchell, 
of  South  Britain,  and  she  died  in  1874,  leaving  one 
daughter,  Mary  Helen,  now  the  wife  of  Dr.  William 
A.  Brooks,  of  Boston.  On  October  24,  1876,  he 
wedded  his  ])resent  wife,  who  was  before  marriage 
Catherine  Worthington  Shepard,  daughter  of  Rev- 
erend Samuel  N.  Shepard,  for  thirty  years  Pastor  of 
the  Congregational  Church,  Madison,  Connecticut, 
granddaughter  of  Reverend  Samuel  Shepard,  D.D., 
for  fifty  years  a  preacher  in  Lenox,  Massachusetts, 
and  a  niece  of  the  distinguished  John  Todd,  D.l). 


known  as  a  campaign  orator,  and  did  gallant  work 
on  the  stump  for  the  Democratic  candidates^in  the 
successive  national  campaigns  from  1864  to  1884. 
His   portrait  and  biography  may  be   found   in  the 


A    M.   CARD. 


C.4RD,  Ai.KF.RT  Miller,  Attorney,  New  York 
city,  and  President  of  the  village  of  Sharon,  Con- 
necticut, was  born  in  the  town  of  Ancram,  Columbia 
county.  New  York,  July  21,  1845,  son  of  Edson  and 
Mary  (Miller)  Card.  On  the  maternal  side  he  is 
related  to  Judge  Theodore  Miller,  of  Columbia 
county,  New  York,  Judge  of  the  Court  of  Appeals. 
During  his  childhood  the  family  removed  to 
Sharon,  Connecticut,  where  young  Card  attended 
the  high  school.  From  there  he  was  sent  to  the 
seminary  at  Amenia,  New  York,  finishing  with  a 
course  at  the  Eastman  Business  College,  at  Pough- 
keepsie.  New  York.  He  then  took  up  the  study  of 
law  in  the  office  of  Honorable  Charles  Wheaton, 
of  Poughkeepsie,  and  made  such  rapid  progress  that 
at  the  end  of  one  year  he  was  admitted  to  the  bar. 
He  began  the  practice  of  law  in  Dutchess  county. 
He  was  a  Democrat  from  the  first,  and  soon  began 
to  take  an  active  part  in  politics.  His  bright  and 
eloquent  speeches  immediately  attracted  attention  to 
him,  and  he  soon  found  his  fiime  growing  beyond  the 
confines   of  his    own  county.     He  became  widely 


book  entitled,  "  Leading  Orators  of  Twenty-five 
Presidential  Campaigns,"  by  ^^'iIliam  C.  Roberts. 
He  was  appointed  by  President  Johnson  to  the 
office  of  United  States  District  Revenue  Assessor, 
with  headquarters  at  Poughkeepsie,  and  during 
the  same  period  served  as  School  Commissioner 
of  Dutchess  county.  He  was  injured  in  the 
Harlem  railroad  accident  in  1861,  and  was  obliged 
to  walk  on  crutches  for  nine  years.  Mr.  Card 
removed  to  New  York  city  in  1870,  and  associated 
himself  in  the  practice  of  law  with  Honorable 
Homer  A.  Nelson,  then  Secretary  of  State.  This 
partnership  continued  until  1892,  the  firm  retaining 
offices  at  Poughkeepsie.  Mr.  Card  also  retained 
his  connection  with  Sharon,  Connecticut,  which 
town  he  ably  represented  in  the  Connecticut  Legis- 
latures of  1886-9.  FoJ"  t"'elve  years  he  held  the 
office  of  Judge  of  Probate  for  the  District  of  Sharon. 
In  1888,  in  connection  with  Governor  Lounsbury, 
he  was  a  member  of  the  General  Conference  of  the 
Ejiiscopal  Church.  At  the  present  time  he  is  Pres- 
ident of  the  village  of  Sharon,  Connecticut,  Director 
of  the   Sharon  Water  Company,   the  Sharon  Tele- 


MIX    Ol'    I'ROC.RKSS. 


437 


phone  Company,  and  the  Sharon  Electric  Light 
Company.  He  is  also  Commissioner  of  the 
Superior  Court  ol"  Connecticut,  Vice-1'resitlent  and 
Secretary  of  the  Salisbury  Carbonate  Iron  Com- 
])any  of  Connecticut,  and  Secretary  and  Treasurer 
of  tile  I^ndon  Iron  Company  of  Connecticut. 
In  New  York  State  his  positions  are  not  less  im- 
portant and  responsible.  He  is  Secretar)-  of  the 
Amenia  Mining  Company,  and  Secretary  of  the 
Kelley  Mining  Company  of  Chatham,  New  York. 
He  is  a  member  of  the  State  Bar  Association  of 
New  York,  and  also  belongs  to  the  Democratic 
Club,  the  Tammany  Hall  .\ssociation,  and  the 
Harlem  Democratic  Club.  He  also  claims  member- 
ship in  the  Old  Put  Club  of  Danbury,  Connecticut, 
and  the  Hamilton  Lodge  of  Masons  of  Sharon, 
Connecticut.  His  wife  was  Mary  L.  Morey,  a 
descendant  of  the  Livingston,  Northruji,  and  Rider 
families  of  Dutchess  county  and  the  Harlem  River 
Valley.  One  son  has  been  born  to  them  :  Clayton 
M.  Card,  now  a  merchant  at  Sharon. 


|F,NNI\(.S,  \i:kaham  CioiLi),  founder  of  the 
lace  industry  in  this  country,  was  born  .\ugust  28, 
182 1,  in  Fairfield,  Connecticut,  where  his  family 
had  settled  nearly  two  hundred  years  before.  Many 
of  Mr.  Jennings'  ancestors  had  been  prominent 
in  early  Colonial  history,  one  of  them.  Major 
Gold,  having  had  the  distinction  of  being  a  signer 
of  the  original  charter  of  Connecticut ;  another  had 
been  Lieutenant-Governor  ;  a  third,  Colonel  Talcott, 
had  commanded  the  Colonial  forces  in  King  l'hili]i's 
War ;  and  still  another.  Major  Peter  Burr,  had  been 
a  Justice  of  the  Supreme  Court.  In  the  later  Colo- 
nial history  they  figured  no  less  conspicuously. 
Colonel  John  Burr  was  reputed  the  richest  man  of 
his  time,  while  Colonel  Abraham  Gold,  Mr.  Jen- 
nings' paternal  great-grandfather,  died  at  Ridge- 
field  on  a  Revolutionary  field  of  battle,  his  sword  as 
well  as  his  name  having  been  bequeathed  to  the 
subject  of  this  sketch.  On  a  collateral  line  there 
were  conspicuous  the  two  Aaron  Burrs,  one  the 
President  of  Princeton  College,  the  other,  his  son, 
Vice-President  of  the  United  States.  It  was  with 
such  a  heritage  of  sturdy  Colonial  blood  that 
Mr.  Jennings  made  his  start  in  the  world,  and 
after  completing  his  education  in  Fairfield  went 
to  New  York  in  1836  to  enter  the  wholesale  dry- 
goods  house  of  his  brother-in-law,  J.  S.  Pier- 
son.     In   this    he    succeeded    rapidly,   becoming  a 


member  of  ihc  firm  of  I'ierson  &  Jennings  m  •!>«-' 
early  age  of  twenty-three,  and  finally  MurccdInK 
some  years  later  as  the  senior  member  of  ihe  new 
concern,  styled  Jennings,  Wheeler  &  Company,  and 
occupying  a  store  on  llroailway,  and  afienvards  at 
43  anil  45  Chambers  street,  where  ihcy  carried  on 
a  large  business,  principally  with  merchants  from 
the  Southern  .States.  When  the  war  broke  out  in 
1 86 1,  some  four  hundred  thousand  dollars  were 
unfortunately  found  to  be  owing  the  firn>  by  Southern 
merchants,  a  very  small  |)er  cent,  of  which  was  ever 
collected.  Mr.  Jennings  sought  for  another  field  for 
his  business  enterprise,  and  finally  found  it  in  1867, 
when  he  jHirchased  a  number  of  lace  machines  which 
had  been  brought  over  from  England  on  a  venture. 
With    these  he  devoted  himself  almost  exclusively 


A.  G.  JENNINGS. 

for  the  next  few  years  to  the  manufacture  of  hair 
nets,  then  much  in  vogue.  In  1869  he  went  over 
to  iMigland,  and  while  there  purchased  more  lace 
machinery.  In  1870  and  1871  a  large  buildin); 
was  erected  for  the  business  of  manufacturing  silk, 
dress  and  trimming  laces,  in  Brooklyn,  corner  Park 
avenue  and  Hall  street,  and  from  that  time  to  the 
present  freijuent  additions  have  been  made  to  the 
property,  until  now  the  Lace  Works  occupy  five 
large  buildings  and  contain  some  eight  acres  of 
floor   space,  all  having  been  especially  erected  by 


438 


MI:N    of    I'ROCRKSS. 


Mr.    Jennings    for    his  lace    business.     In    1872-3 
tiie  making  of  lace  was  effectively  undertaken  in  an 
elaborate    way ;    Cluipure    and   Spanish   and    many 
other  varieties  were  made,  in  successful  competition 
with  the  imported  article,  and  found  much  favor  for 
their  fineness  and  quality.     Prices  of  the  imported 
goods  were  then  affording  extravagant  profits  to  the 
lace  importer.     This  fact  alone  made  domestic  pro- 
duction possible,  in  view  of  the  many  and  almost 
msurmountable  difficulties  attending  the    introduc- 
tion  of  a    new    textile    industry   into  the  country. 
The  unskilled  and  higher-priced  domestic  labor,  the 
lack  of  technical    experience    in    the    manufacture 
and  the  finish  of  the  different  grades  of  goods,  the 
remoteness  of    the    machine    shops,    necessitating 
the  making  of  all  important  repairs  in  England,  — 
all  of  these  obstacles  militated  against  the  growth 
of    the    industry ;     however,    new    and    improved 
machinery  was  constantly  being  added  to  the  plant, 
skilled  artisans   from    England    and    France   found 
their  way  over,  and    with  an   immense  amount  of 
labor  and   pains  it  was  found   possible  to  instruct 
and  make  skilful  native  help.     In  this  complicated 
and    difficult   business    of   introducing   the    manu- 
facture of  laces  in  this  country,  Mr.  Jennings  has 
had    many  obstacles  to  contend    with,   but  in  this 
work    he  had   the  assistance   of   his  sons,   Warren 
P.  and  Oliver  T.,  particularly  his  son  Warren,  who 
made  the  art  of  designing  laces  and  lace  machinery 
his   especial   study,    and     for   that    purpose    went 
to  Europe    several  times  to  investigate   and   learn 
the   art.     He    manifested    great    talent   and    inge- 
nuity,  and    accomplished    much    to    advance    this 
intricate     textile     industry    in    the    United    States. 
Before   1890    Mr.  Jennings  had   the  misfortune  to 
lose  by  death,  within  a  few  years  of  each  other,  both 
of  his  faithful  sons.     This  business  of  manufacturing 
laces    has    been    carried    on    under   the    name   of 
A.   G.  Jennings  and  A.  (1.  Jennings  &  Sons,  and 
since    1888    under    the    firm    name    of    Jennings' 
Tace   Works.     Mr.    Jennings    has    now   associated 
with  him,  as  his  only  partner  in  the  business,   his 
son,   Albert    (jould   Jennings.      The    following  are 
some   of  the  names  of  the  various  styles  of  laces 
which  were    first    made    in  the    United    States  by 
A.    G.   Jennings   and    the  Jennings    Lace    Works : 
Trimming    laces  —  Guipure,     Spanish,     Chantilly, 
Spanish    Guipure,     Mechlin,    Coraline,    \'andyke, 
Duchesse,     Yak,      Blonde,     and    Escurial ;     dress 
trimmings    and    nets  —  Brussels,    Spotted,    Tosca, 
Striped,     Square,    Russian,    Chain,     and     others ; 
also    millinery    trimmings    and    veilings    in    great 


varieties.  The  laces  they  manufacture  are  sold  in 
all  parts  of  the  United  States,  also  in  Canada,  and 
their  merit  acknowledged.  Their  productions  were 
awarded  premiums  at  the  World's  Fair  in  Phila- 
delphia and  Chicago,  and  at  other  times  and  places. 


LAY'J'ON,  Jacob  M.,  Cashier  of  the  City  National 
Bank,  and  Real  Estate  and  Insurance  Agent,  South 
Norwalk,  was  born  in  Newark,  New  Jersey,  May  30, 
1847.  He  is  the  son  of  William  E.  and  Emeline 
(Davis)  Layton.  His  father's  father  was  killed  by 
an  accident  in  early  manhood.  He  was  educated 
in  the  common  school,  and  was  graduated  from  the 
Newark  High  School  in  1862.  With  no  further 
training  for  active  life  he  commenced  business  at 
the  age  of  fifteen,  with  a  determination  to  win  busi- 
ness success  with  hard  work  and  integrity.  He  was 
first  employed  as  a  boy  in  a  hat  factory,  where  his 


J.   M.   LAYTON. 

father  was  Superintendent.  At  this  time  the  Cashier 
of  the  Newark  Banking  Company  desired  a  boy,  and 
asked  of  the  Principal  of  the  High  School  that  he 
recommend  a  member  of  the  class  of  1862  for  the 
place,  and  it  was  thus  that  Jacob  M.  Layton  was 
introduced   into  the  banking   business.     After   two 


mi:n  oi-   i'K(ti;Ki;ss. 


4.?9 


years'  service  with  the  Newark  liankiiij;  C'omiiaiiy 
he  obtainetl  a  inisilion  with  llie  Meciianics  Hanking 
Association  of  New  York  city,  then  locateil  at  38 
\Vall  street.  He  there  continued  for  eight  years, 
until  July  1S7J,  when  he  became  connected  with  the 
l)rivate  banking  and  insurance  business  of  Melville 
K.  Mead,  of  South  Norwalk.  This  business  proved 
unprofitable,  and  on  the  f;iilure  of  Mr.  Mead  in  1S76 
he  started  in  business  on  his  own  account  as  real 
estate  and  insurance  agent,  at  South  Norwalk,  and 
has  continued  actively  in  the  business,  ever  since. 
On  April  i:;,  1882,  the  City  National  Hank  of 
South  Norwalk  was  opened  for  business,  with  a  cap- 
ital of  i!ioo,ooo.  Mr.  Layton  has  been  Cashier 
of  the  bank  from  its  organization,  and  has  been 
accorded  the  privilege  of  carrying  on  his  real  estate 
and  insurance  business  at  the  same  time.  In  his 
insurance  business  he  represents  the  largest  and 
best  companies,  and  does  the  leading  business  in 
insurance  in  the  city.  He  built  his  present  resi- 
dence in  iS84,and  is  now  the  owner  of  considerable 
real  estate.  He  has  been  Treasurer  of  the  South 
Norwalk  District  School  since  1882.  He  was  Clerk 
of  the  r.oard  of  Water  Commissioners  from  1S80  to 
1896  and  Water  Commissioner  from  18S0  to  1S85, 
and  was  a  member  of  the  School  Committee  (roni 
1878  to  1 88 1.  He  has  been  Society's  Treasurer 
and  member  of  Society's  Committee  of  the  Con- 
gregational Church  from  1876  to  the  ]jresent 
time ;  has  been  Deacon  in  the  same  church  since 
1891  ;  and  Superintendent  in  its  Sunday  School 
since  1893.  In  politics  he  is  a  Republican. 
He  was  married  October  8,  1873,  to  Mary  A. 
Cardner,  of  Newark,  New  Jersey.  They  have 
had  two  children :  Alice  Gardner,  now  wife  of 
David  I).  Raymond,  and  Frank  D.  Layton,  who 
is  associated  with  his  father  in  his  real  estate  and 
insurance  business. 


in  Captain  Clarke's  loinpany  of  Artificers,  who  were 
in  the  ser\'ice  of  their  country  fur  five  years ;  and  a 
thinl,  Walter  Hooth,  was  a  private  in  the  'ihird 
Con)pany   of  the   Fifth    jlattalion,  conunandeil   by 


LINKS,  H.  W.ALES,  President  of  the  11.  Wales 
Lines  C'ompany,  and  of  other  large  business  cor- 
porations in  Meriden,  was  born  in  Naugatuck, 
Connecticut,  June  3,  1838,  son  of  Henry  W.  and 
Harriet  (Bunnell)  Lines.  He  comes  of  Revolution- 
ary stock,  being  a  "  Son  of  the  Revolution  "  by 
three  direct  branches  of  the  family  tree.  One  of 
his  great-grandfathers,  Ljios  liunnell,  was  a  private 
soldier  in  the  Ninth  Comixany  of  the  First  Connecti- 
cut Regiment,  commanded  by  Colonel  David  Woos- 
ter,  in  1775  ;  another,  Flisha  Stevens,  was  a  private 


H.  WALES   LINES. 

Cai)tain  William  Douglas.  His  i)aternal  grand- 
parents, Calvin  and  Saliic  (Hooth)  Lines,  were  old 
residents  of  Bethany,  Connecticut.  He  received 
his  early  education  in  the  schools  of  Naugatuck, 
and  after  graduation  at  the  high  school  learned 
the  mason  trade.  In  1862  he  removed  to  Middle- 
town,  where  he  worked  at  his  trade  for  two  years, 
and  then  formed  a  copartnership  under  the  firm 
name  of  Perkins  &  Lines,  to  carry  on  the  business 
of  general  contractors  for  mason  work  and  dealers 
in  building  materials.  The  retirement  of  Mr.  Per- 
kins in  1878  resulted  in  the  formation  of  the  firm  of 
H.  Wales  Lines  &  Company,  under  which  name 
the  business  was  continued  until  ten  years  later, 
when  it  was  converted  into  the  present  stock  com- 
pany and  incorporated  as  the  H.Wales  Lines  Com- 
pany, with  Mr.  Lines  as  Presiilent  and  Treasurer. 
The  success  of  the  company  has  been  phenomenal, 
their  business  exteniling  into  several  of  the  New 
England  States,  while  nine-tenths  of  the  factories 
of  Meriden  were  erected  by  them,  including  the 
extensive  plants  of  the  Meriden  Britannia  Company, 


440 


MEN    OF    1'KUc;RESS. 


tlie   Bradley  &  Hubbard    Manufacturing  Company, 
and    Edward    Miller   &    Company.      'Iheir    handi- 
work   may   also    be     found    among    the    churches, 
schools,  business  blocks,  and  fine  residences  of  the 
city,  in  great  profusion.     Mr.  Lines  is  also  President 
of  the  Meriden  Machine  Tool   Company,  another 
large  business  corporation,  which  commenced  opera- 
tions  in   1890,  making  a  specialty  of  tools  for  the 
manufacture  of  silver-ware.     He  is  likewise  Presi- 
dent of  the  Meriden  Lumber  Company,  one  of  the 
oldest  and  most  prominent  concerns  of  Meriden  in 
that  branch  of  business.     He  has  been  President  of 
the  New  England  Brownstone  Company  since  1891, 
and  is  a  Director  in  the  Middletown  Bronze  Com- 
])any  and  the   C.   F.   Munroe   Company.     Various 
financial  institutions  have  also  sought  the  advantages 
to  be  derived  from  Mr.  Lines'  long  experience  and 
superior   judgment,  and    he   is    a   Trustee    of    the 
Meriden  Savings  Bank  and  a  member  of  DeBussy, 
Manwaring  &  Company,  of  New  Haven  and  Spring- 
field.    As  was   natural  from  his  conspicuous    busi- 
ness ability  and  integrity,  Mr.  Lines  has  been  called 
by  his  fellow-citizens  to  serve  in  various  public  and 
official  capacities.     In  1872   he  was  elected  to  the 
lower  branch  of  the  State  Legislature,  and  for  the 
years  1878-9  he  was  a  member  of  the  Senate,     hi 
the  latter  body  he  served  as  Chairman  of  the  Com- 
mittee on  Cities  and  Boroughs,  and  also  as  Chair- 
man of  the    Committee    on    Contested    Elections. 
While  resident  in  Middletown  he  served  as  Mayor 
of  that   city  for   three  consecutive    years,  1877-9, 
and  during   his  administration  a  complete  revision 
of  the  city  charter  was  made,  also  a  thorough  ref- 
ormation  in  the  methods   of  running    the   various 
departments  and  in  the  system  of  keeping  accounts. 
.At  his  third  election  he  received  two-thirds  of  all 
the  votes  cast,  and  he  was  unanimously  nominated 
for  a  fourth  term,  but  declined  to  accept  the  office 
longer.     In  1888  he  was  the  Republican  candidate 
for  Congress  from  his  district,  but  it  was  a  Demo- 
cratic year  and  he  shared  the  defeat  of  the  rest  of 
the  ticket.     In  all  that  pertains  to  the  welfare   of 
his  comnmnity  Mr.  Lines  has  always  taken  a  zeal- 
ous interest.     Every  plan  for  advancing  the  material 
development  and  progress  of  the  city  finds  in  him 
a  ready  helper,  and   to   many  of  its  important  im- 
provements he  has  contributed  valuable  assistance. 
Mr.    Lines    was   married    in    June    1861,  to   Sarah 
C.    Munger,    daughter    of    Reverend    Washington 
Munger,    Baptist    clergyman,    of    Waterford,    Con- 
necticut.    They  have  four  daughters,  all  now  living 
and  married. 


MORRILL,  John  Milton  Earl,  Contractor  and 
Builder,  Boston,  was  born  in  Middletown,  Connecti- 
cut, August  8,  1857,  son  of  John  Langley  and 
Elmina  (Mansfield)  Morrill.  The  parents  were 
natives  of  New  Hampshire,  and  the  subject  of  this 


J     M.    E.    MORRILL. 

sketch  is  a  descendant  of  Paul  Morrill,  who  is  said  to 
have  been  the  first  settler  in  Chichester,  locating 
there  in  1758.  The  mother's  father  was  Abel 
Miles  Mansfield,  of  New  Ipswich,  and  her  maternal 
grandfather  was  Dr.  Samuel  Ryan,  who  served  as  a 
Surgeon  in  the  Revolutionary  War.  John  Langley 
Morrill,  the  father,  was  a  millwright  by  trade,  and 
followed  it  along  the  Connecticut  river,  building  the 
great  bucket  wheels  which  antedated  the  turbine 
wheels  of  to-day.  Settling  in  Middletown,  he 
bought  a  mill  and  water-power  privilege,  situated  at 
what  is  still  known  as  Dish-mill  Falls,  seven  miles 
below  Middletown,  which  took  its  name  from  a 
wooden-ware  factory  said  to  be  the  identical  place 
where  the  famous  wooden  hams  and  nutmegs  were 
originally  produced.  Although  these  articles  are 
generally  believed  to  be  a  myth,  Mr.  Morrill  vouches 
for  the  truth  of  their  existence,  and  says  that  samples 
are  still  in  the  possession  of  old  residents.  John 
L.  Morrill  continued  in  business  until  enlisting  for 
service  in  the  Civil  War,  where  he  sustained  a 
severe  injury  to  his  ribs,  which  were  imperfectly  set, 


MKN    OF    PROCKKSS. 


441 


with  the  result  that  he  died  from  the  injury  soon 
after  his  return.  John  Milton  l^ari  Morrill  was  edu- 
cated in  the  common  schools,  and  as  he  was  thrown 
upon  his  own  resources  at  an  early  age  he  supported 
himself  by  working  upon  farms,  later  learning  the 
carpenter's  trade.  Coming  to  Boston  in  1877,  at  a 
time  when  business  of  all  kinds  was  practically  at  a 
standstill,  he  hired  a  shop,  inserted  an  advertisement 
in  the  city  directory,  and  during  his  early  struggle 
for  a  foothold  he  paid  shop  rent  for  months  without 
driving  a  single  nail.  Perseverance  and  energy  are 
such  active  features  in  his  character,  however,  that 
he  at  length  accjuired  a  good  jobbing  business,  still 
later  becoming  favorably  known  as  a  reliable  build- 
ing contractor,  and  at  times  had  as  many  as  twenty 
ex-boss  carpenters  in  his  emjiloy.  Of  late  he  has 
given  his  attention  to  first-class  work  only,  and 
among  some  of  the  more  notable  buildings  which 
he  has  erected  may  be  mentioned  :  The  home  of  Mr. 
John  Fisk,  Adams  street,  Milton ;  the  Bridge 
Memorial  Library,  Walpole,  New  Hampshire ;  some 
important  additions  to  the  Milton  Academy;  and 
several  fine  residences  in  Jamaica  Plain  and  Brook- 
line,  chief  among  wliich  is  the  house  at  the  lorner  of 
Kent  street  and  l.ongwood  avenue,  built  for  -Mr.  J.  1'. 
Webber,  at  a  cost  of  fortv  thousand  dollars ;  also 
the  fine  resiliences  of  Mr.  Frank  Heamis  and  John 
Belches  in  Brookline.  About  the  year  1886  he 
located  in  Dorchester,  where  he  purchased  the 
Wheeler  estate  on  Centre  street,  and  has  spent  sev- 
eral thousand  dollars  in  remodelling  the  buildings 
and  the  erection  of  new  ones.  Mr.  Morrill  is  a 
thirty-second  degree  Mason,  and  a  member  of  the 
Royal  .Vrcanum,  the  Knights  of  Honor,  the  Pilgrim 
Fathers,  and  the  Chickatawbut  Club.  Mr.  Morrill 
has  a  stable  of  fine  horses,  and  being  an  unmarried 
man  his  chief  recreation  is  driving  on  the  Speedway 
and  out  through  some  of  the  lovely  suburbs  of 
Boston. 


PORTER,  John  Addison,  F^ditor  of  the  Hartford 
"Post"  and  Secretary  to  President  McKinley,  was 
born  in  New  Haven,  .\)jril  17,  1856.  He  is  the 
seventh  member  of  the  family  within  the  jiast  two 
centuries  to  bear  the  n:ime  of  John,  and  is  the 
oldest  son  of  Professor  John  Addison  and  Josephine 
Earle  (Sheffield)  Porter,  the  latter  the  fourth  daughter 
of  Joseph  E.  Sheffield,  founder  of  the  Sheffield 
Scientific  School,  of  which  Professor  J.  A.  Porter  was 
appointed  first  Dean.  Both  the  Porters  and  Shef- 
fields  are  old  Connecticut  families  of  repute,  the 
latter  tracing  its  origin  to  the   nobility  of  England, 


and  pri-vious  to  the  prcseiU  century  many  of  it!> 
members  were  extensively  engaged  in  commerce. 
The  .\merican  ancestor  localetl  in  .South|)ort.  The 
Porter  family,  which  is  of  Norinnn  origin,  were 
[trominent  among  the  gentry  of  Warwickshire  for 
several  centuries  succeeding  the  con<|ucsl,  ami 
much  interesting  matter  relative  to  ils  genealogy  is 
contained  in  two  large  volumes  u\H)n  the  subject, 
recently  |>ublished.  The  Connecticut  branch  of  the 
family  was  founded  by  John  Porter,  who  settleil  in 
Windsor  about  the  middle  of  the  seventeenth 
century,  and  from  him  a  number  of  distinguished 
Americans  have  directly  or  indirectly  descended, 
including  General  Grant,  Grover  Cleveland,  General 
Israel  Putnam,  and  John  Brown,  the  liberator.  John 
.\d(lison  Porter  ac(iuired  his  early  education  at  the 
Hopkins  Grammar  Si  hool   of  \i-w  II.kcu  i  founded 


■lOHN    ADDISON    POPTFi 

in  1660),  attended  General  Russell's  Collegiate  and 
Commercial  Institute,  where  many  officers  of  the 
I'nited  States  ;\rniy  received  their  early  training, 
and  was  graduated  from  N'ale  I'niversity  in  the  class 
of  1878,  taking  honors  in  literature.  .After  studying 
law  for  a  time  with  his  uncle,  William  J.  Boardnian, 
a  prominent  attorney  of  Cleveland,  Ohio,  without 
the  intention  of  becoming  a  jiractitioncr,  he  returned 
to  Connecticut,  and  beginning  his  apprenticeship  in 
the  newspaper  business,  for  which  he  had  shown  a 


4-1- 


MKN    OF   PROGRESS. 


predilection,  was  first  employed  as  a  reporter  on 
the  New  Haven  "  Palladium  "  and  later  on  the  Hart- 
ford "Daily  Courant."  In  iSSo  he  made  an  extended 
\  isit  to  the  Western  States,  including  Colorado  and 
California.  Afterward  he  pursued  a  post-graduate 
course  in  American  history  at  Yale,  under  Professor 
Franklin  R.  Dexter,  and  in  1SS3  he  accepted  the 
literary  editorship  of  the  New  York  "  Observer,"  with 
which  he  was  actively  connected  for  a  year.  Dur- 
ing that  time  he  was  a  fre(iuent  contributor  to  maga- 
zines, including  the  "  New  luiglander,"  the  "  Critic," 
and  the  "Century."  In  the  winter  of  1S84-5  he 
took  up  his  residence  in  Washington,  where  he  con- 
tinued liis  literary  work,  also  assisting  his  uncle,  the 
Hon.  ^Villiam  Walter  Phelps,  Ex-Minister  to  Austria 
and  Cermany,  and  then  a  leading  member  of  the 
National  House  of  Representatives,  in  matters  of 
correspondence,  etc.,  at  the  same  time  serving  as 
Clerk  of  one  of  the  Senate  Committees,  to  which  he 
was  appointed  by  Senator  O.  H.  Piatt.  .\  severe 
illness  in  1887  compelled  him  to  pass  the  winter  in 
the  South,  and  returning  to  Connecticut  in  the 
spring  of  1888  fully  recovered,  he  purchased  an 
estate  in  Pomfret,  Windham  county,  of  which  town 
he  has  since  been  a  resident  and  a  voter.  Mr. 
Porter's  connection  with  the  Hartford  "  Evening 
Post"  began  in  the  autumn  of  1888,  when  he  pur- 
chased a  part  interest  in  that  paper  and  became 
its  Managing  Editor.  Two  years  later  he  acquired 
a  controlling  interest,  having  since  been  its  Editor- 
in-Chief.  Under  his  management  it  has  been  newly 
equipped,  has  increased  its  reputation  and  circu- 
lation, and  is  one  of  the  leading  Republican  organs 
of  the  State.  In  1890  he  was  elected  to  the  Gen- 
eral .Assembly  as  the  first  Representative  from  Pom- 
fret,  at  once  taking  a  prominent  part  in  that  body 
as  one  of  the  Republican  leaders  in  the  famous 
"Deadlock"  session,  and  the  position  which  he 
assumed  and  maintained  was  afterward  vindicated 
by  the  decision  of  the  Supreme  Court.  In  1892 
he  was  chosen  a  delegate  to  the  National  Repub- 
lican Convention  at  Minneapolis,  supporting  as 
such  the  renomination  of  President  Harrison,  and 
being  brought  forward  as  a  candidate  for  Governor 
in  1894,  was  unsuccessful,  although  receiving  a 
large  vote  in  the  convention.  As  a  candidate 
in  1896  he  more  than  doubled  his  vote  in 
the  preceding  convention,  carrying  nearly  every 
one  of  the  large  cities  ;  but  owing  to  the  law  giving 
the  smaller  towns  as  many  delegates  as  the  cities 
he  was  defeated  in  the  convention  by  a  narrow 
margin.     In  the  meantime   he  had  taken  a  promi- 


nent stand  both  personally  and  through  his  jiaper 
in  behalf  of  the  nomination  of  Governor  McKinley 
for  the  Presidency,  nine  of  the  twelve  delegates 
being  induced  to  support  him  in  the  St.  Louis 
Convention  and  previous  to  the  inauguration.  Mr. 
Porter  was  strongly  recommended  for  an  important 
foreign  mission,  the  entire  congressional  delegation 
from  Connecticut  cordially  supporting  his  appoint- 
ment as  .Ambassador  to  Italy.  Put  the  President- 
Elect  seems  to  have  selected  the  Hartford  editor  for 
a  domestic  position  equally  as  important  as  the 
Ambassadorship  above  named,  and  summoning  him 
to  Canton  offered  him  the  responsible  office  of  Sec- 
retary to  the  President,  recently  created  by  Congress, 
with  a  salary  increased  over  that  of  Private  Secre- 
tary. This  position,  which  was  established  at  Gov- 
ernor McKinley's  request,  is  recognized  in  Washing- 
ton as  having  almost  equal  rank  with  a  member  of 
the  Cabinet,  and  it  is  believed  that  the  incoming 
chief  e.xecutive  had  the  present  incumbent  in  mind 
when  the  request  was  made.  Mr.  Porter  has  always 
taken  a  deep  interest  in  educational  matters,  being 
at  one  time  Chairman  of  the  Committee  on  F^duca- 
tion  in  the  Connecticut  House  of  Representatives. 
He  is  prominently  identified  with  the  interests  of 
Yale  University,  and  as  a  candidate  for  membershiiJ 
of  its  corporation  received  nearly  the  largest  vote 
ever  cast  for  a  Fellow  of  the  institution.  As  a  cam- 
paign orator  and  after-dinner  speaker  he  has  acquired 
a  high  reputation,  and  his  treatment  of  public  affairs 
in  the  editorial  columns  of  the  "  Post"  has  always 
been  frank,  fearless,  and  forcible,  showing  his  ad- 
vanced ideas  on  subjects  of  contemporaneous  inter- 
est. His  literary  work  has  been  both  abundant  and 
varied,  comprising,  besides  numerous  magazine  arti- 
cles, a  volume  entitled  "  Sketches  of  Yale  Life," 
issued  in  1885  by  the  .Arlington  Publishing  Com- 
pany, Washington,  a  business  enterprise  with  which 
he  was  for  some  time  connected.  .About  the  year 
1884  he  made  a  notable  contribution  to  the  Johns 
Hopkins  series  of  historical  and  economic  subjects, 
entitled  "  The  City  of  Washington ;  its  Origin  and 
Development."  An  abstract  of  this  monograph,  in 
which  he  holds  that  the  so-called  "  Boss  "  Shepherd 
was  a  very  able  and  far-seeing  man,  was  read  before 
the  American  Historical  .Association  at  Saratoga,  and 
provoked  quite  an  animated  discussion.  His  vigor- 
ous championship  of  Shepherd,  which  is  substan- 
tiated by  facts,  has  since  been  generally  accepted  as 
reliable,  but  at  the  time  the  article  appeared  it  nat- 
urally challenged  criticism.  Mr.  Porter  is  a  member 
of  several    patriotic,    literary,    fraternal,  and  social 


MKN  or  rKt)i;Ki;ss. 


443 


organizations,  iniiiuling  the  Masonic  onliT,  tiic 
Sons  of  the  Anierioan  Kcvohition,  liic  Ilartt'onl 
Club,  the  I'omfret  C'hih,  Metropolitan  fhib  of 
Washington,  and  the  Connecticut  I'rcss  CKiIj.  In 
1S83  he  marrieil  Amy  K.  Betts,  oldest  daughter  of 
Col.  Ceorge  F.  Betts,  of  New  York  city,  and  grand- 
daughter of  the  late  Judge  Retts,  an  admiralty  lawyer 
of  national  reputation.  The  liettses  are  of  old  New 
England  stock,  being  connected  with  the  Rossiters, 
Deweys,  Nobles,  and  several  other  families  of  note. 
Mr.  and  Mrs.  I'orter  have  had  three  children : 
Constance  Klaine,  born  in  1S85,  died  in  1SS8; 
Amy  Agnes  Sheffield,  born  in  1S90;  and  Josephine 
Earl  Porter,  born  in  1802. 


S'l'Rf  )S(':,   \\  11  iiAM,  member  of  the  firm  of  I'.ald- 
win  &:  Strong,  New  \'ork  city,  was  born  in   Milfonl, 

Connecticut,  July  9,    181 5,    and   died  — , 

18 — .  He  was  the  son  of  William  and  Mary 
Hubbard  (Pond)  Strong,  who  were  both  members  of 
distinguished  Connecticut  fiimilies.  He  was  a 
descendant    of    Sir    (Charles    Hobby,    knighted    in 


WILLIAM    STRONG. 


Windsor  Castle,  July  9,  1705,  and  whose  portrait 
hangs  on  the  library  walls  of  Harvard  University. 
Mary,  the  daughter  of  Sir  Charles  Hobby,  became 
the  wife   of  Zachariah   Hubbard.     Their  daughter. 


Mary,  married  I'eter  I'onil.  Charles  I'oiul,  their 
son,  married  .Martha  .Miles.  This  couple  were  ihc 
honored  grandparents  of  the  subject  of  this  sketch. 
1  le  was  also  descended  from  ( Joveinor  'I'real,  of  Con- 
necticut, and  Peter  Pnulden,  the  first  Minister  of 
the  Milford  Colony.  Williani  Strong  was  educated 
in  the  schools  of  his  native  St.ite.  Me  early  dis- 
played a  talent  for  mercantile  pursuits,  and,  with  a 
young  man's  ambitions  and  the  inheritance  of  sturdy 
New  l-lngland  character  and  training,  came  to  the 
metropolis  to  seek  his  fortune.  How  well  he 
succeeded  it  is  hardly  necessary  to  mention  here. 
The  firm  of  Baldwin  &  Strong  became  known  as 
leading  importers  of  millinery  goods,  and  through- 
out his  career  .Mr.  Strong  enjoyed  the  confidence  of 
his  associates  and  the  un(piestione<l  good-will  and 
respect  of  the  trade.  Owing  to  failing  sight  he  was 
obliged  to  retire  from  the  partnership  and  abandon 
a  business  which  had  gained  for  him  a  well-deserved 
competence.  In  politics  Mr.  .Strong  was  always  a 
Democrat.  He  was  married  at  Christ  Church, 
Hartford,  Connecticut,  in  June  1843,  to  Mary  Eliza- 
beth Chalfield.  Four  children  were  Ixjrn  to  them  : 
George  Lewis,  iMary  Elizabeth,  Fannie  Ixjuise,  and 
William  Browne  Strong. 


THU.MPSON,  .\i.iKi;i>  Loo.nms,  Lily  I  lerk  ol  New 
Britain,  was  born  in  Portland,  Connecticut,  Decem- 
ber 5,  1 85  I,  son  of  John  l.oomisand  Mariette  (Case) 
Thompson.  His  father  was  a  native  of  X'ernon,  Con- 
necticut, and  his  mother  of  Portland,  Connecticut. 
His  education  was  obtained  in  the  common  schools 
of  Portland  and  New  Britain,  and  at  the  High  School 
in  the  latter  ])lace.  His  lather  moved  to  New  Brit- 
ain in  1865,  and  for  two  winters  young  Thompson 
helped  his  father  on  the  farm,  attending  school  dur- 
ing the  winter.  He  first  went  to  work  for  the  Stan- 
ley Company  in  the  fall  of  1867,  and  in  the  spring 
of  the  following  year  was  in  the  employ  of  the  Basket 
Company.  During  the  next  winter  he  attended 
school  ;  but  in  1870  again  went  to  work  for  the 
Stanley  Rule  and  Line  Comjiany.  In  the  spring  of 
1S71  he  was  employed  by  the  James  .Minor  Paper 
lias.  Manufacturing  Company,  but  soon  returned  to 
the  Stanley  Company,  where  he  remained  as  Con- 
tractor until  1892.  During  the  year  he  acted  as 
Military  Instructor  at  the  Academy  at  Cheshire,  Con- 
necticut. From  1893-96  he  was  engaged  in  the 
coal  business.  He  was  elected  to  his  present  i)osi- 
tion  as  City  Clerk  of  New  Britain  in  1896.  Mr. 
Thompson  is  greatly  interested  in  militar)'  matters, 


444 


MEN    OF    PRUCIRESS. 


and    has  seneil  as  Captain  of  Company  E,  First 
Regiment,  Connecticut  National  Guard,  from  i  S84 


A.   L.  THOMPSON. 

to  i8go,  in  which  year  he  was  elected  Lieutenant- 
Colonel  of  the  regiment,  which  position  he  con- 
tinues to  hold.  Colonel  Thompson  is  also  an 
enthusiastic  believer  in  fraternal  organizations,  and 
the  following  long  list  of  offices  which  he  has  filled 
attests  his  popularity  and  faithfulness  :  He  was  Chief 
Templar  of  Lincoln  Lodge  No.  14,  LO.G.T.,  in 
1872  ;  W.C.T.,  Phoenix  Temple,  T.  of  H.  and  Tem- 
perance, in  1876  ;  G.W.L,  Grand  Temple  of  Con- 
necticut, T.  of  H.  and  T.,  in  1882  and  1887  ;  B. 
Councillor,  New  Britain  Council  No.  8,  Order  of 
United  American  Mechanics,  in  1886  ;  State  Vice- 
Councillor  of  Connecticut,  Order  United  American 
Mechanics,  in  1896-7  ;  B.C.  of  Lady  Putnam  Coun- 
cil No.  4,  D.  of  L.,  in  1888  ;  Noble  Grand  of  Phoenix 
Lodge  No.  52,  Independent  Order  of  Odd  Fellows, 
in  1893  ;  C.C.  of  St.  Elmo  Lodge  No.  21,  Knights 
of  Pythias,  in  1892  ;  M  W.,  A.  VV.  Harvey  Lodge  No. 
49,  Ancient  Order  LTnited  Workmen,  in  1892  :  Gov- 
ernor of  Trumbull  Council  No.  49,  P.F.,  in  1895  ; 
F.C.  of  New  Britain  Council  No.  10,  C.F.,  in 
1895;  B.A.  of  New  Britain  Conclave  No.  138, 
LO.H.,in  1896;  S.S.  in  St.  John's  Lodge,  K.A.E.O., 
in  1896;  Guard  in  Washington  Commandery  No. 
I,  Knights  Templar,  in   1895;  J.D.  in  Centennial 


Lodge  No.  Ti8,  Free  and  Accepted  Masons,  in 
1897  ;  P.P.of  New  Britain  Council,  A.B.A.,  in  1897  ; 
and  Adjutant-General,  L.L.  of  Order  United  Ameri- 
can Mechanics,  in  1896-7.  He  was  married  June 
II,  1873,  to  Mary  S.  Packard.  'Jhey  have  no 
children. 


WISE,  Frank  Abbott,  Proprietor  of  the  Hotel 
R\isswin,  New  Britain,  was  born  in  Shelburne  Falls, 
Massachusetts,  July  4,  1S52,  son  of  ^Villa^l  A.  and 
Harriet  P.  (Patterson)  Wise.  His  grandfiUhcr,  S.  H. 
Wise,  is  a  prominent  farmer  in  Deerfield,  Massa- 
chusetts, still  living  at  the  age  of  ninety-eight. 
When  quite  young  Mr.  Wise  attended  school  in 
Bedford,  Ohio,  after  which  he  entered  the  schools 
in  Greenfield,  Massachusetts,  where  he  was  gradu- 
ated at  the  Greenfield  High  School.  He  then 
entered  upon  a  varied  career,  full  of  interest  and 
to-day  crowned  with  success.  At  first  he  worked 
as  clerk  for  his  uncle,  the  leading  grocer  in  Green- 
field, and  then  took  a  similar  position  with  O.  A. 
Skilton,  in  his  hardware  store  in  that  town,  where 
he  remained  one  year.      Possessed  of  a  desire  to  see 


FRANK  A.   WISE. 


the  country,  he  went  West,  and  for  a  year  was  a 
brakeman  on  the  Erie  Railroad.  Returning  to  New 
England,  he  took  a  position  on  the  old  Vermont  & 


MKN    ()|-    1>R0GRI':SS. 


445 


Massachusetts  Railroad,  ninnini;  between  Fitihhurp 
and  Hoosac  Tunnel  and  dreenfield,  Massachusetts. 
A  year  later  he  went  to  work  for  the  Hoston  \.- 
Albany  Road  ;  for  twenty-five  years  he  was  con- 
ductor on  l;ist  express  trains  between  Boston  ami 
Springfield.  Retiring  from  the  railroad  business,  he 
became  proprietor  of  the  Hotel  Russwin  in  New- 
Britain  five  year-i  ago,  where  he  has  been  remarkably 
prosperous.  It  is  the  leading  hostelry  in  that  enter- 
prising city,  and  has  a  wide  reputation.  A  jovial 
Boniface,  Mr.  Wise  is  well  known  throughout  New 
England.  He  is  a  member  of  the  Mercantile  Club 
of  Boston,  of  the  Order  of  Railroad  Conductors,  the 
Fusiliers'  Veteran  Association  of  Boston,  the  I'utnam 
Phalanx  of  Hartford,  the  New  Britain  Driving  Club, 
of  Harmony  Lodge  of  Masons  of  New  Britain,  the 
Hotel  Men's  Benefit  Association  of  the  I'nited 
States,  and  of  the  Connecticut  Association  of  Hotel 
Men.  In  politics  Mr.  Wise  is  a  Republican.  He 
was  married,  on  December  4,  1S89,  to  Lillian  E. 
lieck,  in   Auburn,   New  \'()rk. 


This  is  the  first  business  lollc-j^e  in  .New  Kn|{lantl 
to  whi(  h  this  privilege  has  been  granted.  The 
reputation  the  institution  has  acquirctl  is  the  «lircc« 


liRl'l;l'.(  K,  l\i)i:iKr  A.,  i'rincipal  of  the  New 
London  Business  College,  New  London,  was  born 
near  \\'oodstock,  \'irginia,  December  12,  i860,  the 
son  of  Philip  and  l^lizabeth  ( Fisher)  B>rul)eck.  Mr. 
Brubeck's  whole  energies  are  now  centred  in  his 
work.  Though  not  one  of  the  largest  business  col- 
leges, yet  it  is  one  of  the  most  thoroughly  equipped 
of  any  similar  institution  in  the  East,  and  its  grad- 
uates are  noted  for  the  high  standard  of  excellence 
they  attain.  Indeed,  the  demand  for  graduates  of 
this  college  from  business  men  exceeds  the  supply, 
and  many  young  ladies  who  have  learned  stenograi)hy 
there  are  in  receipt  of  salaries  of  one  thousand  dollars 
and  over.  The  school  includes  a  day  and  evening 
session,  and  pupils  may  enter  at  any  time.  The 
commercial  department  includes  not  only  short- 
hand and  bookkeejiing,  but  also  the  teaching  of 
penmanship,  arithmetic,  spelHng,  punctuation,  com- 
mercial law  and  political  economy,  and  all  that 
goes  to  make  up  the  well-equipped  business  man 
or  woman.  Telegraphy  is  also  taught,  while  the 
Business  Practice  Department  is  j)rovided  with  the 
cash-carrier  systems,  telephones,  si)eaking  tubes,  anil 
all  the  working  tools  of  a  w^ell-organized  business. 
So  high  a  standard  has  been  raised  by  the  New- 
London  Business  College  that  the  State  Legislature 
has  granted  it  the  privilege  of  conferring  the  degree 
of  M.S. .A.  (Master  of  the  Science  of  .Accounts) 
u]jon    students    who    attain    a    certain    proficiency. 


R.  A.  BRUBECK. 


result  of  the  industry,  talent,  and  force  of  .Mr.  lim- 
beck. His  college  is  a  credit  to  himself  and  to 
New  London,  and  fills  a  needed  ])lace  in  New 
Englaml  educational  life. 


MrrCHELL,  Ch.aki.e-s  Ei-uon,  Attorney-at-Iaw 
and  Ex-United  States  Commissioner  of  Patents, 
New  York,  and  a  long  resident  of  New  Britain,  was 
born  in  Bristol,  Connecticut,  May  11,  1857,  son  ol 
George  H.  and  Lurene  (Hooker)  Mitchell.  i)n 
his  mother's  side  he  is  descended  from  Reverend 
Thomas  Hooker,  of  Hartford.  Through  his  father 
he  is  descended  from  William  Mitchell,  a  Revolu- 
tionary soldier,  and  his  son,  Hon.  (ieorgc  Mitchell, 
of  Bristol.  He  prejiared  for  college  at  Williston 
Seminary,  and  was  graduated  from  Brown  I'niver- 
sity  in  1 86 1.  He  studied  law  at  the  .-Mbany  I-aw 
School,  and  was  admitted  to  the  bar  in  1864.  His 
training  for  his  legal  career  has  been  strictly  jirofes- 
sional.  A  diligent  student,  careful  in  his  methods 
and  wise  in  his  counsels,  the  young  lawyer  made 
rapid  headway,  and  in  a  few  years  was  not  only 
prosperous,    but    also    prominent.     In    1S70,   when 


446 


MEN    OF    PKOC.RESS. 


New  Britain  sought  incorporation  as  a  city,  Mr. 
Mitchell  and  his  partner,  Mr.  F.  L.  Hungerford, 
drew  up  the  charter.  One  of  the  first  appointments 
under  the  new  municipal  government  was  that  of 
Mr.  Mitchell  as  City  .Mtorney,  and  in  that  capacity 
he  sujiervised  the  code  of  by-laws  for  the  City  Gov- 


C.   E.   MITCHELL. 

ernment.  Mr.  Mitchell  was  elected  to  represent 
New  Britain  in  the  Legislature  in  1880,  and  was 
reelected  in  1881.  His  ability  as  a  lawyer  was  of 
great  service  in  the  House,  where  during  his  first 
term  he  was  Chairman  of  the  Committee  o;i  Incor- 
|)orations,  and  during  his  second  term  a  member  of 
the  Judiciary  Committee.  An  important  work  per- 
formed by  him  during  the  session  of  1880  was  that 
of  assisting  in  redrafting  the  corporation  laws  of  the 
State,  the  labor  being  jointly  performed  by  himself 
and  the  Hon.  John  R.  Buck,  the  Senate  Chairman 
of  the  Committee  on  Incorporations.  As  a  member 
of  the  legislative  commission  appointed  to  consider 
and  report  upon  the  necessity  of  a  new  normal 
school  building,  he  made  a  thorough  investigation, 
and  through  his  strong  affirmative  efforts  influenced 
the  passage  of  the  bill  providing  for  its  erection, 
(^uite  early  in  his  professional  career  Mr.  Mitchell 
had  his  attention  drawn  to  patent  cases,  and  has  in 
recent  years  made  patent  law  a  specialty.  His 
I)ractice  is  principally  in  the  United   States  Courts, 


and  he  has  won  a  national  reputation  as  one  of  the 
leading  patent  lawyers  in  the  country.  In  1889 
President  Harrison  appointed  him  United  States 
Commissioner  of  Patents.  While  at  Washington  Mr. 
Mitchell  instituted  several  reforms  in  the  admin- 
istration of  the  office,  with  the  immediate  result 
of  greatly  improving  the  sei-vice.  He  resigned  the 
Commissionership  on  July  i,  1891,  owing  to  the 
demand  made  upon  him  by  his  private  practice, 
which  required  his  whole  attention.  His  position 
lirought  him  into  business  relations  with  lawyers  in 
all  parts  of  the  country,  and  few  in  his  profession 
are  more  widely  known  or  more  highly  respected 
for  solid  attainment,  purity  of  character,  and  unfil- 
ing courtesy.  His  services  as  an  advocate  have 
been  sought  in  connection  with  almost  every  branch 
of  the  industrial  arts  protected  by  letters  patent, 
the  Tucker  bronze  cases,  the  Rogers  trade-mark 
cases,  and  many  of  the  great  electrical  cases  being 
instances  of  the  variety  and  importance  of  his  litiga- 
tion. He  is  at  present  established  in  New  York 
city,  having  recently  given  up  his  New  Britain  office 
and  business  connections.  In  a  report  of  the 
National  Civil  Service  Reform  League  on  the  con- 
dition of  the  patent  office  the  following  paragraph 
occurs  :  "The  appointment  of  Commissioner  Mitch- 
ell was  made  in  pursuance  of  sound  business  prin- 
ciples. There  were  several  candidates  for  appoint- 
ment, some  of  them  retired  Congressmen,  and  many 
of  them  with  strong  political  backing,  but  the  Presi- 
dent resisted  this  influence  and  declared  that,  if  the 
patent  bar  would  unite  in  a  recommendation,  he 
would  appoint  the  man  they  recommended.  Mr. 
Mitchell  was  suggested.  He  was  a  patent  lawyer  of 
extensive  experience  and  of  recognized  standing, 
with  a  large  income  from  his  profession,  and  his 
acceptance  of  the  office  involved  considerable 
pecuniary  sacrifice.  As  soon  as  it  was  ascertained 
that  he  would  accept,  the  leading  patent  lawyers  of 
the  country  endeavored  to  secure  his  appointment, 
and  gave  him  their  almost  unanimous  support.  He 
seems  to  be  independent  of  political  influences,  and 
has  inaugurated  valuable  reforms.  .  .  .  Your 
committee  is  glad  to  report  that  there  has  been  a 
decided  improvement  in  the  efficiency  of  the  office 
since  his  appointment."  In  New  Britain  affairs 
Mr.  Mitchell  takes  a  deep  interest.  He  took  an 
active  and  leading  part  in  securing  for  the  Young 
Men's  Christian  Association  of  New  Britain,  of 
which  he  was  several  years  President,  the  com- 
modious structure  which  it  now  occupies.  He 
belongs  to  the  New  Britain  Club,  the  Congregational 


mi;n  or  I'ROc.RKSs. 


•44; 


Club,  and  the  New  Fiij^land  Society ;  also  to  the 
University  Club,  the  Hariiware  Club,  the  American 
Bar  Association,  and  the  Phi  Beta  Kappa  Society  of 
Brown  I'niversity.  Mr.  Mitchell  has  always  been 
an  ardent  Republican.  He  was  married  December 
13,  1866,  to  Cornelia  Chamberlain,  of  New  Britain, 
a  lady  in  every  way  worthy  of  her  husband,  the 
daughter  of  Abiram  and  Saphronia  Chamberlain. 
They  have  three  children :  Robert  C.  Charles 
Hooker,  and  C.eortio   Henry  Mit(-hell. 


JONl'S,  lluwARD  F.,  Secretary  and  Treasurer  of 
the  ISranford  Lock  Works,  is  a  native  of  New  Jersey, 
and  was  born  in  1.S21.  He  resided  in  New  York 
city  from  1844  to  iS6iS,  and  for  fifteen  years  was 
connected  with  one  of  the  larjiest  wholesale  boot 
and  shoe  houses  in  the  metropolis.  Becoming  inter- 
ested in  the  Branford  Lock  Works,  he  assumed 
more  than  twenty  years  ago  the  position  of  Secre- 
tary, which  he  still  holds,  in  addition  to  that  of 
Treasurer.  This  concern  conducts  the  most  impor- 
tant   industrial    enterprise    in    Branford,    and  gives 


EDWARD   F.  JONES. 

steady  employment  to  a  large  number  of  o])eratives. 
He  was  one  of  the  incorporators  of  the  Guilford 
Savings  liank,  and  also  a  Trustee,  and  takes  a  lively 
interest  in  all  matters  relative  to  the  general  welfare 


of  the  community.  In  public  alTairs  he  lias  (akeii 
an  active  part,  having  served  as  Town  aiul  County 
Auditor  and  a  menibcr  of  ihc  Boartl  of  Relief;  was 
a  niend)er  of  the  (Icneral  .\ssembly  in  1S79,  being 
the  first  Republican  ever  electeil  to  that  liody  fronj 
Branford,  and  was  assigned  to  the  Committee  on 
Insurance  and  the  special  Committee  on  Railroads. 
In  the  Stale  Senate  of  1S81-.S2  he  was  Chairman  of 
the  Committees  on  School  I'uml  ami  Conlestcd 
I'^lections,  and  his  ability  anil  desire  to  further  the 
ends  of  good  government  gained  the  sincere  esteem 
of  his  constituents,  as  well  as  that  of  his  colleagues 
in  both  Houses.  In  18S0  he  was  chosen  a  delegate 
to  the  Republican  State  Convention,  has  frcipiently 
been  a  member  of  the  State  Central  Committee,  and 
was  on  the  electoral  ticket  in  1S92.  .Mr.  Jones  is 
a  member  of  the  Republican  League  Club  of  New 
Haven,  and  still  exercises  a  healthy  and  far-reaching 
political  inrtuence. 


COFFIN.  Hkki'.kki  K.,  .M.uiuf.icturer,  Windsor 
Locks,  was  born  in  Rindge,  New  Hami)shire,  Au- 
gust 6,  1840,  son  of  George  S.  and  Sarah  (Scovell) 
Coffin.  He  is  a  descendant  of  the  o\t\  Nantucket 
family  of  that  name,  and  his  antecedents  were  also 
those  of  .\dmiral  Sir  Isaac  Coffin  of  the  British 
Navy,  who  in  1826  visited  the  island,  and  in  memory 
of  his  ancestors  established  a  school,  endowing  the 
same  with  a  fund  of  ten  thousand  dollars.  George 
S.  Coffin  was  a  native  of  Royalston,  Massachusetts, 
and  at  one  time  was  extensively  engaged  in  the 
manufacture  of  flannels  at  Ludlow,  \'ermont,  and 
Winchendon,  Massachusetts.  He  later  conducted 
a  profitable  business  in  grading  and  scouring  wool 
at  Rindge,  New  Hampshire,  and  Windsor  Ix)cks, 
Connecticut.  He  died  at  Winchendon  in  1877, 
and  his  widow  is  now  residing  in  Windsor  Ixjcks. 
IKrbcrl  R.  C'offin  attended  the  public  schools  of 
Ludlow,  tl'ic  Kimball  Union  Academy,  Meriden, 
New  Hampshire,  and  the  Conference  .\cademy  of 
West  Poultney,  \ermont.  M  the  age  of  sixteen  he 
began  his  business  career  as  a  clerk  in  the  dr)'  goods 
commission  house  of  L'pham,  Tucker  iS:  Company, 
Boston,  remaining  with  that  concern  about  three 
years,  and  for  the  succeeding  two  years  was  with 
W.  F.  \\'e\d  iV  Comjiany,  a  large  importing  house 
of  the  same  city.  Being  called  to  Rindge  to  en- 
gage in  the  grading  and  scouring  business  with  his 
father,  he  and  the  elder  Coffin  est;d)lished  the  firm 
of  Herbert  R.  Coffin  &  Company,  which  two  years 
later    removed  to  Windsor  Locks,  and   Herbert   R. 


448 


MEN    OF    PROGRESS. 


continued  in  that  business  until  he  sold  out  to  his 
father  in  1867.  Entering  the  office  of  the  Star 
Paper  Mills,  established  by  C.  H.  Dexter  in  1836, 
he  acted  as  a  clerk  for  a  year,  when  he  became  a 
member  of  the  firm  of  C.  H.  Dexter  &  Sons,  and 
finally  sole  proprietor  of  the  business.  He  employs 
an  average  of  eighty  hands.  His  products  consist 
chiefly  of  copying,  tissue,  and  typewriting  papers, 
which  stand  well  in  the  market,  and  a  surplus  power 
at  his  i)lant  is  utilized  for  grinding  flour  and  grain. 
He  is  a  Director  of  the  Connecticut  River  Banking 
Company  and  the  Medicott  Company,  a  well-known 
knit-goods  company,  is  Vice-President  of  the  Wind- 
sor Locks  and  Warehouse  Point  Bridge  Company, 
and  President  of  the  Connecticut  River  Water 
Company.     Politically  Mr.  Coffin  is  a  Republican, 


Drake,  of  Suffield,  Connecticut,  and  has  charge 
of  his  father's  flouring  mill ;  Herbert  R.,  Jr.,  who 
married  Eugena  I.  Warburton ;  and  Grace  Pier- 
son  Coffin. 


H.   R.  COFFIN. 

and  although  an  active  supporter  of  his  party  has 
never  sought  public  office.  For  twenty-seven  years 
he  has  been  a  member  of  the  Congregational  Church, 
and  for  the  past  twenty-two  years  has  acted  as  a 
Deacon.  On  December  4,  1866,  he  married  Mrs. 
Julia  Sargent  Haskell,  nee  Dexter,  daughter  of  the 
late  C.  H.  Dexter  and  widow  of  Thomas  Haskell, 
late  of  Windsor  Locks.  Mrs.  Coffin  has  one 
daughter  by  her  first  husband :  Thomasine  Has- 
kell. By  her  marriage  with  Mr.  Coffin  she  had 
three  children  :  .Arthur   Dexter,  who  married  Cora 


CONE,  Edward  Pavson,  of  New  York  city,  was 
born  in  West  Granby,  Hartford  county,  Connecticut, 
March  4,  1835.  His  ancestor,  Daniel  Cone,  came 
to  Massachusetts  from  Edinburgh,  Scotland,  in 
165  I,  married  Mehitable  Spencer,  of  Lynn,  Massa- 
chusetts, and  later,  together  with  his  wife's  family, 
moved  to  Connecticut.  Mr.  Cone's  great-grand- 
father, Daniel  Cone,  grandson  of  the  first  Daniel, 
was  a  soldier  at  Louisburg  and  Ticonderoga.  His 
grandfather,  Daniel  Hurlbut  Cone,  started  for  Bos- 
ton with  his  brother  William,  who  was  a  Captain  of 
Minute  Men,  the  day  the  news  of  the  engagement 
at  Lexington  and  Concord  was  received  by  courier. 
He  served  during  the  entire  war,  and  drew  a  pen- 
sion until  his  death  in  1843,  at  the  age  of  eighty- 
eight.  Edward  Payson  Cone  was  educated  at  the 
academy  at  Harwinton,  Litchfield  county,  of  which 
Zenos  Montague  Phelps,  of  Brooklyn,  New  York,  was 
Principal.  His  first  business  experience  was  in  the 
store  of  George  E.  and  William  H.  Goodspeed,  at 
Goodspeed's  Landing,  East  Haddam,  Connecticut, 
and  later  he  went  into  business  with  his  brother  in 
Tennessee,  where  he  laid  the  foundation  of  the 
business  training  which  subsequentlv  won  for  him 
his  prominent  connection  with  metropolitan  inter- 
ests. At  the  outbreak  of  the  Civil  War,  although 
living  in  Tennessee,  Mr.  Cone  was  fearless  in  ex- 
pressing his  views  in  behalf  of  the  Union,  and  cast 
the  only  vote  in  the  precinct  in  which  he  lived 
against  the  Ordinance  of  Secession,  in  June,  1861. 
Being  in  great  danger  from  refusing  to  recognize 
the  authority  of  the  Vigilance  Committee,  he 
effected  his  escape  from  the  State  to  Louisville, 
Kentucky,  remaining  there  until  the  fall  of  Fort 
Donelson.  Returning  with  Andrew  Johnson,  who 
had  been  appointed  Military  Governor,  Mr.  Cone 
became  Assistant  Postmaster  at  Nashville.  He  was 
Secretary  of  the  two  Reconstruction  Conventions 
called  to  reorganize  the  State,  and  rendered  effective 
service  in  many  other  civil  offices,  and  in  raising  a 
military  company  at  the  time  of  Bragg's  invasion  of 
Kentucky,  when  Forrest's  cavalry  was  almost  in 
sight  of  Nashville  and  communication  was  entirely 
cut  off  from  Louisville.  For  many  years  Mr.  Cone 
has  occupied  the  responsible  position  of  Advertis- 
ing Manager  of  the  New  York  "  Ledger,"  to  the  sue- 


Ml  N    OK   PROCRKSS. 


449 


cess  of  which  his  good  judgment  largely  tontribuies. 
He   is  Chaplain   of  the  John   A.  Dix    Post.  Crand 


EDWARD   PAYSON   CONE. 

Army  of  the  Republic,  member  of  the  New  Eng- 
land Society,  Councillor-General  of  the  Order  of 
Founders  and  Patriots  of  America,  a  member  of  the 
Union  League  and  the  Lotos,  Press,  Patria,  and 
I'wilight  Clubs,  and  of  the  New  V'ork  (Genealogical 
and  Biographical  Society.  Mr.  Cone  was  married 
in  icS6t,  to  .-^nna  Maud  Roche,  of  Massachusetts,  a 
descendant  of  the  family  of  De  la  Rochejaciuelin,  of 
La  Vendue,  France.  Mr.  Cone  has  been  conspic- 
uously identified  with  the  patriotic,  religious,  and 
educational  work  of  the  metropolis.  .Vmong  his 
many  distinctions  was  that  of  serving  as  Chairman 
of  the  Citizens'  Committee  selected  by  the  .\meri- 
can  Institute  of  Civics  for  the  commemoration  of 
the  centenary  of  Washington's  Farewell  .Address  to 
the  American  People.  Mr.  Cone's  jiatriotism  is 
equalled  by  his  zeal  in  religious  good  works.  For 
many  years  he  has  been  Superintendent  of  the 
Hloomingdale  Reformed  Church  Sunday  .School, 
at  Sixty-eighth  street  and  Boulevard,  and  for 
a  number  of  years  has  been  Elder  of  the 
church,  having  first  become  connected  with  it 
through  the  Reverend  Dr.  Carlos  Martyn,  then 
its  Pastor. 


tJl'IN  r.\Rf),  Ei>\VAKi>  .\i(;iN-us,  President  of 
the  Citizens'  .Savings  Itank,  New  \ork  lily,  was  Iwrn 
in  .Stamford,  Connettii  ut,  IM  ember  17,  1K36,  son 
of  Isa.nc  and  Clarissa  (Hoyl)  (^)uintnrd.  The  fam- 
ily is  of  French  descent,  but  lia\e  been  residents  of 
Stamford  for  many  generations.  I  lis  father  was  n 
.Stamford  merchant;  his  cider  brother,  Ceorgc  \V'., 
is  a  well-known  iron  manufai  turer  and  financier  of 
New  York  city  ;  another  brother,  C.  I .  (Juintard,  is 
liishop  of  Tennessee.  Edward  A.  (Juintard  receiveil 
his  education  in  the  common  school  and  high  school 
of  his  native  town.  .\t  an  early  age  he  came  to  the 
metroiiolis,  and  through  his  integrity  and  ability  ha.s 
won  the  confidence  and  resjiect  of  the  business  and 
financial  world.  I'or  twenty-five  years  he  has  been 
President  of  the  Citizens'  Sjivings  Hank,  at  56 
liowery,  one  of  the  most  solid  and  best  known  insti- 
tutions of  the  city.  Mr.  (Juintard's  administration 
of  this  important  office  has  been  entirely  succes,sful, 
and  eminently  able  and  conservative.  Mr.  (luintird 
has  an  honorable  military  record,  and  from  1S60  to 
1870  he  was  Captain  of  the  Seventy-first  Regiment, 
New  \'ork  Militia.  In  politics  he  has  always  been  a 
loyal  Republican.     He  is  a   member  of  the  I'nion 


\HD. 


League,  Ixjtos,  .American  Yacht,  and  St.  Nicholas 
Clubs,  and  the  Kane  lx)dge.  He  has  been  twice 
married.     Ills  first  wife  was  Mary  Gillespie.     'I"he 


450 


MEN    OF    TROCRKSS. 


present  Mrs.  Quintarii's  maiden  name  was  Mary 
Skiildy.  Eight  children  have  been  born  to  them  : 
lOxelyn,  Clara,  Edward,  William  I.,  Alice,  Gertrude, 
l';ihel,  and  Nina  (Juintard. 


LYMAN    BISSELL. 


AXTKLLK,  Thomas  Lincoln-,  M.D.,  AVater- 
bury,  was  born  in  Allegheny,  Pennsylvania,  April 
28,  1852.  His  early  education  was  completed  at 
the  Tenth  State  Normal  College  in  1872,  being 
\'aledictorian  of  his  class,  after  which  he  was  Super- 
intendent of  Public  Schools  for  six  or  seven  years, 
and  some  years  later  he  entered  the  Bellevue  Hos- 
pital Medical  College,  from  which  he  was  graduated 
in  1880,  as  Class  President.  The  succeeding  four 
years  were  spent  ni  the  acquisition  of  practical 
experience  and  observation  on  Randall's  Island, 
the  Woman's  Hospital,  and  the  Chambers  Street 
Hospital  of  New  York.  Locating  in  Waterbury  in 
1884,  he  was  for  a  time  associated  with  the  late 
Alfred  North,  M.U.  Shortly  before  the  latter's 
death  the  partnership  was  dissolved,  since  which 
time  Dr.  Axtelle  has  practised  his  profession  alone, 
and  has  become  widely  and  favorably  known  as 
a  skilful  and  reliable  physician.  Dr.  Axtelle  is 
unmarried. 


HLAKESLEE,  Ralph  Newton,  Manufacturer 
and  (leneral  Transfer  /Vgent,  Waterbury,  was  born 
in  Waterbury,  February  4,  1856.  He  is  of  English 
descent.  His  jjarents  were  Edwin  and  Jane  L. 
(Torney)  Blakeslee.  He  was  educated  in  the 
common  schools  of  Waterbury,  and  at  the  Military 
Institute  at  Weston,  Connecticut.  -Xt  the  age  of 
nineteen  he  left  school,  and  for  four  years  was  con- 
nected with  the  People's  Coal  and  Ice  Company  of 
Waterbury.  He  then  worked  for  seven  months  as 
Foreman  of  the  Bufifing  Department  of  Mathews  & 
Willard.  He  then  bought  out  the  general  transfer 
business  of  L.  Bearckley,  and  still  continues  the 
same,  besides  doing  a  storage  business  ;  deals  in  hay 
and  grain,  and  builds  and  repairs  wagons.  For  ten 
years  he  has  done  the  street  sprinkling  for  the  city. 
When  he  first  took  the  business  he  had  twenty-eight 
horses  ;  this  number  has  been  increased  to  one  hun- 
dred, while  from  seventy-five  to  one  hundred  men 
are  kept  in  his  employ.  He  is  an  Odd  F'ellow, 
and  belongs  to  the  Harmony  Lodge  of  Masons  of 
Waterbury.  In  politics  he  is  a  Republican,  but  is 
not  an  office  seeker.  He  was  married  August  14, 
1888,  to  Jessie  H.  Wadams,  of  Waterbury.  Their 
child,  Louise  Wadams  Blakeslee,  was  born  June  10, 
1896. 


BRAINARD,  Austin,  Lawyer,  Hartford,  was 
born  in  Haddam,  Connecticut,  September  6,  1862, 
son  of  Henry  H.  and  Cynthia  V.  Brainard.  The 
Brainard  family  is  an  old  one  in  Haddam,  settling 
in  1662,  and  Mr.  Brainard  is  of  direct  descent 
from  the  original  Daniel  Brainard,  who  lies  buried 
in  that  town.  He  obtained  his  early  education  at 
the  district    school,  and  his    collegiate    training   at 


Cornell,    where    he    was    graduated    in    1S8; 


He 


studied  law  with  the  Hon.  H.  C.  Robinson  in 
Hartford,  and  was  admitted  to  the  bar  there  in  May, 
1S86.  He  has  since  practised  his  profession  in 
that  city,  becoming  in  1895  a  member  of  the  well- 
known  firm  of  Sperry,  McLean  &  Brainard.  Mr. 
Brainard  has  not  only  made  steady  progress  in  his 
profession,  but  has  been  prominent  in  politics  and 
other  ways.  In  1885  he  was  Assistant  Clerk  of  the 
House  of  Representatives,  and  in  1886  its  Clerk  ; 
the  next  year  (1887)  he  was  Clerk  of  the  Senate. 
From  1891  to  1892  he  was  Secretary  of  the  Repub- 
lican State  Central  Committee,  and  in  1891-95 
Executive  Secretary  to  Governor  Bulkeley.  In 
1895  he  was  appointed  Judge-Advocate  of  the  Gov- 
ernor's F"oot  Guard,  and  still  holds  the  same  post ; 


Ml  \    (i|-    I'KOCRKSS. 


A'r>i 


and  he  is  Secretary  of  the  -Etna  Iiuleninity  Company. 
He  was  also  Councilman  from  the  Secontl  Ward  in 
Hartford  before  the  wards  were  restricted.  Mr. 
Hrainard  is  one  of  the  most  active  and  rising  of  the 
younger  Hartford  lawyers,  as  his  record  jilainly 
shows.  He  married  .Adelaide  Foster,  on  October  2,?, 
1SS6,  and  has  a  daughter,  Helen  Allison  lirainard, 
seven  years  old. 


HRONSON,  Jn.iiis  Hohart,  .Manager  of  the 
Oakville  Company,  Waterbury,  was  born  in  Sandy 
Hill,  New  York,  April  30,  1843.  He  is  the  son  of 
Reverend  Thomas  and  Cynthia  (Hartlett)  Bronson. 
His  early  education  was  acquired  at  a  hoarding 
school  at  Ellington,  Connecticut,  and  at  I'hillijjs 
.\cademy,  .Andover,  .Massachusetts.  For  several 
years  he  was  associated  with  B.  V.  Chatfield,  con- 
tractor and  builder,  in  Waterbury  and  Bridgeport. 
Premonitory  syui])toms  of  a  lung  trouble  compelled 
him,  however,  to  retire  from  business,  and  for  three 
years  he  devoted  himself  to  the  care  of  his  health. 
He  became  Manager  of  the  Oakville  Company  in 
1875,  which  position  he  still  holds.  He  is  also 
Director  of  the  Benedict  &  Burnham  Manufacturing 
Company,  and  Secretary  of  the  Waterbury  1  lospital. 
He  is  a  member  of  the  Waterbury  Club  and  X'ice- 
Presideiit  of  the  Country  Club  of  Farmington.  Mr. 
Bronson  is  a  member  of  the  Society  of  Colonial 
Wars.  In  politics  he  is  a  Democrat.  He  was  mar- 
ried November  16,  1886,  to  I^lith,  daugliter  of 
Roderick  Terry,  of  Hartford.  They  have  one 
chiki :  Bennet  Bronson,  born  December  16,  1887. 


CL.AKK,  Frank  1'.,  M.D.,  of  Danbury,  was  born 
in  Danbury,  July  14,  1852,  son  of  \Villiam  H.  and 
Julia  C.  (.Andrews)  Clark.  Dr.  Clark's  father  has 
been  well  known  in  Connecticut  business  circles  for 
many  years,  being  one  of  the  oldest,  if  not  the  oldest, 
merchant  of  Danbury ;  he  has  been  prominently 
identified  with  the  drygoods  business  in  that  city 
for  forty-five  years,  and  is  still  in  active  business. 
His  mother,  a  daughter  of  John  .\ndrews,  of  Bethel, 
Connecticut,  died  in  July  1891,  after  a  short  illness. 
Dr.  Clark  has  two  sisters,  one  of  whom,  .Sarah  C, 
married  H.  C.  Smith,  of  Brooklyn,  New  York,  and 
the  other,  Hattie  T.,  is  the  wife  of  John  C.  .Averill, 
of  Norwich,  Connecticut,  Clerk  of  the  Courts  of 
New  London  County.  Frank  1'.  Clark  acquired  his 
early  education  in  the  public  schools  of  Danbury, 


after  leaving  which  he  was  iiicntified  with  his  f.iihcr 
for  a  short  time  in  the  drygoods  business.  He 
began  the  study  of  medirine  under  Dr.  .\.  T.  Clawm, 
of  Danbury,  and  later  attended  lectures  at  the  New 
York  College  of  Physicians  and  Surgeons,  from 
which  college  he  was  graduaictl  in  M.irtli,  1.S76. 
.After  graduation  he  was  associated  with  his  former 
preceptor,  Dr.  Clason,  but  at  the  end  of  two  years 
he  ojiened  an  office  for  himself,  and  in  1889  formed 
a  partnership  with  Dr.  D.  C.  Brown,  which  partner 
ship  continued  until  March  1K96.  Dr.  Clark  early 
won  a  reputation  as  a  skilful  i>ractilioner,  and  has 
gained  a  high  .standing  in  his  profession.  He  is  a 
member  of  the  Connecticut  Suite  Medical  Society, 
the  Fairfield  County  Society,  and  the  Danbury 
Medical  Society.  Dr.  Clark  was  married  in  1881  to 
Mary  Katherine  Benjamin,  daughter  of  Cieorge  H. 
and  Susan  Benjamin,  of  Danbury.  They  have  two 
children:  Susan  I!.,  born  in  1SS6,  and  Juli.i  C, 
born  in    1S91. 


E.   T.    CORNWALL. 


C.ASTLK,  Frank  Edwin,  M.D.,  Waterbury,  was 
born  in  Woodbritlge,  New  Haven  county,  Connecti- 
cut, February  25,  1845.  He  is  the  son  of  .Andrew 
Castle,  M.D.,  and    I'hiebe   Kimbcrly.       His  grand 


432 


MFX    OF    I'ROC.RKSS. 


father,  l>r.  Joliicl  Castle,  of  Hethaiiv,  Connecticut, 
was  tlescended  from  Henry  Castle,  who  emigrated 
from  Stratford  to  Woodbury  among  the  early  settlers 
and  died  in  Woodbury  in  1697.  After  a  common- 
school  education  in  Woodbridge,  at  the  age  of 
iwentv-one  he  commenced  the  study  of  medicine 
with  Urs.  Pack  and  Townsend  in  New  Haven. 
He  was  graduated  from  the  Vale  .Medical  School  in 
1870.  After  a  short  service  in  the  New  Haven 
Hospital  he  removed  to  Waterbnry  in  April  1.S70, 
'antl  has  since  continued  the  practice  of  medicine 
there.  The  summers  of  1S78  and  1S90  he  spent  in 
travel  in  luirope.  He  is  a  member  of  the  Water- 
b\iry  Medical  Association,  the  .American  Medical 
.\ssociation,  the  New  Haven  County  Medical  Soci- 
ety, is  a  member  of  the  staff  of  the  Waterbury  Hos- 
pital, and  belongs  to  the  Townsend  Lodge  of  Odd 
I'V-llows.  He  was  married  September  30,  1875,  to 
Margaret  Field  Mcrrinian. 


L.    F.    HARTSON. 


CHASE,  Daniel  Henry,  Educator  and  Author, 
Middletown,  was  born  in  Hoosick,  New  York,  March 
8,  1814,  son  of  Reverend  Henry  and  Rachel  (Pine) 
Chase.  His  father  was  a  descendant  of  Aquila 
("hase,   who  landed  in    Boston   in   1639.     He   mar- 


ried, on  September  10,  1809,  Rachel  Pine,  of  Swan- 
sea, Massachusetts.  She  was  of  Welsh  origin  and 
bequeathed  to  her  eminent  son  many  of  the  sturdy 
traits  that  have  helped  to  make  him  distinctive,  and 
that  are  characteristic  of  his  family.  Upon  the 
paternal  side  he  is  descended  from  (Quaker  stock, 
his  grandfather,  Daniel  Chase,  and  his  grandmother, 
Elizabeth  Mosher  Chase,  having  been  born  in  this 
communion.  But  when  Jesse  Lee  and  other  go- 
ahead  Methodists  came  to  Hoosick  the  couple  were 
converted  to  a  more  energetic  way  of  worship,  from 
silence  to  shouting,  but  ever  retained  the  "Thee" 
and  "  Thou  "  and  "Thy"  until  death.  Dr.  Chase 
describes  his  grandfather  in  these  words  :  "  He  was 
a  sturdy  farmer,  living  on  a  large  farm  two  miles 
west  of  Hoosick  Falls,  the  country  hilly  and  slaty, 
but  bearing  good  crops.  He  was  very  strong  and 
quick,  and  though  he  hired  help  no  man  he  ever 
engaged  was  able  to  work  as  he  did.  If  one  were 
ambitious  enough  to  try  to  keep  even  with  him  he 
always  broke  down.  He  could  grasp  and  lift  a  one- 
thousand  pound  weight.  One  day  he  had  a  lot  of 
the  first  hay  of  the  season  to  get  in.  The  vast  hay- 
cart  of  two  wheels  had  been  out-doors  all  winter  and 
spring,  and  must  have  the  axles  tarred  before  using. 
'  Bring  me  the  jack  !  '  commanded  Mr.  Chase.  It 
was  missing,  and,  impatient  of  delay,  he  called  for 
the  tar,  went  under  the  cart,  and  heaved  up  each  end 
of  the  axle  while  the  men  applied  the  stuff,  he  being 
the  living  'jack,'  strong  and  able."  This  great  fund 
of  endurance  and  fine  physical  equipment  Dr.  Chase 
also  inherits,  and  to  these  and  to  his  wise  observance 
of  sanitary  laws  he  doubtless  owes  the  fiict  of  his  per- 
fect preservation  of  health,  faculties,  and  spirits  at 
the  age  of  eighty-three.  His  early  education  was 
received  in  Hoosick,  where  during  the  winter  of 
1S17-18  he  attended  the  school  wherein  his  father 
taught.  For  the  two  years  following  he  went  to 
Troy  Academy,  and  from  1820  to  1830  was  a  stu- 
dent in  the  following  institutions  :  Wesleyan  Semi- 
nary, New  York,  Balch's  Private  School,  and  the 
Grammar  School  of  Columbia  College.  He  entered 
the  freshman  class  in  Columbia  in  1830,  and  in 
September  of  the  ensuing  year  began  the  regular 
course  at  \\'esleyan  L^niversity,  and  completed  it  with 
honors  in  September  1833,  graduating  Valedictorian 
of  his  class.  He  received  the  first  diploma  ever 
given  by  Wesleyan,  from  the  hand  of  Dr.  Fiske. 
Dr.  Chase  is  now  and  has  been  for  seventeen 
years  the  sole  survivor  of  his  class.  The  year  fol- 
lowing his  graduation  he  taught  in  the  Wesleyan 
Academy  at  \Vilbraham,  Massachusetts,  going  from 


Mi:\  oi    I'KOc;ri:ss. 


45.^ 


there,  after  a  term  of  twelve  nioiiilis'  teaching;,  lo 
Wesleyan  University  to  act  as  tutor  for  another  year, 
when  he  established  the  Middletown  Institute  and 
Preparatory  School,  since  grown  so  famous.  This 
notalilc  institution  was  successfully  maintained  until 
1870,  when  the  suffering  during  nine  months, 
caused  by  an  accidental  injury,  admonished  Dr. 
Chase  to  retire  from  his  life-work.  In  the  mean- 
time (1842),  yielding  to  the  Urgence  of  numer- 
ous friends  and  patrons,  he  had  opened  a  Female 
Seminary,  and  this  he  conducted  for  two  years, 
transferring  it  after  that  period  to  his  brother, 
Sidera,  who  had  aided  him  for  some  years  in 
the  Institute,  but  who  had  wearied  of  the  task  of 
ruling  male  pufjils,  and  who  agreed  with  Dr. 
Chase  in  his  opinion  that  the  government  of  boys 
requires  far  more  watchfulness  and  discipline  than 
that  of  girls.  It  is  significant  and  characteristic  of 
the  man  that  in  all  the  forty  years  of  his  teaching 
he  never  once  lost  self-control  for  a  moment,  and 
never  gave  cause  for  complaint  or  censure  to  any 
parent  or  guardian  for  undue  severity.  Some  of 
his  pupils,  now  mature  and  venerable  men,  have 
said  that  they  thought  him  too  lenient,  but  his  rare 
success  in  his  chosen  calling  and  the  remarkable 
influence  he  wielded  prove  that  he  erred  on 
neither  one  side  nor  the  other.  He  knew,  as  only 
such  men  of  keen  insight  and  powerful  penetration 
can  know,  just  where  to  draw  the  line,  and  we  know 
of  no  educator  except  the  late  .■Xmos  Bronson  Alcott 
whose  system  was  so  unique,  whose  application  of 
individual  method  was  so  happy,  and  whose  mark 
upon  the  youth  of  the  generation  was  more  distinct 
and  formative.  Many  of  the  most  celebrated  men 
of  to-day  owe  their  early  educational  training  to 
Dr.  Chase.  The  Reverend  Dr.  Miner  Raymond 
(though  four  years  his  instructor's  senior)  was  his 
pupil  in  Greek,  and  is  proud  to  acknowledge  his 
debt  of  gratitude  to  Dr.  Chase,  who  grounded 
him  in  the  language  that  has  proved  of  such  use  to 
him  as  Professor  in  the  Theological  Institute  at 
pA-anston,  Illinois.  Reverend  Dr.  Lindsay  was  also 
a  pupil ;  likewise  Justice  Brewer  of  the  Supreme 
Court  of  the  United  States  and  a  Venezuelan  Com- 
missioner. Not  a  day  passes  without  some  proof 
of  his  usefulness  making  its  way  to  Dr.  Chase, 
and  he  can  regard  with  pardonable  gratification 
these  evidences  that  his  life-work  has  not  been  in 
vain.  He  was  a  born  teacher,  loving  the  young, 
sympathizing  with  them,  and  eager  to  develop  the 
highest  possibilities  of  each.  A  former  pupil, 
George    W.     liurke,     M.D.,    says    of    him:    "The 


influence  of  such  a  man  on  the  iiUfllccHi.il,  mori\\, 
and  material  interests  of  Middletown  for  so  lonn  a 
period  can  scarcely  be  cstim.itod,  the  results  (Icep- 
ening  and  broadening  in  all  those  who  have 
received  right  impulses  through  his  teaching.  .\ 
little  digression  here  to  note  some  of  these  results 
may  not  be  uninteresting.  One  of  the  fir-.!  U>ard- 
ing  pupils  in  1835  was  Daniel  Ayres,  who  prepared 
here  (in  Middletown)  for  Wesley.in.  His  late 
munificent  gifts  of  over  three  hundred  thousand 
dollars  have  been  some  of  the  direct  results  of  this 
school,  and  will  tend  to  increase  the  we.ilth  as  well 
as  the  literary  advantages  of  Middletown.  N'onng 
.•\yres  was  sick  of  the  New  \'ork  schools,  and  was 
about  to  abandon  his  |)ur|)ose  of  a  collegiate  educa- 
tion, when  the  friendship  between  the  two  families, 
and  the  opportunity  offered  here,  drew  him  to 
Dr.  Chase's  school  and  determined  his  life-work. 
Many  years  after,  when  a  son  of  Dr.  Ayres  was  old 
enough  for  this  school,  he  also  went  to  Dr.  Chase." 
In  1S38  Dr.  Chase  left  his  brother  in  charge  of  his 
affairs  and  went  abroad,  studying  in  I'.iris,  Berlin, 
and  other  centres,  and  giving  special  attention  to 
French,  German,  music,  mathematics,  and  philos- 
ojihy.  In  the  summer  of  1840  he  journeyed 
through  Switzerland  afoot,  with  great  profit  and 
delight,  returning  home  during  the  same  year  in 
time  for  the  fall  term.  In  1867  he  again  crossed 
the  .Atlantic,  this  time  taking  a  long,  interesting,  and 
instructive  tour  through  England,  Scotland,  Ireland, 
Switzerland,  Italy,  Germany,  Russia,  Norway,  Den- 
mark, Holland,  and  Belgium.  In  1S59  Wesleyan 
conferred  ujion  him  the  title  and  degree  of  I.L.D. 
Since  the  relinquishment  of  his  pedagogic  duties 
Dr.  Chase  has  given  up  his  days  to  study  and 
authorship.  He  has  written  considerably  in  oppo- 
sition to  spiritual  and  Darwinian  evolution,  and  in 
1892,  while  opposing  Professor  William  North  Rice, 
of  Wesleyan  University,  in  the  Scientific  .Association 
and  Conversational  Club,  he  developed  a  new  and 
interesting  theory  of  evolution.  While  studying  in 
Paris,  in  1838-39-40,  Dr.  Chase  was  occasionally 
invited  to  a  literary  and  scientific  club.  He  found 
it  so  pleasant  and  jirofitable  that  on  his  return 
home  he  mentioned  to  \Vesleyan  professors  the 
fact,  and  suggested  the  formation  of  a  similar  club 
among  their  staff  and  friends.  This  suggestion 
was  acted  upon  in  1862,  and  he  has  been  and 
continues  to  be  a  valued  member.  Though  never 
active  in  politics.  Dr.  Chase  was,  without  his  knowl- 
edge, elected  to  the  State  Legislature.  He  has 
always  shunned  political  notoriety,  but  hoUls  to  firm 


454 


MEN    OF    I'ROCRESS. 


Republican  principles.  He  was  married  June  2, 
iS^2,  to  Caroline  Elizabeth  Smith,  daughter  of 
John  L.  Smith,  first  Treasurer  of  Wcsleyan  Uni- 
versity, and  a  former  pupil  of  his  own  in  the 
Female  Seminary.  Mrs.  Chase  died  December 
I,  1 89 1.  Their  children  are  :  Henry  Mosher,  John 
Lyon,  Caroline  Elizabeth  (now  Mrs.  Birdsey), 
Daniel  Wilbur,  Susan  Emma  (now  Mrs.  Douglas), 
Ellen  .Amelia  (now  Mrs.  Leach),  and  Albert  Hiuit 
Chase. 


WARREN    L,    HALL. 


GILLETI'E;,  Charles  \V.,  Judge,  Waterbury,  was 
born  in  Oxford,  New  Haven  county,  Connecticut, 
son  of  William  and  Amy  Kitty  (Johnson)  Gillette, 
and  is  descended  from  good  old  English  stock. 
Judge  Gillette  acquired  his  early  education  in  the 
public  and  private  schools  of  his  native  State,  but 
unfortunately  ill-health  prevented  his  graduation, 
and  he  was  constrained  to  pursue  his  studies  alone. 
Many  men  so  circumstanced  would  have  early  fore- 
gone all  attempts  to  fit  themselves  for  a  profession ; 
not  so  Judge  Gillette.  His  determination  and 
steadfastness  of  character  manifested  themselves  in 
keeping  him  fixed  in  his  purpose  of  gaining  admis- 
sion to  the  Bar,  and  to  this  end  he  bent  all  his  ener- 


gies, without  once  admitting  to  himself  that  there 
was  a  ])ossibility  of  the  chances  being  against  him. 
I'jnployed  in  early  life  in  the  lumbering  business, 
he  made  the  most  of  his  time  and  opportunities,  and 
in  s])ite  of  its  seeming  uncongeniality  gained  much 
valuable  experience  that  has  since  proved  of  the 
greatest  advantage  to  him  in  his  legal  career.  His 
admission  to  the  Bar  occurred  in  May  of  the  year 
1S59,  three  years  following  his  settlement  in  Water- 
bury,  where  he  has  remained  ever  since.  Judge 
Crillette  holds  the  highest  place  in  the  esteem  of  the 
community,  and  is  recognized  and  appreciated  as  a 
man  of  force  and  sterling  character.  The  impor- 
tant social  as  well  as  public  position  he  has  attained 
naturally  brings  with  it  many  responsibilities  of  an 
exacting  nature,  but  it  may  well  be  said  that  he 
meets  them  all  with  absolute  ability  and  to  the 
universal  satisfection  of  his  fellow-citizens.  Judge 
Gillette  has  the  honor  of  having  been  appointed  to 
the  office  of  Postmaster  of  Waterbury  under  the 
administration  of  that  noblest  of  men  and  most 
illustrious  of  Presidents,  Abraham  Lincoln.  He 
has  been  the  city's  chosen  magistrate  for  several 
terms,  having  been  created  Judge  of  the  District 
Court  three  times  and  Judge  of  the  Probate  twice 
that  number.  He  is  a  member,  among  other  organ- 
izations, of  the  Free  and  Accepted  Masons,  and  in 
the  political  field  is  an  important  and  influential 
figure,  taking  his  position  with  the  Republican  party, 
and  having  been  Representative  for  the  town  of 
Waterbury  in  the  General  Assembly  of  Connecticut. 
Personally  Judge  Gillette  is  a  man  of  firm  purpose, 
indomitable  will,  and  absolute  equity.  He  has  won 
distinction  by  his  own  efforts  of  brain  and  hand,  and 
may  be  justly  proud  of  his  well-earned  official  and 
social  eminence.  He  was  married  July  4,  1859,  to 
Catherine  Eliza  Vaughan,  of  Southbridge,  Worcester 
county,  Massachusetts. 


HABENSTEIN,  Edward,  Caterer,  Hartford,  was 
born  in  Saxony,  Germany,  and  is  the  son  of  Casper 
and  Margaret  (Baumbach)  Habenstein.  His  edu- 
cation was  obtained  in  the  common  schools.  At 
the  age  of  fifteen  he  left  school  and  went  into  the 
catering  business  in  Utica,  New  York.  There  he 
remained  for  three  years,  and  then  removed  to  New 
York  city.  He  came  to  Hartford  in  1865,  and  there 
built  up  a  business  which  has  made  him  recognized 
as  one  of  the  leading  caterers  of  the  State.  His 
present  location  is  at  53  Ann  street,  he  having  moved 


MF.N  or  pr(k;ri:ss. 


4S5 


there  from  Main  street.  He  also  conducts  a  well- 
patronized  restaurant  and  bakery  in  connection  with 
his  catering  business.  He  is  a  member  of  the  Royal 
Arcanum  and  of  the  Hartford  Republican  Club. 
He  has  always  been  a  Republican,  but  is  not  an 
office  seeker. 


JOHN    McNEIL. 


HUNGERFURl),  Oliver  Townsf.nd,  Railroail 
Contractor,  of  New  York  city,  was  born  in  Sherman, 
Fairfield  county,  Connecticut,  on  April  28,  1848. 
His  parents,  Harvey  and  Susan  (Daley)  Hunger- 
ford,  dying  when  their  son  was  but  a  mere  lad,  he 
was  compelled  at  the  early  age  of  eleven  to  earn 
his  own  living,  which  he  did  by  engaging  in  farm- 
work  in  his  native  place.  For  seven  years  he  de- 
voted himself  to  agriculture,  and  then,  discovering 
a  better  opening  in  New  Haven,  removed  to  that 
place  and  entered  into  business  there  with  a  mer- 
cantile firm  of  established  reputation.  He  con- 
tinued in  this  employment  until  1868,  when  he 
repaired  to  Newark,  New  Jersey,  to  pursue  the  same 
line  of  business  under  improved  conditions.  A  year 
later  he  found  himself  in  charge  of  a  large  general 
store  in  the  oil  fields  of  Pennsylvania,  but  his  ambi- 
tions were  not  to  be  thus  easily  satisfied,  and  within 


a  twelvemonth  he  had  rrtnovcd  10  I'oughkccpsic 
New  York,  in  order  to  enter  Kastn.  '  i  Incus 
College,  located  in  llut  place.     So  s.ii  ^  did 

he  aopiit  himself  that  on  finishing  the  course  of 
study  in  the  institution  he  was  favored  with  a  letter 
from  its  President,  Hon.  11.  C.  Kastnian,  contain- 
ing this  testimonial:  "A  young  man  of  unusual 
ability,  and  capable  of  filling  any  position  of  trust 
that  he  may  be  willing  to  accept."  In  July,  1.S71, 
Mr.  Hungerford  look  a  position  as  liookkccpcr  with 
.1  manufacturing  firm  at  New  Hartford,  Connecti- 
cut, and  in  January  of  the  ensuing  year  he  acceptci! 
a  similar  office  with  another  comjjany  in  the  same 
place  —  a  company  employed  in  the  manufacture 
of  machinery.  He  had  been  in  this  connection  but 
six  months  when  he  was  promoted  to  the  rcs|x>n- 
sible  position  of  Secretary,  which  trust  he  continued 
to  hold  until  1880.  During  this  period  he  de- 
veloped considerable  inventive  ability.  In  1882  he 
became  interested  in  Western  enterjirises,  and  left 
the  East  for  Leadville,  Colorado,  where  he  became 
Treasurer  and  Oeneral  Manager  of  a  large  syndicate 
of  New  York  and  London  capitalists,  and  took  charge 
of  some  important  mining  interests,  which  he  ma- 
nipulated with  great  skill  and  business  sagacity, 
continuing  in  the  association  until  1887,  when  he 
took  up  the  life  insurance  business,  and  did  sjjecial 
work  wherein  he  was  signally  successful.  This 
employment  developed  still  further  his  naturally 
fine  mathematical  capacities,  and  his  rigid  college 
training  stood  him  in  good  stead.  He  went  to 
New  York  city  in  1891  to  locate  there  perma- 
nently, and  is  now  engaged  in  develo])ing  three 
of  the  best  granite  quarries  in  this  country.  He 
is  also  identified  with  Mr.  Donald  McLean,  the 
great  railroad  contractor  of  New  York,  and  Mr. 
C.  K.  Bannaster,  of  Ogden,  Ltah,  in  the  constnic- 
tion  of  a  new  transcontinental  railroad  from  the 
Missouri  River  to  San  Francisco  and  Ix)s  Angeles, 
California,  about  two  thousand  miles  long,  which 
will  open  up  an  entirely  new  section  of  this  country, 
and  will  cost  about  forty  million  dollars  to  construct. 
For  the  last  four  lyears  or  so  he  has,  in  addition, 
been  employed  in  perfecting  a  system  for  transmit- 
ting electricity  underground,  his  intention  being  to 
patent  the  same.  He  is  now  pushing  an  under- 
ground conduit  from  the  .Atlantic  to  the  Pacific 
coast,  having  entered  into  a  contr.ict  for  the  com- 
pletion of  two  thousand  four  hundred  miles  and 
virtually  closed  for  another  one  thousand  miles, 
leaving  but  a  small  portion  still  to  be  negotiated  for. 
Work  will  be  begun  in  the  early  pait  of  1898,  and 


456 


Mi;\    Ol'"    I'ROr.RESS. 


when  completed  will  practically  demonstrate,  says 
Mr.  Hungertbrd,  what  has  been  claimed  by  eminent 
electricians  to  be  an  imjiossibility.  These  two  en- 
terprises he  regards  with  pardonable  pride,  feeling 
that  their  completion  will  jilace  him  among  the  first 
of  "  Men  of  Progress  "  of  Connecticut.  Mr.  Hun- 
gerford  was  married  in  October,  1872,  to  l.ibbie  L. 
I'innev,  of  New  Hartford,  Connecticut.  'I'hey  have 
two  children  :    Nina  S.  and   Roland  '1'.  Hungerford. 


E.    C.    PINNEY. 


KIMBALL,  Arthur  Reed,  Associate  Editor  of 
the  Waterbury  "  American,"  was  born  in  New  York 
city,  February  i,  1855,  son  of  Jesse  Merrill  and 
Elizabeth  (Chapin)  Kimball.  He  is  a  great-great- 
great-grandson  on  his  mother's  side  of  Jonathan 
Edwards,  and  a  great-grandson  of  Calvin  Chapin, 
D.D.,  of  Rocky  Hill,  Connecticut.  He  was  pre- 
pared for  college  at  Hopkins  Grammar  School, 
New  Haven,  and  was  graduated  from  Yale  in  1877. 
He  was  admitted  to  the  Chicago  bar  in  April  1879, 
but  never  practised.  In  1S80  he  began  his  jour- 
nalistic career  as  City  Editor  of  the  Des  Moines 
"  State  Register."  He  was  a  reporter  on  the  St. 
Louis  "  Globe- Democrat "  in  the  spring  of  1881, 
and  in  Jtily  of  the  same  year  became  Associate  Edi- 


tor of  the  Waterbury  "  American,"  in  which  posi- 
tion he  still  continues.  He  has  been  an  editorial 
contributor  to  the  New  York  "  Evening  Post "  and 
the  "  Nation,"  and  has  contributed  to  the  "  Cen- 
tury," "Scribner's  Magazine,"  "North  American 
Review,"  "Harper's  Weekly,"  "Outlook,"  "Inde- 
pendent," and  other  publications.  He  has  written 
a  novel  entitled  "  .\  Reporter's  Romance,"  and 
wrote  "The  Blue  Ribbon,"  an  account  of  Thomas 
E.  Murphy's  temperance  work.  He  has  lectured 
occasionally,  once  at  Yale  on  "Journalism."  He 
is  President  of  the  University  Extension  Society  of 
Waterbury,  a  (jentleman  of  the  Council  of  Connect- 
icut in  the  Society  of  Colonial  Wars,  and  one  of 
the  managers  of  the  Waterbury  Club.  He  is  a 
member  of  the  LIniversity  and  Reform  Clubs  of  New 
York  and  the  Graduates  Club  and  Historical  So- 
ciety of  New  Haven.  In  politics  he  is  a  Mug- 
wump. He  was  married  May  15,  1895,  to  Mary  I']. 
Chase,  daughter  of  the  late  Augustus  Sabin  Chase, 
one  of  Waterbury's  best  known  and  most  respected 
citizens. 


MEAD,  Solomon  Cristy,  Lawyer  and  Assistant 
Secretary  of  the  Merchants'  Association  of  New 
\'ork,  was  born  in  Greenwich,  Connecticut,  Novem- 
ber 26,  1867,  son  of  Solomon  and  Mary  Elizabeth 
(Dayton)  Mead.  The  Meads  are  among  the  oldest 
and  most  honorable  of  the  New  England  families. 
The  name  is  traced  back  to  1422,  when  the  family 
settled  at  Elendon,  County  of  Essex,  England.  Ac- 
cording to  Burke's  Armory,  there  were  eight  distinct 
families  of  the  name,  four  bearing  the  pelican  and 
four  the  trefoil  in  their  coat  of  arms.  The  Connect- 
icut Meads  bear  the  pelican  on  their  armorial  em- 
blems, with  the  motto  semper pambiis.  Among  the 
prominent  members  of  the  family  in  England  may  be 
mentioned  the  Rev.  Matthew  Mead,  a  Non-conform- 
ist divine,  who  lived  in  the  reign  of  Charles  I.,  and 
his  son,  Dr.  Richard  Mead,  who  held  until  his  death 
the  appointment  of  Physician-in-Ordinary  to  his  Maj- 
esty (leorge  II.  His  bust  and  a  monument  to  his 
memory  may  be  seen  in  Westminster  Abbey.  The 
first  record  of  the  family  in  Americaoccurs  in  1641, 
when  William  Mead  was  given  by  the  town  of  Stam- 
ford a  home  lot  and  five  acres  of  land.  Of  his  two 
sons,  Joseph  became  the  ancestor  of  the  Ridgefield 
Meads,  while  John  became  the  ancestor  of  the 
Meads  of  Horse  Neck,  Stamford.  The  two  broth- 
ers lived  for  a  short  time  at  Hempstead,  Long 
Island,  but  according  to  the  records  of  Greenwich, 


M1;N    Ol      I'ROC.KI'.SS. 


45; 


Connecticut,  John  Mend  purchased  lands  in  that 
town  in  1660  of  Richanl  t'rabb.  John  Mead 
married  Miss  Porter,  of  Stamford.  I'lleven  chil- 
dren,  eight    sons   and  three  daughters,  were  l>orn 


S.    C.    MEAD. 

to  them,  from  whom  are  descended  the  Meads  of 
Fairfield  county  and  those  about  Salem  and  l.ewis- 
boro'.  The  historian  of  the  family  thus  describes 
the  characteristics  of  this  worthy  name  :  "  If  one 
word  better  expresses  their  history  than  another, 
that  word  is  '  patriotism,'  for  true  patriots  they  were 
in  the  largest  sense  of  the  word,  ever  ready  to 
defend  their  country  from  foes  without  and  within. 
Nor  did  they  confine  themselves  to  affairs  of  state, 
for  their  names  appear  conspicuously  upon  the 
church  records.  Faith,  courage,  sagacit)',  added 
to  an  indomitable  will,  made  heroes  of  these  men, 
and  these  characteristics  are  still  prominent  in 
their  descendants  of  this  generation.  They  were 
men  tenacious  of  their  principles,  tenacious  of  their 
ideas,  and  tenacious  of  their  lands.  In  more  than 
one  instance  their  lands  passed  from  father  to 
son  to  the  fifth  and  sixth  generation.  The  section 
of  country  in  and  about  Greenwich  was  a  serious  suf- 
ferer during  the  Revolution.  From  its  position  it 
became  neutral  ground,  and  was  pillaged  alike  by 
friend  and  foe.  The  cattle  of  the  people  were  all 
driven  away,  and  their  scanty    store  of    provisions 


buried  in  tiic  ground  or  hidden  in  some  unlikely 
s|>ot.  Vet  the  men  and  women  of  those  trouble- 
some times  never  lost  courage,  but  remembered  ever 
(onneclicul's  splendid  motto  that  '  He  who  trans- 
planted will  sustain.'  "  SolouKm  C'risty  Mead, 
the  worthy  descendant  of  these  patriots,  received 
his  early  edu<  ation  at  the  Greenwich  Cmmmnr 
.School  and  the  Creenwich  .Arademy,  preparing 
for  college  at  I'hillips  .\rademy,  .\ndover,  Mass.i- 
<  huselts.  He  graduated  from  \ale  Iniversity  m 
the  class  of  1890,  and  from  the  Vale  I-iw  School 
two  years  later.  He  was  admitteil  to  the  Connecti- 
cut Bar  in  June  1892,  and  to  the  New  Vork  lUir  in 
June  1895.  Immediately  after  his  admission  to  the 
liar  he  came  to  New  \'ork  and  became  .Managing 
Clerk  in  the  i)rominent  law  office  of  Dill,  Chandler 
iV  Seymour.  In  1S95  the  firm  style  was  changed  to 
Dill,  Seymour  &  Kellogg,  Mr.  .Mead  becoming  a 
partner.  He  has  made  a  specialty  of  coriKiration 
law,  has  incorporated  a  great  many  companies,  and 
been  entrusted  with  important  legal  work.  In  June 
1897,  Mr.  Mead's  firm  incorporated  the  Merchants' 
Association  of  New  Vork.  .Mr.  Mead  became 
Assistant  Secretary  of  that  organization,  and  has 
had  personal  charge  of  its  affairs  as  executive  officer. 
■Jhe  .Association's  aim  is  the  promotion  of  the  trade 
and  commerce  of  New  Vork.  It  has  a  membershij) 
of  over  thirty  thousand,  scattered  among  merchants 
and  business  men  all  over  the  United  States.  It  has 
probably  added  millions  to  the  trade  of  the  city  dur- 
ing the  last  year,  and  has  been  of  more  substantial 
benefit  to  the  city  than  any  movement  in  its  histor)-. 
Mr.  Mead's  duties  are  exceedingly  onerous,  yet  he 
has  proved  himself  equal  to  the  demands  made  upon 
him.  and  has  won  a  splendid  reputation  as  a  capable 
and  energetic  executive  officer.  In  politics  he  is 
Reiniblican.  Mr.  Mead  has  always  taken  an  interest 
in  musical  matters.  While  in  college  he  was  a  mem- 
ber of  the  Yale  Glee  Club,  and  he  now  belongs  to 
the  University  Glee  Club  of  New  Vork.  He  was 
married  at  New  Haven  on  the  day  of  his  gradua- 
tion, in  June  1890,  to  Frances  Ripley  IJoss.  One 
son  has  been  born  to  them  :  Kenneth  Ripley  Mead, 
born  October  15,  1897. 


(^SBOKN,  NoRRis  G.vLPi.v,  Kditor  of  the  New 
Haven  "  Register,"  was  born  in  New  Haven,  .April  1 7, 
185S.  He  is  the  son  of  Minott  A.  and  Catherine  S. 
(Gilbert)  Osborn.  On  his  mother's  side  he  traces 
his  descent  back  to  Fnglish  ancestors  in  the  early 
part  of  the  seventeenth  century.   His  early  education 


458 


MlsN    OF    PROf.RRSS. 


was  obtained  in  public  and  private  schools,  and  he 
was  graduated  from  Yale  College  in  iSSo,  and  in 
1886  received  the  honorary  degree  of  M.A.  from 
the  same  institution.  Immediately  after  graduation 
he  became  connected  witli  the  editorial  staff  of  the 
"Register,"  and  was  made  Kditor-in-Chief  in  1884. 
In  this  important  position  he  exerts  a  wide  influ- 
ence, and  has  made  the  "  Register"  recognized  as  the 
leading  Democratic  organ  of  the  southern  part  of 
the  State.  He  is  an  important  factor  in  Democratic 
councils,  and  has  repeatedly  been  a  delegate  at  his 
party's  national.  State,  and  local  conventions.  He 
served  as  Aide  on  C.overnor  Waller's  staff  in  1882, 
1883,  and  1884,  and  was  appointed  State  Prison 
Director  by  Governor  Coffin  in  1896.  He  is  also 
Director  in  the  New  Haven  ITniversity  Extension 
Centre.  In  the  campaign  of  1896  he  was  a  gold 
Democrat.  In  college  he  was  a  member  of  Delta 
Kappa  Epsilon  and  of  Scroll  and  Key  Society. 
He  belongs  to  the  Hiram  Lodge  of  Masons,  to  the 
Ancient  Order  of  United  Workmen,  and  is  a  mem- 
ber of  the  New  Haven  Chamber  of  Commerce  and 
of  the  Sons  of  the  American  Revolution.  He  is 
Deputy  Governor  of  the  Society  of  Founders  and 
Patriots,  Colony  of  Connecticut.  Colonel  "Nod" 
Osborn,  as  he  is  familiarly  called,  is  one  of  the  best- 
known  journalists  of  the  State,  and  his  editorials 
are  trenchant,  lively,  and  much  (pioted.  He  is  a 
happy  after-dinner  speaker,  and  widely  popular 
through  his  winning  personal  qualities.  He  was 
married  December  27,  1881,  to  Kate  Louise  Gard- 
ner, of  New  York  city.  They  have  five  children  : 
Innis,  Minott  A.,  Dorothy,  Gardner,  and  Katherine 
Osborn. 


PLANT,  MoRTox  F.,  Vice-President  and  Man- 
ager of  the  Canada  Atlantic  and  Plant  Steamship 
Lines,  New  York  city,  is  the  worthy  son  of  a 
distinguished  father,  and  was  born  in  New  Haven, 
Connecticut,  August  18,  1852.  He  is  the  son  of 
Henry  B.  Plant,  founder  of  the  Plant  System,  and 
Ellen  (Blackstone)  Plant,  and  is  descended  from 
Colonial  ancestors  on  both  sides  of  the  line.  Eight 
generations  of  the  f.imily  have  resided  in  this 
country.  Benjamin  Plant  was  a  Major  on  Washing- 
ton's staff,  and  had  charge  of  Andr6  during  a  portion 
of  his  confinement.  Another  ancestor,  Robert 
Rose,  was  one  of  the  founders  of  the  town  of 
Wethersfield  in  1637,  while  another,  Richard  Fris- 
bee,  settled  in  Virginia  in  1619.  His  son  Edward 
settled  in  Connecticut  in   1644,  while  John,  son  of 


Edward,  was  the  leading  man  of  Branford  and 
Representative  to  the  General  Court.  Another 
ancestor,  Thomas  Gregson,  was  one  of  the  founders 
of  New  Haven  in  1638,  while  John  Plant  fought  in 
the  great  swamp  fight  in  King  Philip's  War.  On 
the  maternal  side  Mr.  Plant  is  a  descendant  of 
Reverend  William  Blackstone,  who  came  to  Wey- 
mouth, Massachusetts,  in  1623,  and  owned  land  in 
what  is  now  the  city  of  Boston.  He  is  also  a 
descendant  of  Captain  John  Blackstone,  a  hero  of 
the  Revolution,  and  of  Captain  James  Blackstone, 
who  served  in  the  War  of  181 2.  Through  these 
honored  ancestors  Mr.  Plant  worthily  claims  mem- 
bershi]i  in  the  Society  of  Colonial  Wars,  the  Sons  of 
the  American  Revolution,  and  the  Founders  and 
Patriots  of  America.  Morton  F.  Plant  received  his 
first  schooling  in  the  district  school  of  Branford, 
Connecticut.  From  1863  to  1865  he  attended  the 
Russell  Military  School  at  New  Haven.  From  there 
he  went  to  Deacon  Hart's  school  at  Farmington, 
Connecticut,  where  he  remained  another  two  years. 
He  then  took  a  course  at  Eastman  Business  College, 
Poughkeepsie,  New  York,  where  he  was  graduated 
after  six  months'  study.  His  first  business  experi- 
ence was  in  the  Auditor's  office  of  the  Southern 
Express  Company  at  Augusta,  Georgia.  .At  the  end 
of  five  months  he  received  his  first  salary  check  for 
thirty-five  dollars,  covering  his  work  for  that  period. 
He  was  then  transferred  to  the  Auditor's  office  of  the 
Western  Division,  at  Memphis,  Tennessee,  where  he 
remained  one  year,  when  he  was  appointed  Corre- 
spondent of  the  Memphis  local  office  and  Extra 
Messenger,  which  position  he  held  until  1872.  In 
the  summer  of  that  year  he  came  to  New  York  city, 
and  entered  the  office  of  the  Adams  Express  Com- 
pany as  Receiving  Clerk  at  their  main  office.  Two 
years  later  he  was  transferred  to  the  office  at  638 
Broadway,  and  in  1876  he  was  again  transferred  to  the 
Forty-second  street  office.  This  position  he  resigned 
after  a  year's  service.  In  1881  he  went  South  in 
order  to  learn  the  railway  and  steamship  business. 
He  commenced  as  Clerk  on  the  steamer  "Chatta- 
hoochee," plying  between  Columbus,  Georgia,  and 
Apalachicola,  Florida.  After  one  year  he  was  trans- 
ferred, as  Purser,  to  the  "  Caddo  Belle,"  on  the  route 
between  New  Branford  and  Cedar  Keys.  In  1884, 
for  about  five  months,  he  acted  as  Travelling  Freight 
Agent  for  the  Savannah,  Florida  &  Western  Railroad. 
The  position  of  Traffic  Freight  Agent  of  the  Southern 
Express  Company  was  then  offered  him  by  D.  F. 
Jack,  then  Superintendent  of  the  Florida  Division. 
He  thus  remained  until    1S87,  when  he  was  elected 


NtF.N    dl"    I'Kor.UI'.SS. 


459 


X'ice-President  of  the  Brunswick  X:  Western  Rail- 
road, his  heaiJquarters  being  transferrcil  to  i  2  West 
Twenty-third  street,  New  \'ork.  I'wo  years  later  lie 
was  appointed  Assistant  to  the  President  of  the  Plant 
System,  and  at  the  same  time  Assistant  Manager  of 
the  Plant  Steamship  Line.  Soon  afterward  he  was 
elected  N'ice- President  of  the  Alabama  Midland 
Railroaii.  He  was  also  made  Manager  of  the 
Canada  Atlantic  &  Plant  Steanishi))  Lines,  and  in 
1S94  was  elected  Vice-President.  Since  that  date 
he  has  been  in  direct  control  of  the  company, 
which  like  the  other  Plant  enterprises  has  enjoyed  a 
marked  success.  Morton  F.  Plant  has  thus  won  his 
spurs  through  no  parental  partiality,  but  in  the  hard 
school  of  varied  experience.  The  care  of  the  huge 
interests  with  which  the  name  of  Plant  is  identi- 
fied is  now  devolving  more  and  more  upon  his 
shoulders,  and  he  has  proved  himself  well  equipjjed 
for  the  important  trust. 


pleted  his  studies  with  a  two  years  course  at  a  com- 
mercial college  in  I  larlford.  M  the  age  of  fificen 
he  went  to  work  in  I'.  L  ^N'illi.iinvjn's  market, 
ILirtford,  leaving  there  three  years  later  to  enter  a 
grocery  store  in  (}laston!)ury  as  a  <  lerk.  In  Octo- 
ber 1S72,  he  took  a  |>osition  with  the  J.  B.  Williams 
Company,  the  famous  soap  manufacturers,  remaining 
with  that  concern  until  .April  1X85,  in  whiih  year 
he  established  himself  in  the  shaving  and  toilet  soap 
business,  and  the  following  year  he  i)erfectcd  and 
introduced  the  now  well-known  cleaning  prepara- 
tion, "lion  .\mi."  In  1891  a  comjiany composed  of 
several  prominent  business  men  of  Manchester  was 
organized  and  incor|>orated  under  the  name  of  The 
L  T.  Robertson  Comi)any,  with  ample  facilities  for 
manufacturing  upon  a  large  scale  its  various  prod- 
ucts, including  mill  soaps,  which  have  been  added 
to  their  list,  and  their  goods  are  extensively  useil 
on  account  of  their  purity  and  excellence.  Al- 
though taking  no  active  part  in  political  affairs,  Mr. 
Robertson  generally  supports  the  Republican  i)arly, 
and  can  always  be  counted  ui)on  to  aid  the  cause 
of  temperance  and  good  citizenship.  In  October 
1882,  he  marrieil  Jessie  F.  Brown,  of  Lebanon, 
C'onnecticut ;  they  have  three  children  :  William  W., 
Herbert  !•'.  and  Crace  Robertson. 


T.    H.    RAFFTERY. 


ROBERTSCJN,  John  T.,  Manufacturer,  Man- 
chester, was  born  in  Glastonbury,  Connecticut,  Jan- 
uary 14,  1856,  son  of  William  and  Elizabeth  (Millie) 
Robertson.  From  the  common  schools  he  went  to 
\\'illiain  Wright's  Academy,  Glastonbury,  and  (  om- 


SPRAGUE,  Frank  Jli.iax,  Electrician,  New 
\'ork  city,  was  born  in  Milfonl,  Connecticut,  July 
-5'  i^5  7>  son  of  David  Cummings  and  Frances 
Julia  (King)  Sprague.  He  comes  of  good  old  New 
England  stock,  his  family  dating  back  to  the  early 
Colonial  limes.  He  received  his  early  education  in 
the  common  schools  of  North  Adams,  Mass;ichu- 
setts.  He  was  then  api)ointed  to  the  United  States 
Naval  Academy  at  Annapolis,  where  he  was  grad- 
uated with  honors  in  the  class  of  1878.  After  grad- 
uation he  remained  in  the  naval  ser%'ice  until  1883. 
.\fler  a  cruise  around  the  world  he  was  det;iiled  for 
duty  as  Ensign  on  board  the  United  States  steamer 
"  Lancaster,"  stationed  in  the  Mediterranean,  and 
was  the  government  rejiresentative  to  the  Crystal 
Palace  Electrical  Exhibition  in  Ixjndon  in  18S2. 
His  report  on  that  exhibition  attractetl  much  atten- 
tion. On  his  retirement  from  the  navy  one  year 
later,  and  after  a  year  in  the  emi)loy  of  Thomas  A. 
Edison,  he  devoted  himself  entirely  to  electrical 
work,  giving  especial  attention  to  the  problems  of 
stationary  motor  development  and  of  electrical  trac- 
tion. In  the  summer  of  i886  he  commenced  a 
series  of   experiments    on   the   Thirty-fourth  street 


4^0 


MK.\    OF    PROC.RKSS. 


Branch  of  the  Manhattan  Elevated  Railway,  with  a 
car  equipped  with  a  pair  of  pivoted  trucks.  In  the 
spring  of  the  following  year  the  Sprague  Electric 
Railway  and  Motor   ("oni])any  took  a  contract  for 


FRANK    J.    SPRAGUE. 

equipping  the  Passenger  Railway  of  St.  Joseph,  Mis- 
souri, and  the  Union  Passenger  Railway  of  Richmond, 
Va.  The  latter  road  contracted  for  eighty  motors, 
eleven  miles  of  track,  and  a  three  hundred  seventy- 
five  horse-power  generating  plant,  to  be  completed  at 
a  cost  of  one  hundred  and  ten  thousand  dollars. 
These  roads  were  started  experimentally  in  the  fall 
of  1887,  but  the  Richmond  road  was  not  regularly 
running  until  February  1888.  The  installation  of 
this  road  marked  a  new  epoch  in  street-car  service. 
Other  electric  roads  had  previously  been  established, 
but  the  Richmond  plant  was  the  first  to  practically 
demonstrate  the  feasibility  of  electric  tramways, 
and  its  entire  success  led  during  the  next  six  years 
to  the  transformation  of  five-sixths  of  the  existing 
horse-car  lines  into  electric  systems.  To  Frank  J. 
Sprague  more  than  to  any  other  man  is  due  this 
extraordinary  development.  .^mong  the  many 
features  introduced  by  him  at  Richmond  and  St. 
Joseph,  and  all  of  which  are  standard  features  of 
to-day,  may  be  named  the  following  :  Under-running 
trolley  placed  in  the  centre  of  the  car,  univer- 
sally   movable    and    reversible ;     fixed    brushes    for 


both  forward  and  backward  motion  of  the  car; 
motors  centred  on  the  axle,  flexibly  supported,  with 
large  part  of  weight  borne  by  the  truck ;  single 
reduction  motors ;  double  independent  motor 
equipment,  with  entire  weight  available  for  trac- 
tion and  symmetrically  distributed  ;  bonded  tracks 
with  supplemental  wire  ;  series-parallel  control ; 
and  two  motors  controlled  by  a  single  controller, 
from  either  end  of  the  car.  These  principles,  and 
the  unexampled  development  of  the  electric  sys- 
tems employing  them,  jusdy  entitle  Mr.  Sprague 
to  the  name  of  the  foremost  electric  railway  en- 
gineer of  the  world.  There  is  no  feature  of  value 
to  electric  traction,  except  the  carbon  brush,  that 
has  not  been  tried  by  Mr.  Sprague,  and  he  has 
done  for  electric  railways  what  Edison  did  for 
the  electric  light.  The  competition  between  the 
Thomson- Houston  Company  and  the  Sprague  Com- 
pany, during  the  years  following  the  Richmond 
installation,  was  an  extraordinary  spectacle,  a  ver- 
itable battle  of  the  giants,  each  company  securing 
over  one  hundred  contracts  for  street-railway  in- 
stallations. Soon  after  the  consolidation  of  the 
Kdison  interests,  in  1889,  the  Edison  General 
F'lectric  Company  absorbed  the  Sprague  Electric 
Railway  and  Motor  Company,  Mr.  Sprague  being 
retained  as  Consulting  Electrical  Engineer,  and  re- 
maining in  touch  with  the  corporation  of  Sprague, 
Duncan  &  Hutchinson,  Limited.  He,  however, 
resigned  his  position  with  the  General  Electric 
Company  at  the  end  of  a  year,  and  with  the  fort- 
une which  the  sale  of  his  own  company  had  given 
him  was  free  to  devote  himself  to  the  solution  of 
other  problems.  He  forthwith  set  to  work  upon 
an  electric  elevator,  associated  with  himself  Mr. 
Charles  R.  Pratt,  introducing  many  innovations  and 
improvements,  and  began  a  struggle  for  supremacy 
against  the  hydraulic  elevator  trust.  Although  much 
opposition  was  at  first  encountered,  yet  the  Sprague 
elevator  is  now  everywhere  recognized  as  one  of  the 
notable  inventions  of  the  age,  and  its  progress  in 
the  United  States  was  supplemented  in  1897  by  a 
contract  for  all  the  large  elevators  for  the  new  Cen- 
tral London  Railway.  In  October  1897,  Mr. 
Sprague  again  entered  the  electric  railway  field,  and 
the  new  Sprague  Electric  Company  was  formed, 
with  a  capital  of  five  million  dollars.  This  com- 
pany now  carries  on  the  business  of  the  Sprague 
Electric  Elevator  Company,  as  well  as  that  of  the 
Interior  Conduit  and  Insulation  Company.  It  is 
backed  by  most  powerful  moneyed  interests,  and 
has   sprung  at  once  to  the  front   rank   of  electrical 


MKN    1)1'    1'RIH;KKS.s. 


461 


corporations.  It  at  once  assumed  pcrhajis  the 
most  imiiortant  work  in  which  Mr.  Sprague  is  now 
engaged,  in  his  contract  witli  the  Soutli  Side  Ele- 
vated Road  of  Chicago  to  change  their  motive 
power  from  steam  to  electricity.  These  changes 
now  being  made  seem  destined  to  cause  as  great  a 
revohition  in  the  operating  of  elevated  and  subur- 
ban roads  as  did  the  Richmond  [ilant  in  the  surface 
street-railway  field.  Mr.  Sjirague  has  here  adopteil 
a  system  of  individual  motors  umler  each  car,  con- 
trolled from  either  end  of  any  car,  and  predicts  that 
this  system  of  '•  multiple-unit  "  control  marks  the 
abandonment  of  the  locomotive  of  any  character 
on  suburban  service.  He  is  a  frequent  contrib- 
utor to  the  engineering  and  electrical  magazines, 
and  his  opinions  on  all  electrical  matters  are 
awaited  with  the  deci)est  interest.  He  has  given 
much  time  and  thought  to  tlie  study  of  the  rapid- 
transit  problem  in  New  York  city,  and  is  a  high 
authority  on  the  subject.  He  is  very  sanguine  of 
the  future  of  the  electric  motor,  and,  though  not  yet 
ready  to  concede  its  ajiplication  to  trunk-line  rail- 
roads, believes  that  the  ([uestion  is  one  of  the  num- 
ber of  train  units  operated  between  terminal  points, 
and  that  for  city,  suburban,  and  inter-urban  traffic  the 
electric  motor  will  be  the  motive  force  of  the  near 
future.  Mr.  Sprague  was  President  of  the  Ameri- 
can Institute  of  Electrical  Engineers  in  1X92,  and 
he  is  also  a  member  of  the  Instittite  of  Civil  En- 
gineers of  London,  and  of  the  Society  of  Marine 
.■\rchitects  and  Naval  Engineers  of  .'\merica.  He 
also  belongs  to  the  University,  Colonial,  and  City 
clubs  of  New  York.  In  politics  he  is  an  independent 
Republican. 

SEYMOUR,  John  Sa.m.mis,  Attorney-at-Law  ami 
Ex-United  States  Commissioner  of  Patents,  New 
York  city,  was  born  at  Whitney's  Point,  New  York, 
September  28,  1848,  son  of  George  \Vhitefield  and 
Mary  (Freeman)  Seymour.  He  comes  of  Colonial 
stock,  and  is  a  descendant  of  Richard  Seymour,  who 
came  from  England  to  Hartford  in  1639.  Young 
Seymour's  early  education  was  received  in  the  com- 
mon schools  and  at  the  village  academy.  He  then 
entered  Yale  College,  where  he  was  graduated  in 
1S75.  Three  years  later  he  was  graduated  at  the 
Yale  Law  School,  and  in  July  of  the  same  year  \vas 
admitted  to  the  Bar.  He  at  once  began  the  prac- 
tice of  law  at  Norwalk,  Connecticut,  and  there  con- 
tinued until  his  removal  to  \Yashington  in  1893. 
In  1891-3  he  represented  Norwalk  in  the  State 
Senate,  and  in  1893  was  appointed  Insurance  Com- 


missioner for  Connecticut.  I'rcsident  Cleveland 
during  his  second  administration  np|x>in(ed  him 
Commissioner  of  Patents,  .\pril  13,  1893,  and  this 
office  he  held  during  the  succeeding  four  years. 
On  leaving  Washington  he  resutned  the  practice  of 
the  law  in  New  York  city,  and  in  connection  with 
l-lugene  M.  Harmon,  of  Cincinnati  and  Washington, 
formed  a  ])artnership  under  the  firm  name  of  Sey- 
mour it  Harmon.  The  firm  have  offices  at  ^^  Pine 
street,  and  do  an  import;int  business,  confining 
themselves  to  ])atent  and  trade- mark  cases.  Mr. 
Seymour  is  a  member  of  the  I.awyers'  Club  of  New 
York,  and  of  the  Norwalk  Club,  the  .Norwalk  N'acht 
Club,  and  the  Pine  Ledge  Club.  He  was  married 
September  10,  1879,  to  Clara  K.,  youngest  daughter 
of  General  Charles  Olmstead,  of  Norwalk.  Four 
children  have  been  born  to  them  :  Marion  Frankc, 
born  .Ypril  17,  1 881,  died  in  infancy;  Howe  Free- 
man, born  March  10,  1884  :  Geoffrey  Olmstead, 
born  March  11,  1886,  died  March  10,  1892;  and 
Mary  Seymour,  born  July  28,  1888. 


C.    E.    STRONG. 


SCIILELKi:,  lii.K.MANN  Lri>wi(;,  .\l.l».,  of  Oak- 
ville,  was  born  in  New  Haven,  Connecticut,  Sep- 
tember 6,  1870,  son  of  Louis  and   Emily  (Helbig) 


462 


MEN    OF    PR0GRP:SS. 


Schuelke.  His  parents  were  of  German  birth  and 
ancestry,  iiis  father  having  been  born  in  Berlin  and 
his  mother  in  Saxony.  His  boyhood  was  spent  in 
\\'aterbury,  Connecticut.  Leaving  the  Waterbury 
High  School  when  twelve  years  of  age,  he  com- 
menced his  training  for  active  life  as  clerk  in  a  dry 
goods  store,  which  was  burned  out  after  he  had 
been  there  less  than  a  year.  From  among  a  number 
of  openings  which  then  offered  he  chose  a  position 
in  the  store  of  Dennis  Hawley,  men's  furnishing 
goods,  with  whom  he  remained  for  two  years.  In 
the  meantime  he  had  a  desire  to  study  medicine, 
so  he  studied  nights  and  recited  to  Miss  M.  M. 
Abbott,  Principal  of  the  Hillside  Avenue  School,  in 
Waterbury.  A  chance  offering  to  enter  a  physi- 
cian's office,  he  became  office  boy  for  Dr.  E.  P. 
Gregory,  with  whom  he  studied,  and  at  the  same 
time  prepared  for  college  at  the  Hillside  Avenue 
School.  In  1889  he  entered  the  Medical  College 
of  the  University  of  the  City  of  New  York,  graduat- 
ing therefrom  in  the  class  of  iSgijand  commencing 
practice  in  1892  at  Naugatuck,  Connecticut.  Since 
then  he  has  practised  medicine  at  Middlebury,  Con- 
necticut for  two  years,  1893-5,  and  at  Oakville  from 
1896  to  the  present  time.  Dr.  Schuelke  affirms 
that  he  has  not  as  yet  finished  his  professional 
education,  but  he  has  been  licensed  to  practise  by 
the  Connecticut  State  Board  of  Health,  and  is  now 
practising  in  Waterbury  as  well  as  in  Oakville.  He 
was  a  member  of  the  Board  of  Health  in  Nauga- 
tuck in  1892,  and  since  August  1S94  has  ser\'ed  as 
Medical  Examiner  for  the  Connecticut  Indemnity 
Life  Insurance  Company  of  Waterbury  in  Middle- 
bury  and  Oakville.  He  is  a  member  of  Nosahogan 
Lodge  of  Odd  Fellows,  Waterbury;  Gavel  Lodge, 
Knights  of  Pythias,  Naugatuck;  the  Grange  of 
Middlebury;  and  the  Hanky  Panky  Club  of  Oak- 
ville, of  which  he  was  Treasurer  from  July  1896  to 
February  1897,  when  he  resigned.  Dr.  .Schuelke 
had  a  hard  struggle  from  the  start  to  obtain  an 
education  and  get  on  in  the  worid,  as  he  was  one 
of  eight  children,  and  was  obliged  to  rely  mainly 
upon  his  own  efforts  and  resources.  But  he  has 
never  given  up  or  become  discouraged,  and  he  has 
been  very  successful  in  his  practice.  He  was  mar- 
ried June  I,  1893,  to  Florence  Middlebrook ;  they 
have  two  children :  Justine  and  Eula  Schuelke. 


His  early  education  was  obtained  in  the  common 
schools  of  his  native  town,  but  he  was  compelled  to 
leave  his  books  while  still  a  mere  child  and  enter 
upon  an  active  business  life.  He  was  only  thirteen 
years  of  age  when  he  abandoned  his  studies  to  enter 
the  employ  of  \V.  C.  Reynolds,  as  bookkeeper  and 
clerk  in  the  post-office  at  East  Haddam.  He  had 
occupied  this  position  six  years  when  an  oppor- 
tunity presented  to  improve  his  situation,  and  he 
eagerly  took  advantage  of  it,  and  forthwith  became 
Teller  and  Bookkeeper  in  the  National  Bank  of  New 
England  at  East  Haddam,  remaining  installed  there 
for  about  four  years,  and  only  retiring  in  1887  to 
accept  a  more  responsible  and  remunerative  posi- 
tion as  Cashier  of  the  Mechanics'  National  Bank  of 
New  Britain,  which  latter  office  he  still  holds.  Mr. 
Attvvood  is  also  Treasurer  of  the  Burritt  Savings 
Bank  of  the  same  town,  having  held  that  position 


ATTWOOD,  WiLLUM  Elijah,  Banker,  New  Brit- 
ain, was  born  in  East  Haddam,  F'ebruary  24,  1864, 
son  of  William  H.  and  Josephine  (Bishop)  Attwood. 


W.    E.    ATTWOOD. 

since  July  1893,  before  which  he  acted  as  its  Secre- 
tary, from  the  date  of  its  incorporation,  October 
1 89 1.  He  is  a  Director  of  the  Mechanics'  National 
Bank  and  of  the  D.  C.  Judd  Company,  both  of  New 
Britain.  Mr.  Attwood  has  proved  himself  to  be  a 
man  of  much  business  tact  and  executive  ability, 
and  he  holds  an  influential  position  in  both  com- 
mercial and  social  circles.  He  is  a  member  of  the 
Odd   Fellows  Association    and  of  the  New  Britain 


MKN    i»l"    I'RtlC.RKSS.  463 

Club,  while  in  politics  he  is  ami  has  always  tieen  an      Mainlonl  :  they  l>avc   one  child,   a  boy,  l)orn  May 

ardent   Republican,  taking  a  warm   interest  in  the       i.»,    i.S<)6. 

welfare  of  his  party  and  laboring  energetically  for 

the    success   of   its   candidates.     On    October    11, 

1887,  Mr.  Attwood  was  married  to  .Mice  1>.  Sewanl, 

daughter  of    Henry  L.  and    Jane    (Stow)   Sewaril. 

They  have  one  daughter  :   (."laire   Stow  .Xttwood. 


ri\()\',  l'".i)w.\Ki)  .MiCHAKi.,  Lawyer,  of  Stamford, 
was  born  in  Stamford,  March  2,  1S69,  son  of  John 
and  Mary  (Haley)  Troy.  His  father  was  a  native 
of  Ireland,  and  came  to  this  country  and  took  up 
his  residence  in  Stamford  as  a  farm  hand.  Subse- 
quently he  learned  the  trade  of  stone  mason,  which 
he  followetl,  with  the  exception  of  three  or  four 
years  in  the  grocery  trade,  until  1892,  when  he  went 
e.xtensively  into  the  business  of  a  mason  contractor 
and  builder,  in  whicii  ho  is  now  engaged.  The 
subject  of  this  sketch  attended  the  West  Stamford 
School,  where  he  always  occupied  the  highest  posi- 
tion in  his  class,  and  was  often  promoted  in  the 
middle  of  the  school  term  to  a  higher  class  without 
examination.  He  afterwards  entered  the  Stamford 
High  School,  where  his  tastes  ran  much  to  litera- 
ture, as  evidenced  by  various  contributions  to  the 
"  High  School  Gazette."  Subsecpiently  he  was 
admitted  to  St.  John's  College,  Fordham,  New 
York,  where  he  distinguished  himself  princi])ally  as 
a  debater  and  eloc-utionist.  After  sjiending  three 
years  in  college  in  pursuit  of  the  classics,  he 
embraced  an  opportunity  presented  him  by  Hon- 
orable E.  L.  Scofield  to  study  law  in  the  lattcr's 
office  at  Stamford,  where  he  studied  for  three  years 
and  received  his  practical  training  for  active  life. 
He  was  admitted  to  the  Bar  of  Fairfield  county 
in  January  1893,  and  continued  in  the  office  of  Mr. 
Scofield  until  January  1897,  when  he  opened  an 
office  of  his  own  in  the  .\rcade  Building,  where  he 
is  engaged  in  the  active  practice  of  his  profession. 
Mr.  Troy  is  l)e]juty  Supreme  Chief  Ranger  in  Con- 
necticut of  the  Indejjendent  Order  of  Foresters,  is  a 
member  of  the  Order  of  United  Workmen,  the 
Second  Division  of  Ancient  Hibernians  of  Stamford, 
and  the  St.  Joseph's  Total  Abstinence  and  licnevo- 
lent  Society  of  Stamford.  In  politics  he  is  a 
Democrat,  and  for  a  period  of  two  years  from  1892 
took  a  leading  part,  with  a  few  others,  in  a  power- 
ful local  faction  of  that  party,  termed  the  "  .\ntis." 
Lately  the  factions  have  harmonized.  He  was 
married  August  5,  1895,  to  Mary   Louise  Troy,  of 


€:%. 


J.    B     SAYLES. 


T\VI'.i;i)\,  John  Augus-iv-S,  Merchant,  of  New 
York  city,  was  born  in  Norwich,  Connecticut,  No- 
vember 20,  1835,  son  of  Edwin  A.  and  Sarah  (Fox) 
iweedy,  of  Scotch- Irish  ancestry.  He  acquired  his 
school  education  principally  at  Nonvich  Academy, 
and  received  his  early  training  for  active  life  in  a 
retail  drygoods  store.  In  January  1856,  he  entered 
the  emi)loy  of  Lee,  Case  &  Company,  New  York, 
and  in  1863  became  a  member  of  the  firm  of  Ixe, 
Bliss  &  Company,  which  ten  years  later  was  changed 
to  the  present  style  of  Lee,  Iweedy  &  Company. 
Mr.  Tweedy  is  a  Director  of  the  Tradesmen's  Na- 
tional Bank  and  the  Hanover  Fire  Insurance  Com- 
jiany,  also  of  the  Brooklyn  Club.  In  politics  he  is 
an  Independent.  He  was  married  December  27, 
1867,  to  Anna  L.  Richards;  they  have  one  son: 
John  Edmund  Tweedy. 


WOODRUFF,  Timothy  Lester,  Lieutenant-Gov- 
ernor of  New  York,  was  born  in  New  Haven,  Con- 
necticut, and    is  a  descendant  of  the  earliest  set- 


464 


MEN    OF    PR0(;RESS. 


tiers  of  Connecticut.  His  father,  the  late  John 
Woodruff,  represented  the  New  Haven  District  in 
Congress  from  1S55  to  1865.  ^Fr.  Woodruff,  after  a 
preparatory  course  at  Phillips  Exeter  Academy, 
entered  Vale  I'niversity  in  1S75,  and  was  graduated 
Bachelor  of  Arts  in  1879,  receiving  the  degree  of 
Master  of  Arts  in  1889.  Immediately  after  gradua- 
tion he  took  a  business  course  at  Eastman  College, 
I'oughkeepsie,  New  York.  In  January  1881,  after 
a  year's  clerkship,  he  was  admitted  to  the  firm  of 
Nash,  Whiton  &  Company,  now  the  Worcester  Salt 
Company,  of  which  he  is  Treasurer.  He  became  a 
resident  of  Brooklyn  in  the  spring  of  the  same  year. 
In  1887  he  was  the  proprietor  of  the  Franklin,  Com- 
mercial, Nye,  and  Waverly  stores,  and  two  grain  ele- 
vators. When  the  Brooklyn  warehouse  was  organ- 
ized in  1888  by  J.  S.  T.  Stranahan,  David  Dows, 
A.  E.  Orr  and  others,  he  was  made  a  Director  and 
Secretary  of  the  company.  In  1889  he  became  one 
of  the  proprietors  of  the  Maltine  Manufacturing 
Company,  of  which  he  is  now  President.  The  busi- 
ness has  proved  immensely  profitable.  He  was  one 
of  the  incorporators  of  the  King's  County  Tnist 
Company,  the  Hamilton  Trust  Company,  and  the 
Manufacturers'  Trust  Company,  all  of  Brooklyn. 
He  is  a  Director  of  the  Merchants'  Exchange 
National  Bank  of  New  York,  President  of  the  Coop- 
erative Building  Bank,  and  a  member  of  the  New 
York  Chamber  of  Commerce.  In  189 1  he  was 
elected  Treasurer  of  the  City  Savings  Bank  of 
Brooklyn,  of  which  he  had  long  been  a  Trustee.  In 
politics  he  has  been  as  successful  as  in  business. 
His  first  political  experience  was  gained  in  the 
Brooklyn  Young  Republican  Club,  on  its  .Advisory 
and  Executive  Committees  during  the  campaigns  of 
1 88 1  and  1883,  when  Seth  Low  was  elected  to  the 
Mayoralty.  He  represented  his  assembly  district 
in  the  Republican  State  Convention  of  1885,  and 
has  been  a  delegate  from  the  district  to  all  succeed- 
ing State  and  local  conventions.  In  1888  he  was 
unanimously  chosen  as  a  delegate  to  the  Republi- 
can National  Convention  at  Chicago.  In  Novem- 
ber 1896,  while  still  a  young  man,  he  was  elected 
to  his  present  position  as  Lieutenant-Governor  of 
New  York.  With  wealth,  social  position,  and  the 
prestige  of  continued  business  and  political  success, 
his  future  career  will  be  watched  with  interest.  He 
is  President  of  the  Board  of  Trustees  of  Adelphi 
College,  Brooklyn.  For  many  years  he  has  been  a 
member  of  the  Brooklyn  Bicycle  Club,  and  the  his- 
tory of  cycling  in  Brooklyn,  from  its  inception  to 
the  present  day,  contains  his  name  and  his  work  for 


wheelmen  in  all  its  brightest  chapters.  He  has 
been  the  idol  of  Brooklyn  wheelmen  on  account  of 
the  road  regulations  and  improvements  he  has  se- 
cured for  them  as  Park  Commissioner.  He  is  also 
an  active  member  of  the  Riding  and  Driving  Club 
and  of  the  Society  of  the  Sons  of  the  Revolution. 


DAVID    A.    FOX. 


\VARD,  F'rederic  Augusius,  Lawyer,  Brookl\n, 
New  York,  was  born  in  Farmington,  Connecticut, 
April  I,  1 84 1,  son  of  Augustus  and  Susan  (Cowles) 
Ward.  His  ancestors  have  been  prominently  identi- 
fied with  the  history  of  Farmington  since  its  settlement 
in  1640.  Samuel  Whitman,  his  maternal  ancestor,  was 
graduated  at  Harvard  in  1696,  and  was  installed  as 
Pastor  of  the  church  at  Farmington  in  1705.  He 
was  a  Fellow  of  Yale  College  from  1726  to  1746. 
Through  the  commercial  enterprise  of  the  Cowles 
brothers,  of  whom  Mr.  \\'ard's  grandfather,  Seth 
Cowles,  was  one,  F"armington  became,  a  hundred 
years  ago,  one  of  the  leading  business  towns  of  New 
England.  On  his  father's  side  his  ancestors  are  of 
the  Revolutionary  stock  of  ^lassachusetts.  He  was 
educated  in  the  public  schools  and  in  Deacon 
Hart's  Academy  in  Farmington,  where  he  fitted  for 
college.     He  is  a  graduate  of  Yale  in  the  class  of 


MEN    OF    PROGRESS. 


4^' 5 


1S62,  and  of  the  Coliiniliia  Law  School  in  the  class 
of  1865.     December  30th  of  that  year  he  was  aii- 
mitted  to  the  bar  and  entered  upon  a  life  of  unusual 
activity.     He  was  a  student  in  the  office  of  Mott, 
Murray    &    Harris,   of  Brooklyn,  in  1863-64,  anil 
later  was  Managing  Clerk  for  Eniott,  Van  Cott  & 
Jenks,  of  Brooklyn,  and  upon  the  dissolution  of  that 
firm,  in  1866,  he  formed  a  jjartnership  witl>  the  late 
Grenville  T.  Jenks,  who  was  a  nephew  of  Wenilcll 
Phillips  and  one  of  the  most  brilliant  and  successful 
advocates  that  the  Bar  of  the  State  of  New  York  has 
produced.     The  firm  was  employed  in  many  of  the 
important  litigations  of  the  day.     When  Mr.  Jenks 
died,  in  1870,  Mr.  Ward  formed  a  partnership  with 
the  Honorable  George  G.  Reynolds,  the  then  leader 
of  the  Bar  in  the  Grand  Judicial  Department.    \\'hen 
Judge  Reynolds  was  reelected  to  the  bench,  in  1872, 
the  partnership  was  dissolved,  and  Mr.  Ward  con- 
tinued alone  until   1878,  when  he  formed  a  partner- 
ship with  Almet  F.  Jenks,  son  of  his  former  partner 
and  subsequently  Corporation  Counsel  for  the  City 
of  Brooklyn.     Since   1883  Mr.  Ward  has  continued 
to   practise  alone.      For  many  years   he   has  been 
counsel  for  some   of  the   largest  corporations  and 
mercantile    houses    in    the    country,    including    the 
Manhattan    Railway    Company,    the    Union    Ferry 
Company,  the  National  Bank  of  Commerce  in  New 
York,  and  others  equally  well  known,  and  has  en- 
joyed   a    large    and    lucrative  practice  as  associate 
counsel,  principally  in  the  Second  Judicial  Depart- 
ment.    He  was  President  of  the  Yale  Alumni  Asso- 
ciation of  Long  Island  1892-95  ;  is  a  Director  of 
the  Long  Island  Historical  Society,  of  the  Brooklyn 
Library,  of    the    Brooklyn    Free    Library,    of    the 
Brooklyn  Philharmonic  Society,  and  of  the  People's 
Trust    Company;    is   Vice-President  of    the    New 
England     Society     of     Brooklyn  ;     is    a     Director 
of  the    Greenwood  Cemetery ;    and  a  member   of 
the  following   clubs :    the    Brooklyn,    Hamilton  (of 
which  he  is  a  Director),  Yale,  Lawyers',  'I'wentieth 
Century,  Parmachnee  and  Wyandauch.     He  is  also 
a    member  of   the    Sons  of   the  Revolution.      He 
has  been  married  twice ;    his   first  wife,  whom   he 
married   in    1871,    was    I'ercie    S.   Jenks,  and    his 
second,    whom    he    married    in     1881,    Jessie    L. 
Thompson. 


born  in  Bosiou,  M.iy  1.',  1M9,  and  died  111  Andover, 
M.assachusctis,  January  25,  1S9.J.  His  paternal  an- 
cestor, Anthony  Gulliver,  was  born  in  England  in  1619, 
settled  at  Braintrec,  Massachusetts,  in  lO^s.ani!  after- 
waril  purchased  a  homestea<l  at  .Milton,  M.-issachu- 
setts.  His  grandfather,  Gershom  Gulliver,  was  one 
of  the  "  Minute  Men  "  at  the  battle  of  U-xington. 
.According  to  the  family  chronicle,  Mr.  Gulliver's 
maternal  grandmother,  who  afterwards  became  the 
wife  of  Henry  Putnam,  a  nephew  of  Israel  Putnam, 
was  also  present  at  the  battle  of  Lexington.  .She  was 
then  only  a  little  girl,  and  was  occupied  all  day  long 
in  carrying  food  and  cofTec  to  the  "  Minute  Men  " 
who  were  engaged  in  the  battle.  Among  others  she 
supplied  Gershom  Gulliver  with  these  refreshments. 
Thus  the  families  of  Putnam  and  Gulliver,  aftenvard 
connected  by  the  marriage  of  children  then  unl)orn, 
were  first  introduced  over  a  bowl  of  coflTee  at  the 
battle  of  Lexington.  Mr.  (Julliver's  father,  John,  the 
husband  of  Sarah  Putnam,  was  a  merchant  at  Ikision, 
and  later,  in  Philadelphia,  was  one  of  the  founders  of 
the  American  Education  Society,  an  aggressive  .Aboli- 
tionist, and  always  active  in  educational  and  religious 


JOHN    p.    GULLIVER. 


GULLIX  I'^R,    Reverend    John    Putnam,    D.D.,  movements.     L'ntil  his  twelfth  year  young  Gulliver 

LL.D.,  Professor  in  the  Andover  Theological  Semi-  attended    the    public    schools  of  Boston.     For  the 

nary  and  for  twenty  years  Pastor  of  the  Main-street  following  two  years  he  was  emjiloycd  in  his  father's 

Congregational  Church,  Norwich,  Connecticut,  was  store,  rising  at  five  o'clock  winter  and  summer,  and 


466 


MEN    OF    I'ROGRESS. 


gaining    a    business   experience    which    he    always 
regarded  as  one  of  the  most   vahied  ]5arts  of  his 
education.    He  then  decided  to  abandon  a  business 
career,  and  in  1833  entered  I'hiUips  Academy,  An- 
dover,  Massachusetts.    Shortly  afterwards  he  resolved 
to  enter  the    ministry,  and    as   a    preparatory  step 
entered  Vale  College,  where  he    was  graduated  in 
1840.    Dr.  H.  M.  Dexter,  that  able  defender  of  Con- 
gregationalism, was  a  fellow-classmate.    For  the  two 
years  succeeding  graduation  he  was  Principal  of  an 
academy  at   West    Randolph,  Massachusetts.      He 
then   entered   Andover  Theological  Seminary,  and 
after  finishing  his  junior  year  there  took  one  year  at 
the  Vale  Theological  School   under  the  teaching  of 
Dr.  X.  \V.  Taylor,  of  whose  New  England  theology 
he  afterwards  became  so  able  an  exponent.  Return- 
ing to  Andover,  he    then   finished    his    theological 
course,  and    immediately    on   graduation    received 
a   call   to  the    Main-street  Congregational    Church 
(subsequently  known  as  the  Broadway  Church)  of 
Norwich,    Connecticut.      He    was  ordained  in  the 
fall  of  1846,  and  there  remained  during  a  memorable 
pastorate  of  twenty  years,  during  which  he  won  the 
respect  and  affectionate  regard  of  the  entire  com- 
munity.    The    memorial    service  held    in  Norwich 
almost   thirty    years    after   the    termination    of  his 
pastorate  there  was  a  beautiful  tribute  to  the  lasting 
quality  of  his  friendship  and  his  work.    The  Norwich 
Free  Academy  is  a  noble  memorial  to  Mr.  Gulliver. 
He  was  the  leading  spirit  in  its  establishment  and  in 
the    procuring   of  its    generous  endowment,  which 
permits  it,  in  the  words  of  his  dedicatory  address,  "  to 
offer   to    the    poorest  boy  in    the  community,  who 
aspires  to  join  himself  to    the    noble  fraternity  of 
scholars,  the  opportunity  to  fit  himself  for  the  uni- 
versity or  the  scientific  school."     The  famous  War 
Governor   of  Connecticut,  Governor    Buckingham, 
was  a  member  of  his  church,  and  his  warm  friend. 
It  was  always  a  sorrow  to  Mr.  Gulliver  that  a  physical 
injury,  causing  a  spinal  trouble,  prevented  him  from 
active  service  in  the  war.     But  he  was  the  Union's 
gallant  champion    in    pulpit  and  press,  and  was  a 
fearless  Abolitionist  at    a    time    when    others    were 
feebly  compromising  with  the  evil  of  slavery.     One 
of  his  parishioners,  speaking  of  his  sermon  delivered 
at  the  time  of  the  John  Brown  raid  just  before  the 
war,  said:   "Those  of  us  who  heard  it  will   never 
forget  it.     Patrick  Henry  in  the  days  of  the  Revolu- 
tion, with  all  his  elotiuence,    never   electrified    an 
audience  as  this  sermon  did,  preached  at  the  time 
when  the  anti-slavery  movement  was  at  fever  heat 
throughout  the  North.      By  request  it  was  repeated 


in  two  or  three  of  the  Norwich  churches,  and  also 
in    New     London.       The    'Bulletin'     printed    the 
sermon  in  full,  yet  such  was  its  popularity  that  the 
editors  were  unable  to  supply  the  demand  for  it." 
While    in    Norwich    Mr.    Gulliver  was    for    several 
years  Acting  School  Visitor  and  Office  Correspondent 
to  Superintendent  of  Schools.     From  1861  to  1866 
he  was  a  member  of  the  corporation  of  Yale  Col- 
lege.    He  also  published  a  widely  circulated  weekly 
pa]3er  devoted  to  education  and  temperance.     He 
was  always  a  frequent  contributor  to  periodical  liter- 
ature.     One  of  his  contributions  to  the  New  York 
"  Independent"  described  an  interview  between  Mr.       x 
Gulliver  and  Abraham  Lincoln,  in  which  the  Presi- 
dent confided  to  him  some  of  the  basic  principles 
of  his  success.     The  young  law  student  in  commun- 
ing with  himself  had  said  :  "  Lincoln,  you  can  never 
make  a  great  lawyer  if  you  do  not  understand  what 
the  word  demonstrate  means.     I  left  my  situation 
in  Springfield,  went  home  to  my  father's  house,  and 
stayed  there  until  I  could  give  any  proposition  in  the 
six  books  of  Euclid  at  sight.      I  then  found  what 
demonstrate    means,    and   went    back    to    my  law 
studies."     The  incident  brings    out  a  fundamental 
quality    in    the    minds    of    both    men ;     for    the 
preacher,  not  less  than  the  lawyer,  was  remarkable 
for  his  grasp  of  principles  and  breadth  and  mastery 
of  every  subject  he  discussed.     After  a  twenty  years' 
pastorate  in  Norwich  he  accepted  a  call  to  the  New 
England   Church   in  Chicago,  where    he   remained 
until  1868.     He  became  one  of  the  founders  of  the 
"  Advance  "  during  this  period,  and  took  a  deep  in- 
terest in  the  affairs  of  the  Chicago  Theological  Semi- 
nary.    He  was  one  of  a  group  of  ministers  of  four 
adjacent  States  who  from  their  frequent  conferences 
and   wide    influence   were    popularly    called    "The 
Seven  Wise    Men  of  the  West."     From    1868   to 
1872  he  was  President  of  Knox  College,  Galesburg, 
Illinois,  having   meanwhile  received  the  degree  of 
D.D.  from  Iowa  College  and  that  of   LL.D.  from 
the  Iowa  State  University.     During  his  Presidency 
he  succeeded  in  uniting  Knox  Seminary  with  Knox 
College,  and  thus  from  practical  experience  became 
an  earnest  advocate  of  co-education.       He  was  a 
defender  of  the  higher  education  of   woman  at  a 
time  before  any  of  the  prominent  women's  colleges 
had  been  formed  in  the  Lhiited  States.      In   1872 
Dr.  Crulliver  gave    up  the   Presidency  in  order  to 
accept    the    Pastorate    of    the     First     Presbyterian 
Church  of  Binghamton,  New  York.      Here  he  re- 
mained  until    1S79,   when    he    became   Stone   Pro- 
fessor of  the  "  Relations  of  Christianity  and  Science  " 


MF.X    OF    IMiOGRF.SS. 


467 


at  Andover,  Massachusetts.  He  was  the  first  iii- 
nimhent  of  this  chair,  and  remained  at  Andover 
until  his  death  in  1S94.  'I'his  rrolessorshiji,  the 
establishment  of  which  was  a  marked  concession  to 
the  broadening  spirit  of  progress  in  religious  thought, 
Dr.  (niUiver  filled  with  eminent  ability  and  ilisline- 
tion.  He  had  the  true  philosophical  temperament, 
and  that  progressive  spirit  which  is  quick  to  appre- 
ciate the  relative  value  of  the  new  and  the  old. 
During  the  famous  Andover  controversy  he  occu- 
pied an  independent  position.  He  did  not  sympa- 
thize with  the  editors  of  the  ".Andover  Review" 
in  their  views  on  probation,  yet,  although  inclined 
to  conservation,  vigorously  asserted  the  right  of 
independent  thought  and  individual  teaching.  He 
defended  the  "  respondents  "  when  the  attempt  was 
made  to  drive  them  from  the  institution  on  the 
ground  of  heterodoxy,  and  sought  to  mediate  in  the 
interest  of  liberty,  progress,  and  peace.  Dr.  Gul- 
liver was  married  September  cS,  1845,  to  Frances 
Woodbury,  the  beautiful  daughter  of  Eliz.ur  and 
Amanda  (Steele)  Curtis,  of  Torringford,  Connecti- 
I  ut,  and  a  lineal  descendant  of  Governor  William 
liradford.  She  was  a  model  wife  and  mother,  of  a 
sunny  and  affectionate  disposition,  and  an  infinite 
inspiration  and  aid  to  her  husband  throughout  his 
career.  She  died  March  9,  1892.  Six  children 
were  born  to  them  :  William  Curtis,  a  well-known 
New  York  lawyer,  John  Francis,  Joseph  Otis,  Julia 
Henrietta,  Mary,  and  Herbert  Putnam  Gulliver. 
Joseph  Otis  and  Herbert  Putnam  Ciulliver  died  in 
infancy. 

SKH)DV,  William  Wheelwright,  President  of 
the  Stamford  Manufacturing  Company,  and  Com- 
missary General  of  Connecticut  under  Governor 
Waller,  was  born  in  New  York  city,  .\pril  26,  1845. 
He  is  the  son  of  Captain  William  and  Mary  Ann 
Skiddy.  He  attended  the  primary  schools  of  New 
York  city  and  afterwards  the  Russell  Military  School 
at  New  Haven,  where  he  was  prepared  for  college. 
He  was  graduated  from  Yale  in  the  class  of  1865. 
He  has  always  been  extremely  loyal  to  his  Alma 
Mater,  and  has  aided  the  college  in  many  ways. 
After  leaving  Yale  he  worked  two  years  as  clerk  in 
the  office  of  his  uncle,  Francis  Skiddy,  in  Wall 
street,  New  \'ork.  He  then  became  interested  in 
the  coal-mining  business,  which  he  carried  on  for 
eight  years.  In  1875  he  interested  himself  in  the 
Stamford  Manufacturing  Comi)any,  of  Stamford, 
Connecticut,  engaging  in  the  manufacture  of  extracts 
of  dyewoods    and    licorice.     This  business,   whose 


establishment  dates  hack  to  1 796,  is  still  carried  on 
at  Stamford.  Mr.  Skiddy  lurcaMic  I'  '  of  the 
company  in   1887,  and   has  fully  n  :■-  hi({h 

reputation  in  the  business  and  financial  world.     He 


is  also  a  Director  of  several  banks,  trust  companies, 
and  business  enterprises,  and  enjoys  the  universal 
confidence  and  res])ect  of  his  business  associates. 
Mr.  Skiddy  has  long  been  prominent  in  the  Demo- 
cratic councils  of  Connecticut,  and  has  been  a 
frequent  delegate  to  State  Conventions.  In  18S4 
and  in  1892  he  was  a  delegate  to  the  National 
Democratic  Conventions  that  nominated  candidates 
for  President  and  \'ice-President.  He  was  ap- 
pointed Commissary  General  of  Connecticut  by 
Governor  Waller.  Since  1875  he  has  been  a  Ves- 
tryman of  St.  John's  Episcopal  Church  of  Stamford, 
and  has  served  as  a  lay  delegate  from  Connecticut 
to  several  of  the  general  conventions  of  the  church. 
He  is  a  member  of  the  Church  Clubs  of  Connecti- 
cut and  New  York,  and  he  also  belongs  to  the 
University  Club  and  other  New  York  clubs.  Mr. 
Skiddy  was  married  in  1867  to  Eleanor  Mott, 
daughter  of  William  (iay,  of  Stamford.  Thrie  chil- 
dren have  been  born  to  them. 


WAKREN,  Wii.i.iAM  \\.\ii.-.  J.iM.-,  .M.inufactur- 
ing  Stationer,  was  born  in  Lyme,  Connecticut,  April 
13,     1844,    son    of    Dr.    W.    W.  J.    and     Maria    E. 


468 


MEN    OF   PROGRESS. 


(I'eck)  Warren.  The  name  of  Warren  seems  to  have 
e.xisted  as  for  back  as  the  age  of  Pepin  and  Charle- 
magne, and  was  borne  by  the  French  nobility  pre- 
vious to  the  Norman  conquest  of  England.  The  first 
of  the  name  in  England  was  William,  First  Earl  of 
Warren,  who  rendered  such  valuable  service  to  the 
Con(iueror  at  the  Battle  of  Hastings  as  to  receive 
from  that  monarch  grants  of  lands  in  nearly  every 
countr)'.  That  nobleman  chose  for  his  seat  the 
beautiful  village  of  Lewes  in  the  county  of  Essex, 
and  was  afterward  made  I'^arl  of  Warren  and  Surrey. 
The  American  ancestor  was  John  ^Varren,  who 
arrived  in  New  England  in  1630,  settling  in  Water- 
town,  Massachusetts,  and  the  line  of  descent  is 
traced  through  his  son,  Daniel,  Joshua  ist,  Joshua 
2d,  Moses  I  St,  Moses  2d,  and  Joshua,  to  Dr. 
William  Watts  Jones  Warren.  Joshua  Warren  2d, 
the  fourth  in  line  from  John,  was  born  in  1698, 
and  moved  to  Tryingham,  Massachusetts,  in  1750. 
Moses  Warren  ist,  who  was  born  in  Watertown  in 
1725,  settled  in  Hopkinton,  Rhode  Island,  later 
moving  to  Lyme,  Connecticut,  accompanied  by  his 
son,  Moses  2d,  who  was  a  native  of  Hopkinton. 
Moses  Warren  ist  was  commissioned  a  Captain  in 


W.    W.    J.    WARREN. 

the  Revolutionary  War  by  Governor  Jonathan  Trum- 
bull in  1777.  Moses  Warren  2d,  great-grandfather 
of  the  subject  of  this  sketch,  was  made  a  Deputy 


Land  Surveyor  of  Connecticut  in  1796,  and  assisted 
General  Moses  Cleveland  in  laying  out  the  city  of 
Cleveland,  Ohio.  The  towns  of  Warren,  'rrumbull 
county,  and  Euclid,  Ohio,  were  named  in  his  honor. 
His  survey  of  New  London  county,  Connecticut,  is 
still  considered  as  authority,  and  a  map  of  the  State 
made  from  Warren's  and  Gillett's  surveys  was  pub- 
lished in  1S20.  He  was  an  influential  citizen  of 
New  London  in  his  day,  and  served  upon  the  com- 
mittee appointed  to  receive  General  Lafayette,  on 
the  latter's  visit  to  the  L-nited  States  in  1824. 
Joshua  Warren,  the  grandfather,  was  a  prominent 
citizen  of  Lyme,  serving  as  Town  Clerk  and  Judge 
of  Probate  for  a  number  of  years,  and  represented 
his  town  in  the  General  Assembly  of  1834.  He  was 
also  a  Lieutenant  in  the  State  Militia,  and  served 
as  such  in  the  War  of  1812.  W.  W.  J.  Warren 
the  elder  was  a  well-known  and  skilful  physician  of 
Lyme,  and  had  an  extensive  practice  in  the  towns  of 
Lyme,  Salem,  and  East  Haddam.  He  died  in  1858, 
at  the  early  age  of  thirty-nine,  cutting  short  a  most 
promising  future.  Dr.  W.  W.  J.  Warren  married 
Maria  E.  Peck,  daughter  of  Ezra  Peck,  granddaughter 
of  Joseph  Peck,  who  served  as  Second  Lieutenant 
under  Captain  Van  Duersan  in  General  Waterbury's 
Brigade  during  the  Revolutionary  War,  and  a  de- 
scendant of  \\'illiam  Peck,  one  of  the  founders  of 
the  New  Haven  Colony.  The  Warren  family  is  also 
descended  from  Richard  Warren,  the  "  Mayflower  " 
Pilgrim,  whose  granddaughter,  Rebecca  Church, 
daughter  of  Richard  and  Elizabeth  (Warren) 
Church,  married  Joshua  Warren  ist,  grandson  of 
the  original  John  Warren,  of  Watertown.  General 
and  Dr.  Joseph  Warren  was  also  a  descendant  of 
John  Warren.  Mr.  \\'arren  is  a  descendant  on  the 
maternal  side  of  Richard  Warren,  of  Plymouth, 
and  of  Captain  Benjamin  Church,  the  conqueror  of 
King  Philip.  William  \\'atts  Jones  Warren  corn- 
jileted  his  education  at  the  Lyme  Academy.  He 
resided  upon  a  fiirm  until  he  was  eighteen  years 
old,  when  he  began  his  business  career  in  New 
York  city  as  bookkeeper  for  B.  Y.  Pippey  &  Co., 
dry  goods  commission  merchants.  Tn  1S67  he 
became  associated  with  John  S.  Hulin  in  the  sta- 
tionery business,  two  years  later  engaging  in  manu- 
facturing upon  a  limited  scale  as  a  member  of  the 
firm  of  Stewart,  Haring  &  \\'arren,  subsequently 
known  as  Stewart,  Warren  &  Compan)',  still  doing 
business  at  29  Howard  street,  and  from  a  small 
beginning  this  concern  has  advanced  to  a  leading 
position  among  the  manufacturing  stationers  of 
the  metropolis.     Mr.    Warren    is   a  veteran  of  the 


MF.N    OF    I'ROCRKSS. 


469 


Iwenu -third  Regiment,  N.G.S.N.Y.,  having  served     street,   near  the  present   i:hnorc  homcsioail.     His 
as  a  member  of  Company  K  his  full  term  of  seven      son  Samuel  was  in  five  campaigns  of  the    Rcvolti 

years,  and    participated    in    many  of   the    exciting      tionar)- War.     Captain   ll"^.-   Ii... reprcscntcii 

events  with  which  that  organization  has  been  iden- 
tified, notably  the  Hornellsville  Riots  in  1S77. 
He  is  connected  with  Merchants'  Lodge,  Free  and 
Accepted  Masons  ;  the  Royal  Arcanum  ;  the  New 
England  Society ;  the  New  York  Cenealogical  and 
Biographical  Society,  the  Sons  of  the  American 
Revolution,  all  of  New  York  city,  and  is  servim; 
upon  the  Board  of  Management  of  the  latter  organ 
ization.  For  many  years  he  resided  in  Brook 
lyn,  where  he  became  ]irominenily  identified  with 
Plymouth  Church,  and  was  a  warm  jiersonal  friend 
of  the  Rev.  Henry  Ward  Beecher.  Politically  he  is 
Republican  with  independent  proclivities.  In  1868 
he  married  Cieorgina  Cock,  daughter  of  William 
Cock,  of  New  \'ork  city.  They  have  four  chil- 
dren :  Amy  Ilalliday,  wife  of  William  S.  Titus,  of 
New  \ork  city  ;  Myron  Perry,  a  stiulent  of  Yale,  class 
of  1896;  Willis  Ogden,  a  student  at  Yale,  class  of 
1899;  and  Helen  Evangeline  \\'arren.  Myron  Perry 
was  obliged  to  leave  college  in  his  senior  year,  on 
account  of  his  health  ;  but  for  this  he  would  have 
graduated.  He  was  President  of  his  class,  and  his 
standing  as  a  student  was  high.  He  is  now  a  resi- 
dent of  Denver,  Colorado.  ,...,    _.    _.,  ,,„di- 

'  i.AM  L    E.    ELMORE. 

South  Windsor  in  the  Legislature  in  184J  and  1844, 
and  was  Captain  of  an  independent  rille  company 
attached  to  the  Twenty-fifth  Regiment,  Connecti- 
cut Militia.  He  married  the  daughter  of  Zenas  and 
Thankful  Hurnham,  of  South  Windsor.  'I'heir  son 
Samuel  i'.dward,  the  subject  of  this  sketch, 
after  studying  in  the  South  Windsor  High  School, 
Williston  Seminary  at  East  Hamjnon,  Massachusetts, 
and  at  the  .Academy  at  Hinsdale,  Massachusetts,  was 
graduated  at  Williams  College  in  1S57.  He  was 
a  fellow-student  with  President  Garfield.  During 
his  college  days  he  was  Captain  of  a  scientific 
exploring  expedition  to  Florida  and  the  Keys,  when 
a  valuable  collection  was  made  for  the  museum  of 
the  Natural  History  Society  at  Williams.  After 
graduation  he  taught  in  the  Sedgwick  Institute  in 
Great  Barrington,  Massachusetts,  and  was  Principal 
of  the  Stowe  (Vermont)  Academy  in  1S59.  Re- 
turning to  South  Windsor,  he  was  Rejiresentative 
from  that  town  in  i860  and  1864.  As  Chief  Clerk 
in  the  office  of  the  State  Treasurer  from  i860  to 
1865  he  attended  to  a  large  part  of  the  duty  of 
raising  funds  for  the  equiimient  of  the  troops  dur- 
ing the  Civil  War.     Governor  Buckingham  sent  him 


ELMORE,  Samukl  Edward,  President  of  the 
Connecticut  River  Banking  Comiiany,  Hartford,  was 
born  in  South  Windsor,  Connecticut,  November  3, 
1833,  son  of  Captain  Harvey  and  Clarissa  (Burn- 
ham)  Elmore.  One  of  his  ancestors  was  lulward 
F^lmer,  one  of  the  party  who  with  the  Reverend 
Thomas  Hooker  began  the  setdement  of  Hartford 
in  1636.  E.dward  lilmer  is  thought  to  have  been 
the  great-grandson  of  Bishop  Elmer,  of  London,  and 
to  have  come  from  Braintree,  England.  The  name 
appears  with  various  spellings  in  the  early  records. 
This  ancestor,  after  living  in  Northam])ton,  Massa- 
chusetts, a  few  years,  returned  to  Hartford,  where  a 
tract  of  five  hundred  and  fifty  acres,  from  the  Con- 
necticut River  back  for  three  miles,  was  obtained 
and  improved  by  him.  He  lost  his  life  in  King 
Philip's  \\'ar.  From  Edward,  Mr.  Elmore  is  de- 
scended in  the  following  line  :  2,  John,  born  1646  •, 
3,  Joseph,  born  1678;  4,  Samuel,  born  in  1705; 
5,  Samuel,  born  in  1755;  6,  Har%-ey,  his  father, 
born  in  1799.  Samuel  of  the  fourth  generation  was 
one  of  the  first  settlers  of  Long  Hill.  His  log  cabin 
was  one  of  the  first  two  dwellings  on  South  Windsor 


470 


MEN    OF    PROGRESS. 


to  \\'ashinj;toii  to  collect  for  advances  made  by  the 
State  in  aid  of  the  Government,  and  with  Rowland 
Swift  he  went  to  Norfolk,  Portsmouth,  and  Yorktown 
to  reenlist  Connecticut  men  whose  terms  of  service 
had  nearly  expired,  and  to  pay  bounties.  While  in 
the  Legislature  in  1864  he  obtained  a  charter  for 
the  Continental  Life  Insurance  Company,  of  which 
he  was  chosen  Secretary  the  following  year  and 
President  a  little  later.  In  the  ten  years  of  his 
Presidency  the  assets  of  the  company  increased 
from  one  hundreil  and  fifty  thousand  to  two  million 
five  hundred  thousand  dollars.  He  was  chosen 
President  of  the  Connecticut  River  Banking  Com- 
))any  in  1S75,  which  position  he  now  holds.  He  is 
also  a  Director  in  the  Pratt  &  Whitney  Company, 
the  Connecticut  River  Company,  the  C.  Cowles 
Company  of  New  Haven,  and  the  Hartford  County 
.Mutual  Fire  Insurance  Company,  and  is  interested 
in  several  other  concerns.  He  is  Treasurer  of  the 
J.  R.  Montgomery  Company  of  Windsor  Locks,  and 
Secretary  and  Treasurer  of  the  Utica  Cement  Com- 
pany. His  ancestral  farm,  which  has  been  handed 
down  without  deed  or  document  through  seven 
generations,  from  the  time  of  the  Indian  grant,  is 
his  special  pride.  Mr.  Elmore  is  a  member  of  the 
Sons  of  the  Revolution,  the  Hartford  Scientific 
Association,  and  the  Connecticut  Historical  Society. 
He  was  married  November  i,  1864,  to  Mary  Amelia 
Burnham,  of  Hartford.  They  have  four  children  : 
Frank  Harvey,  Samuel  Dean,  Charles  liurnham,  and 
Henry   Dennis   Elmore. 


Eclectic  Medical  Association,  has  been  President 
of  the  State  Eclectic  Medical  Association,  and  is  a 
member  of  the  National  Eclectic  Medical  Associa- 


B.AILEV,  Leonard,  M.D.,  of  Middletown,  was 
born  in  Haddam,  Connecticut,  January  i,  1836, 
son  of  Benjamin  and  Laurana  (Tryon)  Bailey.  His 
early  education  was  received  in  the  common  schools 
of  Haddam  and  at  Brainard  Academy.  He  studied 
medicine  in  Philadelphia,  and  graduated  from  the 
l-xlectic  Medical  College  of  Pennsylvania  in  May, 
1857.  He  spent  one  year  in  the  office  of  Dr. 
Ellsworth  Burr,  of  Middletown,  Connecticut,  as 
practitioner  and  assistant,  and  subsequently  prac- 
tised for  three  years  in  East  Haddam,  Connecticut, 
where  he  built  up  quite  an  extensive  practice.  In 
1 86 1  he  returned  to  Middletown,  where  he  has 
since  practised  and  resided.  During  the  fall  and 
winter  of  1862  and  1863  he  visited  Philadelphia 
and  took  a  course  of  medical  study  in  the  Hospital 
and  Medical  College  of  that  city.  Dr.  Bailey  is  a 
member  of  the  Examining  Board,  under  the  Con- 
necticut Medical   Practice  Act,  on  the  part  of  the 


LEONARD    BAILEY. 

tion.  He  is  also  a  member  of  the  Odd  Fellows 
Fraternity.  He  is  a  Republican  in  politics,  and  has 
ser\-ed  for  eight  years  as  a  member  of  the  Common 
Council  of  Middletown.  He  has  also  been  for 
eight  years  on  the  Board  of  Education,  and  is  at 
present  a  valued  member  of  that  body,  showing 
great  interest  in  the  educational  cause.  As  a  stu- 
dent Dr.  Bailey  always  took  a  high  rank,  and  he 
continues  his  studies  with  unabated  interest.  He 
has  had  a  large  and  lucrative  practice,  and  although 
on  the  downward  side  of  life  he  is  following  his 
profession  with  the  same  zeal  and  attention  that 
characterized  his  course  in  former  years.  He  was 
married  February  3,  1863,  to  Sarah  J.  Robinson; 
they  have  no  children. 


CRANDALL,  Stiles  E.,  Lawyer,  of  Norwich,  was 
born  in  Ledyard,  Connecticut,  October  12,  1851, 
son  of  Stiles  and  Caroline  L.  (Greene)  Crandall. 
On  the  paternal  side  he  is  of  Scotch  descent  and 
on  the  maternal  side  English.  After  receiving  a 
common-school  education  he  attended  law  school  at 
the  State  Universitv  of  Iowa,  from  which  he  gradu- 


MF.N    Ol-    I'ROCRKSS. 


47« 


ated  in  tho  class  of  1S78.  Heforc  takinjj  up  the 
stiuly  of  law  he  taught  school,  besides  working  on  a 
farm.  In  1S79  he  was  admitted  to  the  Har  of  the 
State  of  Connecticut,  and  at  once  began  practice  in 
Norwich,  where  he  has  ever  since  been  actively 
engaged  in  his  profession.  In  iSiSi  Mr.  C'randaii 
was  elected  to  represent  his  city  in  the  Connecticut 
Legislature,  and  from  1888  to  1892  he  was  Mayor  of 
Norwich,  being  the  youngest  Mayor  ever  elected  in 
that  city,  and  the  only  Oemocrat  ever  elected  to 
that  office  twice  in  succession.  He  was  a  member 
of  the  State  Senate  in  the  session  of  1893,  and  in 
1895  was  a  candidate  for  Lieutenant-Governor  on 
the  Democratic  ticket.  He  also  served  on  the 
Board  of  Education  in  Norwich  for  six  years.  He 
holds  the  jiosition  of  Judge-Advocate,  with  the  rank 
of  Major,  on  General  Haven's  staff  of  the  Connecti- 
cut National  Guard,  and  is  a  member  of  the  Putnam 
Phalanx,  the  Masons,  Odd  Fellows,  Knights  of 
Pythias,  and    iiiuiuTous  other  organizations  ;   also  of 


CCRTISS,  Lkoi-oi.ii  John,  Merrhani,  of  Norfolk, 
Connecticut,  was  l)orn  in  Canaan,  Connecticut, 
among    the   Lit<hfuld   Hills,  on    January   13,   1859. 


S.    E.   CRANDALL. 


the   Thames 
Mr.  Crandall 


the    Arcanum    Club  of  Nonvich    am 

Club  of  New  London,  Connecticut. 

was  married  April  25,  1883,  to   Jane  F.  Stoddard,  of 

Ledyard,  Connecticut,  by  whom  he  has  two  children  : 

Mary  P.  and  Billings  F.  P.  Crandall.     Mrs.  Crandall 

died  in  1886. 


L.    J.    CURTISS. 

He  is  of  French  extraction,  and  was  adopted  by  Mr. 
and  Mrs.  Peter  Curtiss,  of  Norfolk.  He  received  a 
common-school  education,  ami  entered  business  at 
an  early  age,  getting  thus  a  practical  training  for  the 
life  of  a  merchant,  which  he  has  pursued  with  dili- 
gence and  success.  Mr.  Curtiss  has  also  served 
his  town  in  the  Legislature,  being  Representative  to 
the  (General  Assembly  from  Norfolk  in  1897.  His 
politics  are  Rejiublican ;  and  he  is  interested  in 
lodge  life,  being  a  member  of  the   Royal  .Arcanum. 


F.ARREL,  Franklin,  I'resident  of  the  Farrel 
Foundry  and  ^Lachine  Company,  .Ansonia,  was 
born  in  Waterbury,  Connecticut,  F'ebruary  12,  1828. 
He  received  his  early  education  at  West  Point,  but 
left  that  institution  in  his  seventeenth  year  to  join 
his  father,  .Mmon  I'arrel,  who  had  established  him- 
self in  Ansonia,  Connecticut,  and  was  there  follow- 
ing his  profession  —  that  of  engineering.  I  )uring 
the  next  four  years  father  and  son  were  actively 
engaged  in  locating  streets,  canals,  and  business  sites. 
In  1848  the  F'arrel  Foundry  &  Machine  Company 
was  organized,  its  object  being  the  construction  of 


AT- 


MEN   OF    PROGRESS. 


machinery  used  in  the  Naugatuck  Valley.  Of  this 
company  Mr.  Franklin  Farrel  became  President, 
and  he  has  since  become  identified  with  many  other 
enterprises  of  equal  importance  in  the  commercial 
world.  He  is  owner  in  the  Liverpool  Silver  & 
Copper  Company  of  Liverpool,  England,  of  the 
P;irrott  Silver  &  Copper  Company  of  Butte,  Mon- 
tana, of  the  Bridgeport  Copper  Works,  and  others. 
He  is  a  member  of  the  Episcopal  Church  of  An- 
sonia,  and  in  politics  is  associated  with  the  Repub- 
lican party.     He  has  been   twice  married,  first  to 


FRANKLIN     FARREL. 

.Miss  Julia  L.  Smith,  of  Derby,  Connecticut,  who  died 
leaving  two  children.  He  was  a  second  time  mar- 
ried, to  Miss  Lilian  Clark,  of  New  Haven,  Connect- 
icut, who  has  borne  him  five  children. 


GRANT,  RoswELL,  Farmer,  South  Windsor, 
was  born  in  South  Windsor,  July  28,  1848,  son  of 
Frederick  William  and  Ann  Ellsworth  (Stoughton) 
Grant.  He  is  a  descendant,  in  the  seventh  genera- 
tion, of  Matthew  Grant,  who  came  from  England  on 
the  "  Mary  and  John,"  with  Maverick  and  Wareham, 
in  1630,  first  locating  in  Dorchester,  Massachusetts; 
and  from  him  the  line  is  traced  through  Samuel  ist, 
Samuel  2d,  Ebenezer,  and  Roswell,  to  Frederick 
William  Grant,  father  of  the  subject  of  this  sketch. 


General  U.  S.  Grant  was  also  a  lineal  descendant 
of  the  same  ancestor,  and  a  great-great-grandson  of 
Samuel  Grant  2d.  Mr.  Grant  is  also  a  great-grandson 
of  Lemuel  Stoughton,  who  served  as  a  Colonel  in  the 
Revolutionary  War,  andof  Erastus  Wolcott,  who  com- 
manded a  brigade  at  Peekskill  in  1777.  Matthew 
Grant,  the  American  ancestor,  who  was  made  a  free- 
man May  18,  1 63 1,  moved  from  Dorchester  to 
Windsor,  Connecticut,  in  1635,  with  the  company 
which  settled  that  town.  He  was  Public  Surveyor 
for  many  years,  served  as  Town  Clerk,  and  was 
prominent  in  church  affairs.  Samuel  Grant  2d  was 
one  of  the  petitioners  for  a  separation  of  the  town- 
ship in  1680,  and  in  1697  he  built  the  rear  portion 
of  the  present  Grant  homestead.  Ebenezer  Grant, 
the  great-grandfather,  was  an  extensive  merchant  of 
East  Windsor,  owning  vessels  engaged  in  the  West 
India  trade,  in  which  he  exported  horses  and  tobacco, 
and  imported  sugar,  molasses,  indigo,  spices,  and 
rum.  He  served  as  Surveyor,  was  one  of  the  com- 
mittee appointed  to  build  a  new  church  in  1761, 
and  acted  as  Clerk  of  the  society  for  thirty-four 
years.  In  1 745  he  commanded  an  expedition  to 
the  frontier,  held  several  civic  and  military  offices, 
and  two  of  his  commissions,  signed  respectively  by 
Jonathan  Law  and  Roger  Wolcott,  are  now  in  the 
possession  of  his  great-grandson.  He  married,  for 
his  first  wife,  a  daughter  of  Lieutenant  John  Ells- 
worth, his  second  wife  being  the  widow  of  Captain 
David  Ellsworth  and  the  mother  of  Chief-Justice 
Oliver  Ellsworth.  Roswell  Grant,  the  grandfather, 
was  graduated  from  Yale  in  1765,  and  engaged  in 
business  with  his  father.  He  was  for  some  time 
Clerk  of  the  society  ;  commanded  the  "  Connecti- 
cut "  on  Lake  Champlain  in  1776  ;  and,  joining  the 
Continental  Army  in  July,  1778,  was  promoted 
Captain  in  the  following  December;  was  in  1780 
appointed  by  the  Legislature  a  Brigade  Commissary ; 
and  after  the  close  of  the  war  became  Paymaster 
and  Judge  Advocate  General.  He  was  finally  made 
Lieutenant-Colonel  of  the  Eighteenth  Regiment; 
served  as  Captain  of  Volunteers  in  the  War  of  181 2  ; 
was  Collector  of  the  Fifth  Customs  District  for  the 
years  1799-1800;  was  a  member  of  the  General 
Assembly  from  1797  to  181 1  ;  and  for  many  years 
acted  as  a  Justice  of  the  Peace.  He  resided  at 
the  homestead,  and  was  honored  and  respected  by 
the  entire  community.  He  married  a  daughter  of 
General  Erastus  Wolcott.  Frederick  William  Grant, 
the  father,  was  born  and  reared  upon  the  Grant  farm. 
He  succeeded  to  its  ownership,  the  conditions  being 
that  he  should  redeem  it   from  encumbrances  and 


MKN    or    TROCRKSS. 


473 


care  for  his  parents  during  tiieir  declining  years,  all 
of  which  he  faithfully  accomplished,  and  left  a  good 
estate  at  his  death.     He  held  various  town  offices, 


ROSWELL    GRANT, 

was  elected  to  the  (General  Assembly,  and  acquired 
the  rank  of  Major  of  the  First  Regiment  Cavalry, 
1832.  He  was  a  man  of  excellent  judgment,  with  a 
good  knowledge  of  public  affairs  and  the  men  who 
administered  them,  and  it  had  been  his  intention  to 
enter  college,  but  a  serious  affection  of  his  eyes 
prevented  him  from  gratifying  his  desire  in  that 
direction.  Roswell  Grant,  the  subject  of  this  sketch, 
began  his  education  in  the  district  schools,  attended 
a  private  school  two  years,  after  which  he  was  a 
pupil  at  the  Monson  (Massachusetts)  Academy  for 
the  same  length  of  time,  and  completed  his  studies 
at  the  Delaware  Literary  Institute,  Franklin,  New 
York.  Keing  the  only  surviving  son,  he  remained  at 
home  in  order  to  care  for  his  parents  in  their  old 
age,  and  he  is  still  cultivating  the  homestead  farm, 
which  has  been  owned  by  the  family  for  seven 
generations.  He  was  twice  nominated  for  First 
Selectman,  but  declined  to  accept ;  has  served  as  an 
Assessor,  member  of  the  Board  of  Relief,  Acting 
School  Visitor,  Secretary  of  the  School  Board  ;  has 
held  several  district,  church,  and  society  offices,  and 
was  nominated  for  Judge  of  Probate  in  1896.  In 
politics  he  is  a  Republican.     Mr.  Grant  is  a  mem- 


ber of  the  local  Council  of  the  Royal  .Arcaniiin,  ami 
of  the  Sons  of  the  .-Xnieric-in  Kcvohitiun.  He  w.-i<i 
married  at  St.  John's  Church,  Cambridge,  Mnss.'i- 
chuselts,  .September  2t),  1S74,  tcj  .\nnie  l',liA;il>cth 
Mickell,  daughter  of  Captiun  'Ihonias  Mickcll.  Mrs. 
Grant's  father  began  to  follow  the  sea  at  the  age  of 
fourteen,  and  becoming  a  shipm.rster  was  for  sonic 
years  engageil  in  the  China  trade  and  also  in  whal- 
ing. His  vessel  was  the  first  merchantman  to 
enter  Charleston  Harbor  after  the  blockade  was 
raised,  and  he  was  subsequently  cngagcil  in  the 
cotton  trade.  He  died  in  Boston  in  iJeccinber, 
1882.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Grant  have  three  children: 
Maud  Mickell,  born  July  10,  1875  ;  Frederick 
William,  born  .August  29,  1876  ;  and  Roger  \Volcotl 
Grant,  born  Se])tember  19,  1881. 


GRAHAM,  Chari.i-s  I'armf.le,  Dentist,  Middle- 
town,  was  born  in  Utica,  New  Work,  June  6,  1839, 
son  of  George  \\.  and  Mary  E.  (Dibble)  Graham. 
i  le  acquired  his  early  education  in  the  common 
schools  and  at  a  private  academy,  and  after  com- 
pleting his  professional  studies,  which  were  pursued 


under  the  direction  of  Dr.  I'armele,  he  established 
himself  in  Middletown,  where  he  has  practised 
successfully   for   about    forty   years.     He    was   ap- 


474 


MEN    OF    PROGRESS. 


pointed  one  of  the  Dental  Commissioners  of  Con- 
necticut in  July,  1893,  has  been  twice  reappointed, 
and  was  elected  President  of  the  Hoard  on  Decem- 
ber II,  1S97.  He  is  member  of  the  Connecticut 
State  Dental  Association,  of  which  he  was  elected 
President  in  1894,  and  belongs  to  the  Middletown 
Board  of  Trade.  Enlisting  in  the  National  Guards 
as  a  Private,  Decembers,  1871,  he  was  made  First 
Sergeant,  January  8,  1872;  was  promoted  to  the 
rank  of  First  Lieutenant,  .August  22  of  the  same 
year;  became  Captain,  .April  21,  1S73  ;  Majorof  the 
Second  Regiment,  September  3,  1875  ;  Colonel,  July 
15,  1878  ;  Brigadier-General,  January  28,  1885  ;  and 
honorably  discharged,  July  2,  1891.  He  was  ap- 
pointed .Adjutant-General  of  the  State,  January  9, 
1895,  and  placed  upon  the  retired  list,  January  9, 
1897.  Dr.  Graham  has  served  one  year  in  the  City 
Council,  and  in  ])olitics  is  a  Republican.  On  No- 
vember 5,  1S59,  he  married  Julia  Bacon,  and  has  had 
three  children  :  Charles  \V.  and  Nellie  R.,  deceased, 
and  Bessie,  who  is  now  Mrs.  E.  P.  Pelton.  Nellie 
R.  Graham  married  Louis  H.  Bronson,  and  with  her 
husband  and  child  was  killed  in  the  Park  Central 
Hotel  disaster  in  Hartford  in  1889. 


Huguenot  societies,  the  Westchester  Historical  Soci- 
ety, the  New  Rochelle  Corinthian  and  Model  Yacht 


GOUGE,  Henry  Albert,  founder  of  the  Adantic 
Yacht  Club,  New  York  city,  was  born  in  Hartford, 
Connecticut,  February  22,  1828,  son  of  .Alfred  and 
Electa  (Daniels)  Gouge.  He  is  of  Huguenot 
descent.  He  obtained  his  education  in  the  common 
schools  of  Windsor,  Connecticut,  and  went  into 
business  life  with  Ezra  Hamilton,  a  hat  merchant  in 
Hartford.  He  remained  in  the  hat  business  from 
1845  to  i860,  when  he  took  up  the  ventilating  and 
heating  business,  in  which  he  still  continues,  with 
his  present  office  at  47  Beekman  street.  New  York, 
which  he  has  occupied  for  the  past  twenty-one 
years.  It  is  a  business  which  has  developed  wonder- 
fully in  that  time,  and  Mr.  (louge  has  always  kept  in 
the  front  rank  of  progress.  He  is  author  of  several 
works  on  the  subject,  and  also  "  Gouge  on  Ventila- 
tion." As  a  citizen  of  New  Rochelle,  where  he  is  a 
member  of  the  Board  of  Education,  he  is  held  in 
the  highest  esteem,  being  known  as  hospitable, 
earnest,  and  public-spirited.  Mr.  Gouge  is  particu- 
larly fond  of  aquatic  pleasures.  He  is  the  founder 
of  the  Adantic  Yacht  Club,  of  which  he  is  a  member, 
has  been  a  Flag-Officer,  and  is  now  Vice-Commodore, 
and  his  name  is  number  one  on  the  roll  of  members. 
He   is   also  a  member  of  the    New    England   and 


HENRY    A.    GOUGE. 

Clubs,  the  New  Rochelle  Rowing  Club,  and  the 
Masonic  fraternity.  He  voted  for  Franklin  Pierce 
in  1852,  since  which  time  he  has  been  a  Republican. 
He  was  married  in  1852,  to  Mary  R.  Clark,  of  Hart- 
ford ;  they  have  two  children  :  Kate  Clark  and  May 
Althea  Gouge. 


D.ANN,  George  L.,  Leather  Merchant,  New  York 
city,  was  born  in  Norwalk,  Connecticut,  November 
II,  1 85 1,  son  of  Charles  E.  and  Mary  T.  (Stevens) 
Dann.  His  father  was  a  highly  respected  carriage 
manufacturer  of  New  Canaan,  Connecticut.  His 
grandfather  was  Ebenezer  L.  Dann.  On  the  ma- 
ternal side  his  grandfather  was  Jacob  Stevens,  a 
Captain  in  the  Continental  .Army.  His  paternal 
great-aunt  was  Elizabeth  Van  Ranst,  the  foremost 
business  woman  of  New  York  city  of  her  time. 
She  owned  the  New  York  and  Boston  line  of  stages, 
and  resided  at  2  Bowling  Green,  with  a  country 
residence  at  what  is  now  known  as  Canal  street, 
New  York.  George  L.  Dann  received  his  educa- 
tion in  the  common  schools  of  New  Canaan.  He 
commenced  business  under  adverse  circumstances. 


MKN    OK    I'R()(;R[-:SS. 


475 


and  with  the  persistent  antagonism  of  a  powerful 
enemy  who  endeavored  unsuecessfiilly  to  ruin  his 
business  at  the  outset.  Mr.  Dann  started  in  the 
leather-remnaiil  business  in  i8So,  on  a  borrowed 
ca|iital  of  three  liundred  dollars.  His  success  was 
immediate  and  continuous.  Starting  in  cramped 
quarters  and  under  adverse  conditions,  the  business 
has  e\i)anded  tmtil  it  now  occu])ies  the  large  seven- 
story  building  at  207-9  Allen  street,  New  York, 
lormerly  used  by  Fayerweather  &  l.adew.  I'niler 
the  llrm  name  of  M.  W.  Dann  the  business  has 
become  the  largest  and  most  successful  enterprise  of 
its  kind  in  America,  having  its  branch  houses  at 
Chicago,  Illinois,  Rochester,  New  York,  and  London, 
England.  The  firm  deal  in  all  kinds  of  leather 
remnants,  and  are  mamifacturers  of  moulded  heels, 
inner-soles,  posted  heelings,  heel  blocks,  backs  and 
straps,  and  brush  blocks.  .Although  never  accept- 
ing office,  Mr.  Dann  takes  an  active  interest  in 
political  matters,  and  has  been  a  delegate  to  State 
conventions,  both  in  Connecticut  and  New  York. 
He  has  also  served  as  Foreman  of  the  Grand 
Jury  of  Brooklyn.  He  is  a  member  of  the  Union 
League  Club  and  the  Young  Republican  Club. 
He  was  married  December  4,  1872,  to  Mary 
\V.  Scribner.  The  marriage  took  place  on  the 
day  of  Horace  Greeley's  burial.  Reverend  Llenry 
Ward  Beecher  performing  the  marriage  ceremony. 
Seven  children  have  been  born  to  them  :  James 
Edwin,  William  Gilbert,  Genevieve  \\'ells,  Ruberta 
Christina,  Catherine,  George  L.,  Jr.,  and  Harold 
\\'aldorf  Dann. 


WHITh;,  Henry  M.,  I-klitor  and  Proprietor  of 
the  Torrington  "  Register,"  is  a  native  of  New  York 
State,  born  in  the  town  of  Elba,  June  24,  1847. 
On  both  sides  he  comes  of  Colonial  and  Revolu- 
tionary stock,  being  a  direct  descendant  of  the 
Hooker  Colony.  One  of  his  original  ancestors  was 
a  prominent  settler  of  Springfield,  Massachusetts, 
the  others  of  Hartford,  Connecticut.  He  received 
his  early  education  in  the  public  schools  and  the 
Franklin  .Academy  at  Shelburnc  Falls,  Massachusetts, 
and  at  the  age  of  eighteen  entered  the  cutlery 
factor)'  at  Northampton,  Massachusetts,  where  he 
rose  from  a  subordinate  position  to  that  of  Superin- 
tendent of  three  departments.  Subsequently  he 
entered  the  employ  of  C.  W.  Dunlap  &  Comjiany, 
hardware  manufacturers,  in  New  York,  as  city  and 
travelling  salesman,  and  remained  with  them  for  five 


years.  Early  in  iSSj  he  engaged  with  the  I'nion 
Hardware  Company,  and  came  to  'rorrinnton  to 
reside.  In  the  same  year  he  purcliascd  an  interest 
in  the  jirinting  plant  and  newsjjaper  of  which  a  few 
months  later  he  became  sole  pn)pnetor.  The 
"  Register"  was  then  only  a"  patenl-outsiile"  weekly, 
with  a  small  circulation,  and  had  had  three  proprie- 
tors in  its  short  history.  Mr.  White's  hand  has 
been  at  the  helm  ever  since,  bringing  alnHil  suc- 
cessive changes  and  improvements  which  have  cul- 
minated in  the  i)resent  eight-]iage  d.dly,  with  .Asso- 
ciated I'ress  memljership  and  complete  telegraph 
and  telephone  service.  The  plant  of  the  "  Register," 
erected  in  the  latter  i)art  of  1.S82,  has  been  several 
times  enlarged  to  meet  the  recpiirements  of  its  grow- 
ing business.  In  September  18S9,  in  res|)onse 
to  a  jiopular  demand,  and  ent:ouraged  by  the  rapid 
growth  and  hopeful  ])rospects  of  the  town,  Mr.  While 
founded  the  Torrington  "  Daily  Register,"  the  first 
daily  jiaper  issued  in  a  place  of  like  size  in  Connect- 
icut, if  not  in  New  I'jigland.  The  daily  was  sUirted 
as  a  penny  paper,  small  folio,  with  a  good  subscrip- 
tion list  and  liberal  advertising  jtatronage,  and  after 
passing  through  various  enlargements,  the  price 
having  in  the  meantime  been  raised  to  two  cents,  was 
changed  in  .\pril  1896  from  an  eight-column  folio 
to  a  si,\-column  quarto,  its  present  form.  During 
this  period  of  progress  a  fast-running  llabcock 
Standard  press  was  installed,  with  folding  machine 
attached,  and  various  improved  jol)  presses  were 
added,  until  the  plant  has  become  a  model  print- 
ing establishment  amjjly  eijuipped  with  the  modern 
facilities  and  appliances  needed  to  keep  pace  with 
the  demands  of  its  constantly  growing  business. 
Into  the  "Register"  its  proprietor  has  put  his  life 
for  upwards  of  fifteen  years,  making  it  his  constant 
and  unswerving  aim  to  work  for  the  material  devel- 
opment and  the  best  interests  of  Torrington.  Mr. 
White  is  a  Justice  of  the  Peace,  and  has  served  his 
town  as  a  member  of  the  General  A>sembly,  1891-2. 
He  has  filled  the  position  of  Secretary  of  the 
Torrington  Young  Men's  Christian  .Association  from 
its  formation,  and  is  in  his  fourth  year  as  Superin- 
tendent of  the  flourishing  Sunday  School  of  the  Con- 
gregational Church.  In  Northamjiton  he  was  for 
five  years  Superintendent  of  the  liaptist  Sunday 
School,  and  in  Brooklyn  was  at  the  head  of  the  social 
work  in  the  large  Hanson-place  Church.  Mr.  White 
married  in  1879,  Miss  Minnie  Cole,  of  Brooklyn. 
Mrs.  White  was  educated  in  the  Brooklyn  publii; 
schools  and  Packer  Institute,  and  is  an  active  worker 
in  church  and  charitable  work. 


TNO  IilX. 


pAca  I 

Adams,  Henry 232 

Agard,  Isaac  M 114 

Allen,  Chas.  Dextkr 354 

Allen,  F.  Sturges 305  | 

Allen,  Isaac  A.,  Jr 3 

Allen,  J.  M 231  | 

Allen,  N.  H 78 

Alvord,  E.  D 39 1 

Andrews,  Ciias.  S 28 1 

Apgar,  a.  S 390 

Arvine,  E.  P 4 

Attwood,  W.  E 462 

AXTELLE,  T.  L.  (sketch  only) 450 

Babcock,  \Vm  .  D 116 

Bacon,  John  W 79 

Bacon,  L.  W 285 

Bacon,  William  T 207 

Bailey,  Gurdon  F 6 

Bailev,  Leonard 470 

Baldwin,  William  Pin 5 

Ball,  Chas.  P 116 

Baixerstein,  R 5 

Barnes,  Chas.  D 235 

Barnes,  John  H 394 

Barney,  D.  Newton 392 

Barnum,  W.  M 234 

Bartlett,  John  P 334 

Bassett,  H.  F' 7 

Bassett,  Sam'i 6 

Battell,  Robbins 357 

Batterson,  J.  G 209 

Beach,  Geo.  Watson 80 

Beckwith,  C.  F 283 

Beebe,  Geokck   II 175 

Beecher,  William  S So 

Beers,  P.  M 167 

Beers,  VicroRV  C 8 

Belding,  a.  N Si 

Benton,  Herbert  E 358 

Bill,  Curtis  H.   82 

Billings,  C.  E 9 

Birdseve,  I.  W 148 

BisHor,  Henry  M 10 

Bishoi",  James 10 

BisHor,  Nathan  Lee 11 

BISSELL,  Ly.man  (portrait  only)  . . .  450 

Blakeslee,  R.  N.   (sketch  only)  . .  450 

Blickensderfer,  G.  C 28S 

Bliss,  F.  E 187 

Bodenwein,   Thed.  ..   ..    12 

Bohannan,  W.  J.  II 392 

Bolles,  J.  A 13 


PACK 

Bradley,  Edwakd  E 239 

Hrainard,  AisTlN  (sketch  only; . .  450 

Brainard,  Lkverkti- *■•         208 

Braman,  V.  N 395 

Brastow,  Lewis  O 233 

Bravion,  Chas.  E 393 

Brewer,  John  M 240 

Brewer,  Wm.  II 1 76 

Brewster,  Benjamin 287 

Brewster,  Lyman  D 147 

Brins.made,  John  C 357 

liRINSMADE,  Wm.  G 355 

Bronson,  J.  II.  (sketch  only) 451 

Brooker,  Albert  F 84 

Bkooker,  C.  F 289 

Brooks,   John 

Brown,  D.  D -^^ 

Brown,  II.  1 391 

Brown,  Herbert  Stanley 14 

Brown,  Orlando 24 1 

Brown,  R.  K ....     14 

Browne,  J.  D 284 

Brubeck,  R.  a 445 

Bruggerhof,  F.  W 286 

Buck,  John  R 394 

BucKLYN,  John  K.,  Jr 85 

BuRi'EE,  Lucien  F 1 75 

Burr,  A.  E 236 

Burr,  John  M 291 

Burr,  Ru  hard  Orden 240 

Burr,  W.  H 290 

Burrall,  E.  M 15 

BuRRAi.L,  Geo.  Beach 235 

Burton,  Franklin 210 

BusHNELL,  C.  .S 305 

BusiiNELL,  Ericsson  I" 306 

Butler,  Seth  II 16 

Cable,J.  C 117 

Cady,  Ernest 211 

Cai.ef,  A.  B 17 

Calhoun,  John  E 168 

Cami',  David  N 18 

Camp,  .S.  T 292 

Cai'ewell,  G.  J 297 

Card,  A.  M 436 

Carey,  Frank  S 242 

Carpenter,  Elisha 309 

Carier,  Colin  S 293 

Carter,  Oliver  S 299 

Carter,  Walter  S 294 

Case,  A.  Willard 244 

Case,  Watson  E 119 

(477) 


Casile,  !■.   K.  (sketch  only) 451 

ClIAl-FEE,  CHAKI.K-S   E t^J 

C'HANDLKR,    J.    W 359 

CiiAi'iN,  C.   K 86 

Chapman,  Leanukr 246 

Chai'.man,  M.  S 19 

Chksebro,  S.  H 87 

Chase,  Charles  M 1 79 

Chase,  D.  H.  (sketch  only) 452 

Chase,  Geo.  1 308 

Chasp:,  Irving  II 86 

Church,  Henry  J 215 

Clark,  Chas.  H 214 

Cl\rk,  F.  p.  (sketch  only) 451 

CiEAVEi^NU,  Livingston  W 19 

'       WES,  George  II 189 

'     A  IS,  John 195 

CoBURN,  Geo.  1 20 

CoE,  Levi   E 39S 

Coffey,  Chas 213 

Coffin,  H.  R 447 

Coffin,  O.  V 88 

Cole,  Ira 21 

Coles,  Geo.  A 22 

CoLEY,  William  B 118 

Colli  NGs,  A.  B 397 

Comings,  B.  N 89 

Co.mstock,  Anthony 369 

Cone,  Edward  Payson 44S 

CooGAN,  Joseph  A 245 

Cooke,  Lorrin  A 298 

Cooi.EY,  Francis  B 296 

CooLEY,  Francis  R 90 

Copeland,  M.  B 244 

CoRBiN,  L.  A 23 

Cornwall,  E.  T.  (portrait  only)  ..  451 

CouDERT,  Frank  E 24 

CoWELL,  GE41.    II.... 1 79 

Crandall,  S.  E 470 

Crothers,  T.  D 212 

Culver,   M.    Eugene 246 

Curtis,  Julius  B 168 

Curtis,  J.  S 213 

Curtis,  O.  F 194 

Curtis,  T.  Ai.den 90 

CuRTiss,  J.  A 360 

Curtiss,  James  L 399 

Curtiss,  L.  J 47' 

Cutler,  Ralph  W 188 

Danaher,  C.  J 248 

Daniels,  Chas.  N 301 

Dann,  G.  L.  (sketch  only) 474 


478 


INDEX. 


PAGE 

Davenport,  J.  G 92 

Davidson,  C.  S 91 

Deforest,  T.  1? 25 

DeLamater,  R.  S 180 

Deminc,  Menrv  C 300 

Deming,  Lucius  P 361 

Dennis,  Rodney 302 

Uewei.l,  James  D 26 

Dibble,  S.  E 26 

Dickerman,  W.  H 248 

DoHERTV,  John  H 196 

Donoiiue,   John 247 

DouGiJvs,  J.  M 304 

Downs,  Nichols  C 27 

Dunbar,  Edward  B 311 

Duncan,  Thomas 119 

Dunham,  A.  C 310 

Durand,  Chas 148 

Earle,  Wm.  II 251 

Eaton,  Henry  J 197 

Eggleston,  Arthur  K 250 

Ellsbree,  Geo.  L 252 

Ellsworth,  L.  S 249 

Elmore,  Sam'l  E 469 

Elton,  J.  S 371 

Ely,  Wm.  H 93 

Emerson,  J.  M 27 

Ensign,  Ralph  H 250 

Erickson,  C.  B 149 

Farrel,  Franklin 471 

Fitzmaurice,  Walter 363 

Flint,  Geo.  W 169 

Flint,  George  W 215 

FONES,  CiVILION 28 

Ford,  George  H 216 

Foster,  John  P.  C 94 

Foster,  W.  H 29 

Fox,  David  A.  (portrait  only)  464 

French,  H.T 181 

Frisbie,  E.  C 312 

Frisbie,  Samuel 170 

Frost,  C.  W.  S 400 

Fuessenich,  Frederick  F 120 

Fuller,  Edward   E 1 20 

Fuller,  H.  S 362 

Fyler,  O.  R 372 

Gager,  Edwin   B 30 

Gallaudet,  p.  W 373 

Catling,  R.  J 197 

Gaylor,  Charles 123 

GiLDERSLEEVE,   F 122 

Gillette,  C.  W.  (sketch  only) 454 

Goddard,  Walt  er 374 

Godfrey,  Chas.  C 121 

Gold,  T.  S 218 

Goodrich,  C.  C 313 

Goodrich,  A.  L 219 

Goodrich,  E.  S 375 

GOODSELL,  ZaLMON I44 

Goodwin,  R.  S 252 


PAGE 

Goss,  C.  P 30 

Graham,  Chas.  P 473 

Granniss,  Weston  G 31 

Grant,  Rosvveli 472 

Graves,  F.  C 376 

Greene,  Winthrop  Benton 94 

Griggs,  Wilfred  E 32 

Gross,  Charles  E 253 

Grosvenor,  Chas.  W 181 

Gouge,  Henry  A 474 

Gilliver,  John  P 465 

Habenstein,  E.  (sketch  only)  . .    .  454 

Hague,  James  W 125 

Hall,  Jno.  H 126 

Hall,  John  M 124 

Hall,  Stephen  H 364 

Hall,  Warren  L.  (portrait  only)  454 

Hammond,  A.  Park 220 

Hanchett,  T.  S 125 

Hannan,  F.  Watson 33 

Harriman,  p.  H 258 

Harris,  George  R 409 

Harris,  Samuel 259 

Hartson,  L.  F.  (portrait  only) 452 

Hawley,  Joseph  R 411 

Hawley,  S.  E 95 

Hayden,  H.  R 34 

Heath,  Edwin  L 1 50 

Herr,  J.  D 35 

Heublein,  G.  F 364 

Hickox,  Geo.  A 376 

Hicks,  Ira  E 223 

Hicks,    Ratcliffe 199 

HiGSON,  David 410 

Hill,  N.  N 254 

Hills,  C.  S 35 

HOAG,  C.  S 96 

Hodge,  Albert  L 36 

Hodge,  George  W 96 

Holden,  John 258 

Holi.ister,  D.  F 255 

Holmes,  Geo.  M 37 

Hooker.  John 377 

House,  James  A 259 

Howard,  James  L 3S0 

Howe,  H.  G 314 

Hubbard,  A.  C 37 

Hubbard,  Gaston  T 38 

Hull,  George  S 182 

Hungerford,  F.  1 255 

Hungerford,  O.  T.  (sketch  only)  455 

Hunt,  C.  K 379 

Hunter,  John  L 315 

Huntington,  Chas.  P 380 

Huntington,  James 257 

Hyde,  E.  H.,  Jr 97 

Hyde,  Geo.  H 39 

Hyde,  Wm.  Waldo 378 

Ingalls,  P.  II 401 

Ives,  Amos 381 


PAGE 

Jackson,   Edward 98 

Jacques,  Eugenf  L.    98 

James,  H.  L 221 

Jennings,  A.  G 437 

Jennings,  O.  B 402 

Johnson,  Cyril 260 

Johnson,  Franklin  R 382 

Johnson,  M.  M 39 

Jones,  Edward  F 447 

JosLVN,  Chas.  M ...     40 

JuDsoN,  Stiles,  Jr 41 

Karrmann,  H.  S 413 

Keeler,  Edwin  O 151 

Keeney,  George  E 262 

Kellogg,  E.  W 42 

Kellogg,  John  P 382 

Kellogg,  M.  C 261 

Kellogg,  S.  W 99 

Kendall,  Geo,  F 127 

Kendrick,  Greene 383 

Kent,  John  B 262 

Kent,  Thos.  B 42 

Kidder,  B.  F 412 

Kimball,  A.  R.  (sketch  only) 456 

Knapp,  H.  M 43 

Knight,  Geo.  H 384 

Lane,  J.  G 387 

Lane,  John  S 44 

Langdon,  C.  H 200 

Lauder,  Robert 152 

Layton,  J.  M 438 

Lewis,  E.  C 44 

Light,  John  H 183 

Lincoln,  M.  Eugene 388 

Lines,  H.  Wales 439 

LiNSTED,  William 153 

Lockwood,  E.  M 152 

LoEWE,  D.E 128 

Logan,  Walter  S 263 

LooMis,  Seymour  C 45 

Lounsbury,  p.  C 413 

Lucas,  Frederick  A 46 

LusK,  William  T.  385 

Lyman,  I.  H 387 

MacLaren,  William  S 265 

McCollum,  Fenelon   266 

McMahon,  James  H 47 

McNeil,  Archibald 129 

McNeil,  John  (portrait  only) 455 

McQuaid,  Wm.  A 33° 

Mallory,  Charles 328 

Mallory,  Charles  II 414 

Mallory,  Henry  R 4'5 

Maltby,  W.  S 365 

Marigold,  W.  H 3S9 

Markley,  Philip  J loi 

Mason,  J.  K 329 

May,  Calvin  S 366 

Mead,  B.  P 3^7 


INDKX. 


479 


Mead,  S.  C 456 

Mersick,  C.  S 48 

Merwin,  Edward  V 401 

Mkicai.i-,  \V.  II 101 

MiGEON,  A.  F 416 

Mii.i.ER,   K.  T 417 

Miller,  Watson  J 153 

Mitchell,  C.  li 445 

Morgan,  J.  Piertont 315 

Morgan,  J.  T 366 

Morrill,  J.  M.  p: 440 

Morrow,  C  \V 49 

Morse,  E.  II 201 

Moss,  E.  13 102 

Nichols,  Jam Ks 330 

Nickerson,  L.  J 49 

northroi',  a.  c 418 

O'Connor,  Maithew  C 1 30 

O'Neill,  John 203 

OsBORN,  N.  G.  (sketch  only) 457 

Osgood,  Hugh  II 331 

Packer,  D.  F 131 

Paige,  Allen  W 221 

Palmer,  Robert 419 

Parker,  Charles  J 205 

Parker,  Joseph 420 

Parsons,  G.  S 50 

Parsons,  H.  C 50 

Pattison,  a.  T 274 

Pearne,  \V.  U 419 

Pearson,  a.  Walton 51 

Pease,  L.  H 334 

Peck,  Hknky  F 36S 

Peck,  W.  E 403 

Peltier,  Pierre  D 103 

Penfield,  Loren  D 52 

Phelps,   Charles 53 

Phelps,  Wm.  Lyon 184 

Phillips,  Albert  W 104 

Phillips,  W.  L 54 

Pickett,  James  A 222 

Pierce,  E.  N 104 

Pierce,  Noble  E 55 

PlNNEY,  E.  C.  (portrait  only) 456 

Pirriite,  Fred  W 55 

Plant,  M.  F.   (sketch  only) 458 

Porter,  Chas.  J 56 

Porter,  Geo.  L 332 

Porter,  John  Addison 441 

Pratt,  Francis  A 317 

Pratt,  Leweli.yn 155 

Pratt,  Waldo  S 204 

Prentiss,  George  F'oster 105 

Prickett,  Edward 132 

Pui.i'oRD,  Charles  H 29 

PuLsiFER,  Nathan  T 155 

QUINTARD,  E.  A 449 

Quin TARD,  Geo.  W 404 


Radkl,  Andrew u^ 

Rai'kterv,  T.  H.  (portrait  only)..  459 

Rankin,  Chas.  G 134 

Readk,  H.  1 57 

Reed,  William  U 134 

Reynolds,  J.  B 269 

Rice,  Frederick  H 106 

Richards,  Francis  II .    .   225 

Rhoades,  C.  L 185 

Roberts,  C.  W 335 

Roberts,  Henry 58 

Robertson,  Geo.  Eustis 268 

Robertson,  John  T.  (sketch  only)  459 

Robinson,  Henry  C 267 

Robinson,  M.  W 107 

Rodger,  D.  R 108 

Rogers,  N.  15 ...   422 

Rood,  D.  A 58 

Root,  Chas.  G 61 

Root,  Geo.  Weli.s 423 

Root,  Jos.  E 59 

roraback,  w.  .\ 184 

Rowell,  C.  E 156 

RUDD,  W.M.  15 335 

Russell,  C.  T 421 

Russell,  J.  J 133 

Russell,  Samuei 132 

Russell,  Thos.  W 171 


Sage,  Wm.  H 61 

Sanford,  David  C 62 

Sanford,   Walter 339 

.Savi.es,  J.  B.  (portrait  only)  . . 463 

ScoFiELD,  E.  L 161 

SCOFIELD,   J.    S 341 

SCHAVOIR,   F 162 

•SCHNELLER,    GEO.    O 2o6 

SCHUELKE,   H.   L 461 

•Sears,  C.  A 173 

Segur,  Gideon  C 172 

Seymour,  Frederic 341 

Seymour,  John  S.  (sketch  only) . .  461 

Sheedy,   B.   D 425 

SiiEi.TON,  Gould  A 405 

Sherman,  O.  D 109 

Sherwood,  Chas 138 

SlIIP.MAN,  NATHANIEI 1 59 

Shoemaker,  Henry  F 339 

Simmons,  W.  N 424 

SiMONDs,  W.   E 229 

Skiddy,   W.  W 467 

Skiff,  Paul  C 272 

Skilton,  D.  W.  C 319 

Skinner,  Cu^rence  E 62 

Skinner,  William  C 158 

Sm  tth,  Addison 424 

Smith,  Alon/o  E 160 

Smtih,   Edward  W 63 

Smith,   Herbert    E 63 

Smith,  James  D 230 

S.MITH,  L.  E 337 


Smiiii,    1  m  n  1 1;    '  ..^' 

Snow,  E.  C 

Sniiw,   Kkeii.  K 110 

SrAl'LDING,  J.  E «7I 

Sl'F.NCRK,    D.    C I 

Spencer,  K.  A mi 

Spenckr,   Richakd  t' 13$ 

Sperrv,  M.  L 67 

SpKAGi'K,  Frank  J. . .  .  459 

St.  John,  S.  U 172 

Stanley,  I-'hkd  N 159 

Stannahd,  R.  R 68 

Stanton,  Lewis  E 326 

Staplf.s,  James 137 

Stark,  C.  E 111 

Stearn-s,   II.   P 157 

Steele,  E.  D 137 

Sterling,  John  W. . .  ..  270 

Stevens,  Geo.  H.  . .  . .  338 

Stow,    Enos   E ..136 

Strang,  C.  W 69 

Street,  Wm.  E 337 

Strong,  C.  E.  (portrait  only) 461 

Strong,  Willia.m 443 

Sullivan,   Daniel  K 68 

SYKF.S,  Geo 163 

Tai.cott,   H.  G 343 

Talcott,  John  li 69 

TaLI.M ADGE,    W.    II 40S 

Taylor,  Henry  A 276 

Taylor,  Thos.   P 165 

Tenney,  a.  J 426 

Terry,  Charles  A 275 

Terry,  Geo.  E 342 

Terry,  Jno.  T 342 

Thacher,  James  K 426 

Thacher,  Thomas 322 

Thacher,  Tno.MAS.\ 322 

Thompson,  A.  1 443 

Tho.mson,  Hira.m  H 70 

Thresher,   Sbneca  II 71 

TiBBALS,   D.  S 273 

Tiffany,  C.  L 4«><' 

TiLEY,  Curtis  H 277 

TiNGiER,  L.  T 344 

Tinker,  Geo.  F 71 

Tinker,  W.  R 164 

j  TowNSEND,  Jamk-s  M.,  Jr.    320 

ToWNSEND,   W.    K Ill 

Treat,  E.  B 1 39 

Troup,  Alexander 321 

Troy,  Edward  M.  (sketch  only)..  463 

Trubee,   Davii 274 

Trumbuli,  J.  Hammond 277 

Tucker,  J.  R 72 

Turner,  Charles  E 408 

Tweedy,  John  A.  (sketch  only)..  463 
Tweedy,  Samuei 250 


UreoN,  CharlI'Is  M 


4So 


INDEX. 


TAGB 

Vance,  R.  J 174 

Wade,  H.  L 428 

Wadsworth,  a.  K 280 

Wagner,  S.  Harrison 367 

Waldo,  Geo.  Curtis 279 

Wander,  Wm 73 

Ward,  F.  A.  (sketch  only) 464 

Warnkk,  Arthur  D 351 

Warner,  Chari.es  Dudley 427 

Warner,  Donald  T 354 

Warner,  Edgar  M 112 

Warren,  II.  C 74 

Warren,  T.  B 75 

Warren,  Willard  C 75 

Warren,  W.  W.  J 467 

Watrous,  W.  H 113 

Webb,  Chas.  H 325 


PAGE 

Webb,  W.  E 409 

Webster,  Morris  C 206 

Weed,   Benj 348 

Weed,  H.  F 347 

Weed,  John 353 

Welch,  A.  H 434 

Welles,  Edgar  T 349 

Wetherbee,  Gardner 327 

Wheeler,  Arthur  C 141 

Wheeler,  Nathaniel 345 

White,  H.  M.  (sketch  only) 475 

White,  Geo.  L 114 

White,  John  H 350 

Whitney,  Amos 166 

Whiton,  D.  E 434 

Whiton,  Francis  H 429 

Wilcox,  D.  C 324 

Williams,  A.  W.  C 76 


PAGE 

Williams,  C.  F 433 

Williams,  Frederic  M 140 

Williams,  Jas.  B 430 

Williams,  John 352 

Williams,  W.   H 347 

Winchell,  a.  E 435 

Wise,  Frank  A 444 

Wolff,  Arthur  J 186 

Woodbury,  E.  D 141 

Woodruff,  Franklin 348 

Woodruff,  Geo.  C 280 

Woodruff,  Geo.  M 77 

Woodruff,  Timothy  L.  (sk.  only)  463 

Woodward,  Henry 143 

Wooster,  F.  L 77 

Wordin,  N.  E 350 

Young,  A.  M 166 


a 


^ 


^ 


^' 


.t> 


;i>^i   tv.^i  tvfr\. 


v/ia]MNnmv^       \oi\mi^'^     ^<!/ojnvD'jo'^ 


LkJ     '^ 


^0-mh 


k 


^y, 


T\ 


iOFCAll  t; 


^-^' 

.m'^ 


JSANCFlfj-^ 


S 


vj;OfCAllF0%       ^OFCAllFOfiV 


University  of  Caiitornia 

SOUTHERN  REGIONAL  LIBRARY  FACILITY 

405  Hilgard  Avenue,  Los  Angeles,  CA  90024-1388 

Return  this  material  to  the  library 

from  which  It  was  borrowed. 


i|Vi 


JUN  2  ?.  ?O0O 


DUE  2  WHS  FKSii^  ORT 


i:EEO£l^l' 


%l; 


^mi 


oeA\ 


iOV^^       %a3AINn-3WV^ 


^^WEUNIVERS/^      ^lOS- 


^.OFCAJIFO)?^      ^., 


'^<?AaV!iail'^^       '^^^AH' 


,^«[llNIVERy/A 


,^WEl)NIVERy/A 


<rii]QNvsoi'^ 


s"  "71  i^^i  t 


%JI1V3J0'^ 


o 


£    :^' 


.^tUBRARY<?/;^       ^m 


-< 


,-^OF-CAllFOff^      ^OFCAIIFOS",^ 


'%'Aav!ian#    '^- 


>&A.u 


^^WEUNIVER%       ^lOSANCElfj-^ 


^OFCAIIFOR^      ^.0F( 


^ 


^(?Aj)vaaii-5^ 


V<y, 


■RYQr 


:i 


—  or 


^WEUN'IVERy/; 


1^1  K 


'''^/ia3AiNaji\^^^ 


.^^lllBRARYC/' 


^t-UBRARYO^ 


^.tfOJllVDJO'^ 


^(JOJIWDJO'^ 


.5MEUNIVERy/A 


o 


.^ 


^■, 


,\\UUKIVtR%       AylOSANCElfj> 


'Aii3Ai,';a-iiVv' 


^OFCAllFOff^ 


^OFCAllFOft^ 


^<?AavaaiH'»f^ 


^cAavaaiii'^'^ 


AWEUNIVERy/A 


o 


\ 


58  01093  1870 


')/?(>  ,\\^M'Nl\Wr;',.        ,.«afis  W,f!fr,  -;OffMiro?< 


cj 


.JAIiN.lJH^ 


•'aujiivjiu'  ''aujiivjjy 


D     000  014  687    e 


\^^ 


"JiiiJM'iur 


I-5WV 


:s^ 


\ 


iMNIllVlV^ 


-AnicRAr^Y^.- 


■JJlJJ.sVliUP 


■^g    ^ 


•Jiirj.svi.ur 


•'/A  J I 


Ta  .,\\M!PRAPYa- .        .v,Vf!lBRARY^A_ 


^. 


lAlNIIHW^ 


i:H*:|i?gf!i':iifii 


